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TCR 2017
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Hyundai Motorsport
announces its TCR project
For its first steps into circuit racing,
Hyundai Motorsport has chosen to
develop a TCR car that is based on
the New Generation i30. Work on
the design began at Hyundai
Motorsport in September 2016. The
building and development of the
cars will be completed at the
company’s headquarters in Alzenau,
Germany.
Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal
Michel Nandan said: “The beginning
of our first project specifically for
circuit racing is a very important
step. The TCR regulations have
proven incredibly successful, and are
being embraced by a growing
number of series around the world.
Our TCR car will promote the
manufacturer in motorsport,
together with our WRC and R5
projects.”
Hyundai signed Touring Car legend
and former world champion Gabriele
Tarquini as the lead test driver for
the TCR project.
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing
manager Andrea Adamo said:
“To be able to bring such an
experienced driver into the project
at this early stage is a big step
forward. Tarquini is one of the most
successful Touring Car drivers and
has also shown his ability to work
with a team, helping to develop a
project for competition. The TCR
marketplace is growing and it is
very competitive, with a number of
top manufacturers building models
for the regulations. Because of this
we need to take full advantage of all
of our test running over the coming
months so we can deliver a strong
car to our customers.”
Tarquini said: “I’m very pleased to
join Hyundai Motorsport and their
TCR project. You can see from their
rally team that they are working
at a very professional, level.
This will be my first time developing a
TCR car so to be the lead test driver
for the project is an exciting new
challenge for me. I am looking
forward to getting started and using
my experience to start developing a
car from almost a blank sheet of
paper. I met with some of the
engineers on the project when I
visited the team’s headquarters and
I’m confident that we can work
together to make the car competitive
for a very tough set of
regulations.”
Tarquini will begin his test work with
the team next month, with the first
completed cars for customers planned
for delivery in early December.