Hyundai Motorsport customer results round-up bulletin
- Veloster N TCR customers Bryan Herta Autosport dominated the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge weekend at Lime Rock Park to retake the TCR class points’ lead
- Diego Dominguez scored a second victory of the Paraguayan national rally season in his Hyundai Paraguay backed i20 R5
- i20 R5 crews were the class of a packed R5 category at the Rally di Alba, finishing first and second and winning every stage of the event.
Hyundai customers took victories on three continents, with TCR wins in North America and Europe coming alongside success on the rally stages of Europe and South America for our i20 R5 customers. These, together with other strong results around the world, leave Hyundai customers well placed for further silverware from the 2019 season.
Dominant Lime Rock run ends with Veloster N TCR 1-3
The Bryan Herta Autosport team enjoyed their most successful weekend yet with the Veloster N TCR in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Lime Rock Park (July 19-20). The #98 entry of driving combination Michael Lewis and Mark Wilkins started the race from pole position. The car actually set the second fastest lap overall in qualifying, putting it ahead of not only the rest of the TCR field, but also most of the faster GT4 machinery that make up the series’ premier class.
In the race the duo were seldom headed. They only gave up the lead to make a pitstop – a wise strategy decision that only strengthened their grip on the victory. The second Veloster N TCR, shared by Mason Filippi and Harry Gottsacker drove up from seventh on the grid to finish third for the pair’s first IMSA podium. The Hyundai were two of only three cars in the TCR class not to be lapped, such was the startling pace of the Veloster at the top of the class.
The victory, their second of the season, gave Lewis and Wilkins back the championship lead, while their teammates jumped up to sixth in the standings.
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Double podium puts i30 N TCR driver into joint points’ lead
A fantastic weekend at the Mugello Circuit (19-21 July) gave Marco Pellegrini a double podium and a share of the TCR Italy points lead. The Target Competition driver found himself at the front of the Race 1 grid after problems for the polesitter, but he used the advantage to full effect, taking the lead and never giving it up to take his second victory of the season.
He came close to winning both contests of the weekend, finishing less than a second behind the leader in Race 2. He kept up pressure throughout the second half of the race, after leaping from sixth on the grid up into second in the opening corners thanks to a superb start.
Damiano Reduzzi scored his best result to date with his Trico WRT run i30 N TCR, finishing Race 2 in seventh position as the experienced rally driver comes to terms with the challenge of circuit racing.
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i30 N TCR shows pace is TCR Eastern Europe
Czech driver Dušan Kouřil Jr. finished on the podium in both TCR Eastern Europe encounters at the Grobnik Circuit (July 27-28) in Croatia. After setting the fourth fastest time in qualifying a penalty dropped him to the back of the grid for both races. Sunday brought torrential rain, with the whole event carried out in sodden conditions. On both occasions he was able to quickly climb up the order. He finished second to start the day after a superb drive, and followed it with third in Race 2. The marches up the order showed the performance of the car on track and Kouřil’s Race 2 fastest lap – more than a second faster than any of his rivals – provided the exclamation point on a strong weekend.
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Drive to second sets up TCR UK title decider
A magnificent drive up the order to take second place in Race 2 of the TCR UK weekend at Brands Hatch (July 27-28) made sure that Lewis Kent took the battle for the championship to the final meeting of the year. Disadvantaged by the series’ unique ballast regulations Kent struggled in qualifying on his home track, but used his track knowledge and the pace of the i30 N TCR to move forward in both races.
In Race 1 he rose as high as third before the extra weight bit again, this time in the form of harsh tyre wear, to push him back to fourth. Lightened for Race 2 he powered up to third overall in short order, but was held up by a driver competing in a different class of the Touring Car Trophy series. He finished second, both overall, and among the TCR UK class, having also set fastest lap on his charge through the field.
