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Successful everywhere: Hyundai Motorsport in Julien Moncet’s words

The trophy cabinet of Hyundai Motorsport has just welcomed two new additions. Together with Mikel Azcona and BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse, the manufacturer secured the 2022 WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup drivers’ and teams’ titles. After five seasons, the FIA WTCR will not take place in 2023, but Hyundai can be proud to be the most successful manufacturer in the World Touring Car Cup era, clinching 29 race victories. In the hunt for this year’s triumph, Hyundai relied on the support of OMP, which supplied racewear and car components like seats and seatbelts, while Azcona also used a helmet of Bell Racing, another brand of Racing Force Group.

The collaboration with OMP goes way further than the FIA WTCR, as Hyundai Motorsport shows its versatility competing and winning in the World Rally Championship and other rally series, and even in electric motorsport after taking up the challenge of FIA ETCR.

Now the 2022 season is finished, we interviewed Julien Moncet, deputy team principal of Hyundai Motorsport. Here you can read his thoughts.

Julien, Hyundai Motorsport conquered the 2022 FIA WTCR titles. A sweet end for your first year at the helm.
"Winning in the FIA WTCR, the top of TCR and touring car racing, has been a magnificent achievement for us. We had a very well-managed season since the first weekend in Pau, with a great team spirit as our drivers always worked together. It's been a real pleasure to see our Elantra N TCR performing at its best, and Mikel bringing home the crown. Definitely it's been a great season: we demonstrated our cars are competitive in all the categories where we are present, everywhere in the world. In the WRC, despite a quite difficult start with the Rally1 rules, we managed to come back in the game enjoying one of our most successful ever campaigns; with the Rally2 cars, we delivered many successes not only in WRC2, but in many national series too".

2022 marked the closing of FIA WTCR after five years, during which Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing emerged as the most winning manufacturer with 3 drivers' titles, two teams' titles and 29 race victories. What do these years leave behind for you?
"First of all, a great satisfaction. The i30 N and the Elantra N TCR models have been completely developed and produced in house, in our factory here in Alzenau. They have been our first circuit racing cars and they have been very successful, even competing against great manufacturers. Being aware we were able to win on circuit as in rallying gifted us a huge enthusiasm and we're very proud of our success in FIA WTCR, writing the history of the series".

How has been the switch from the previous i30 N TCR to the new Elantra N TCR? Did this play a factor in your World Cup title?
"The i30 N TCR has proved to be a still competitive model in other championships this year, but with the Elantra N TCR we aimed to improve all the possible areas, taking advantage from our previous experience. The new car helped us to make a step forward, and we took the best out of it”.

This year was also the first with Gabriele Tarquini in a different role, as he supported the squad from the pitwall. How valuable has his contribution been?
"Gabriele, even if he's not a full-time driver anymore, remains fully passionate. I’m impressed, as I saw during the last FIA WTCR weekend in Jeddah, about the ability he has to give tips to the drivers, thanks to his many years of experience. I'm an engineer, and we engineers tend to speak with numbers, with graphs, but Gabriele can use a different language and everyone listens to him. From the pitwall he has a clear vision of what is going on and what can be done: he's a key member of the team, in terms of strategy, motivation and with his excellent advices".

Hyundai is now one of the most versatile manufacturers in motorsport, competing in touring cars, rally, endurance racing, combustion engines and electric power. What are the benefits for the brand?
"We're all-around and the FIA ETCR is a further pivotal challenge: it's not a secret we're going towards electrification. For our brand, it's strategic to show commitment to electric motorsport, and we'll continue in this way. And let’s not forget we won the TCR class at the Nurburgring 24 hours. Racing has to be relevant for our main business, which is selling cars to the customers, and we have a good exchange with our colleagues in Korea which develop the road cars. We explore how to export some of our racing knowledge to the everyday models, but sometimes the process goes also the way round. Our motorsport activity is always based on categories with links to road cars, where you can still recognize the shape of an Elantra, an i30 or an i20. We think it’s the best way to promote ourselves".

Racing Force Group, through the OMP brand, became a main partner for Hyundai Motorsport in these years. What did you appreciate the most about the collaboration with us and about our product range?
"It's important for us to count on a dedicated partner like OMP, which supports us and ii highly responsive in important situations to provide help and suggestions. We know we can trust the brand and the wide range of its products we use".