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Paraguayan victory boosts championship challenge
Diego Dominguez took a second overall victory of his season in the Paraguayan national championship at the Rallye de la Soja (July 26-27). After taking the lead on stage three he set about extending his advantage on the gravel roads, ending the opening day of running with nearly 20 seconds in hand over his pursuers thanks to three consecutive fastest times. That buffer allowed the Hyundai Paraguay supported driver to relax slightly on Sunday’s sections and protect his lead, though he still added a further fastest time and added to his advantage to finish 22 seconds ahead. The result, especially with his strong performance on both days, gives him crucial points in the championship standings as he aims to narrow the gap to the series leader.
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i20 R5 crews take class 1-2 in Italy
A total of six i20 R5 customer crews lined up for the start of Rally di Alba (July 27-28) in Italy to go up against not only nearly 30 competitors in similar spec machinery, but also crews fielding WRC cars. Despite some of the more powerful opposition Stéphane Sarrazin still finished second overall. Running in an entry prepared by his eponymous team he lead an i20 R5 1-2 at the top of the category, with Umberto Scandola second – and fifth overall. An excellent weekend for the Hyundai customers was completed by Ole Christian Veiby who finished ninth overall, and completed the R5 top five.
The Norwegian was the fastest R5 driver through the final stage, completing a clean sweep for i20 R5 crews in terms of fastest times in the class, after Scandola had topped the Super Special curtain raiser and Sarrazin set the pace on the five tests in between.
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Tiger Rally podium for Cypriot customer team
Yiangos Yiangou gave his Yiangou Motorsport team a second i20 R5 podium finish of the year in the national rally championship in Cyprus after finishing second on the Tiger Rally (July 27-28). In his first event aboard the car usually driven by his son Panayiotis he was consistently on the pace – never dropping below fourth overall – and made the most of mechanical issues and mistakes for others on the rough gravel stages to take a well-deserved spot on the podium.
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Driver claims first Irish Forestry podium with i20 R5
James Wilson finished third overall on the Jim Walsh Cork Forest Rally (July 27-28) to claim his first podium finish in the Irish Forestry rally championship, the country’s premier gravel championship. In a drive supported by Motorsport Ireland, as part of his prize for winning the 2019 Billy Coleman Award Wilson performed strongly throughout the event. He started with the fourth best time on SS1 and further proved the pace of he and the car with the best time overall on the first pass of the longest stage of the rally.
Ares reached half way point in Spanish Championship with fifth podium finish
Iván Ares concluded the first half of the Spanish tarmac rally season with second place in the Rallye de Ferrol (19-20 July). The result meant that the 2017 series champion reached the mid-point of the season in contention for a second national title. Together with co-driver David Vásquez Ares was part of a tight battle for the lead. The Hyundai España supported crew won two of the last three stages, closing to within nine seconds of the leader, but ultimately finished second to claim a fifth podium of the season – the most of anyone in the championship.
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Hyundai Italia crew shows top five pace on ERC’s Italian round
Hyundai Italia backed crew Umberto Scandola and Guido D’Amore had the pace to match the top five on the Rally di Roma Capitale (July 19-21), the latest round of the European Rally Championship. Working to find the correct set-up in their tarmac debut with the car the pair rose through the top ten to fifth before front a puncture cost them nearly two minutes and pushed them back to tenth. It was there they finished, frustrated by the result, but happy with the work completed by the team. Their S.A. Motorsport teammate Giacomo Scattolon likewise had the pace to challenge the top ten before a mistake put him out of contention.
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Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Senior Sales Associate Andrew Johns said: “Though many series are now on, or are approaching, their summer breaks our customer teams and drivers remain busy. i20 R5 crews have shown the pace of the car on both gravel and tarmac, including against a very strong R5 field in Italy, and on several demanding events. Of course, our TCR customers continue to add to their own successes. Both the i30 N TCR and Veloster N TCR are now familiar sights at the front of TCR races around the world, and as a result Hyundai customers are in very strong positions in their championships. With the final parts of seasons now at the forefront of our customers’ concerns our task is now to make sure they are supported to take full advantage of their hard works so far this season.”
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