Hyundai Motorsport enjoys positive start to FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup
- Hyundai Motorsport N departs the Race FR feeling positive with the pace and progress of the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR at the Circuit de Pau-Ville
- Jean-Karl Vernay was fastest in his Pool’s Qualifying session and Mikel Azcona ended the even in second place in the Super Final
- Norbert Michelisz claimed his first-ever FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup victory in his Semi Final, while Kevin Ceccon demonstrated consistent speed in every session.
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Hyundai Motorsport N departs the Race FR, the first round of the 2022 FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup, feeling positive with the pace and progress of the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR throughout the weekend.
The Race FR began well for the team, with Jean-Karl Vernay claiming pole position in Qualifying, and culminated with second place for Mikel Azcona in the Super Final.
In Pool Furious, Azcona claimed second place in Saturday’s qualifying session. An eventful start to his Quarter Final resulted in contact to his left rear, causing a puncture. Azcona was able to return to the pits for a new tyre and continue the race to finish in second. In the Semi Final, the Spaniard attempted two overtakes on the car ahead but was unable to pass, and he had to settle for third. This put him on the second row of the Super Final grid, from where he applied pressure to Bruno Spengler in second place. Using his 150kW Power Up boost, he was able to overtake and move into second place. He would go on to challenge for the lead of the race, but ultimately finished the event in second.
His team-mate Kevin Ceccon displayed early pace in Friday’s free practice sessions. On Saturday he had just one lap in Qualifying to claim his place on the Quarter Final Grid, as his first attempt was aborted due to yellow flags. He finished the session in fifth. The Italian driver kept the cars ahead within touching distance in the Quarter and Semi Finals; both finished in an exciting drag race to the chequered flag. With two third-place finishes, he started the Super Final on the last row of the grid, but quickly made his way through the field to briefly challenge for second place. Ceccon remained in the fight for third for the duration of the race, but was unable to progress and finished the race in fourth.
Vernay set the fastest lap in Pool Fast’s qualifying sessions to claim pole position for the first Quarter Final. An error with the set-up of his Hyundai Veloster N ETCR resulted in him having additional power during the Quarter Final and he was subsequently disqualified from the session. In Semi Final 2, Vernay fought hard but fair with his team-mate Norbert Michelisz, finishing in second place. Despite the nature of the narrow circuit, where overtaking is incredibly difficult, Vernay was able to progress from fifth to third by lap three of his Super Final. Having used most of his 150kW Power Up boost, he was unable to mount a defence to the car behind in the closing stages of the race and crossed the line in fourth.
Making his first appearance in the ETCR category, Michelisz was on a mission to finish every session and gain confidence in the car. With the fifth fastest lap in Qualifying, he secured the middle grid slot of the second Quarter Final session. After going door-to-door with both his competitors at the start, he slotted into second place. The Hungarian’s first FIA ETCR victory came in the Semi Final after a great start saw him move into the lead of the race. He was due to start his Super Final in fourth, however an e-Kit related issue in his Hyundai Veloster N ETCR prevented him from joining the grid and he was forced to start from the pit lane. Unable to catch the back of the pack, Michelisz finished his final round in fifth.
The Super Final was the best session of the weekend. The car was working fantastically. We put a lot of hours in this weekend, working with the mechanics and engineers; it was a tough job but in the end you can see the results of our efforts. Not only was I able to put pressure on the Cupra, which was the fastest car this weekend, I was in a position to try and overtake too. Overall, the weekend has been very positive. We didn’t start the event in the position we wanted to be in but every day we were improving. The car is strong now and I think we will be very competitive with the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR in Istanbul.
It was a difficult start to the season for us. Qualifying was the best session of the Race FR weekend for me. Although it has been ten years since I last raced at this circuit, it took me some time to get confident with the car and it all came together in my lap in my second attempt. There was an unfortunate misunderstanding with the set-up for the Quarter Final; I started the race with more power than our competitors which caused our disqualification, which was disappointing after all the work we did in the morning. I gained some places in the Super Final but then I ran out of Power Up and couldn’t defend. It is difficult to come back from fifth when you start at the back of the grid.
I have to say I achieved my target this weekend. My goal was to finish every session to build my confidence, so I was very happy with the rhythm up until the Super Final. I was hoping for a bit more but in the end it is part of the process. Starting from the pitlane there wasn’t much I could do, and when I realised the gap to the cars in front I focused on finishing the race and to bring the car home for Kevin. Overall I’m happy with the points we scored and my pace in the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR, especially towards the second part of the weekend so we have a good foundation to build on during this season.
FIA ETCR is tough but amazing. The level here is so high but that’s what I love and that’s why we are here to compete. I made a mega start in the Super Final from sixth place – I tried to go round the outside as I had nothing to lose and gained some positions. I fought with Bruno Spengler for third place for the entire race. The pace was there and it was a great note to end the weekend on. Step by step we are improving; we need to progress like this every session. We’re confident we can continue this upward trajectory in Turkey. We are all pushing forward in the same direction and our team dynamic is great, so this can only bring good results.
It has been an eventful start to the season, with our team making continued progress in every on-track session. The Hyundai Veloster N ETCR continued its winning ways in the new era of electric touring car racing, but we know we have to keep improving our performance as we fight for the FIA ETCR titles. We demonstrated our competitive package throughout the weekend and we have learned a great deal from the Race FR. We’re confident we can challenge for the King of the Weekend crown next time out in Istanbul.
King Driver Classification – Race FR
- Mattias Ekström 100
- Adrien Tambay 92
- Tom Blomqvist 79
- Mikel Azcona 72
- Bruno Spengler 61
- Maxime Martin 56
- Jean-Karl Vernay 45
- Norbert Michelisz 43
- Jordi Géne 35
- Kevin Ceccon 33
- Giovanni Venturini 29
- Luca Filippi 15
2022 FIA ETCR Manufacturers' Standings
After round 1
- Cupra 192
- Hyundai Motorsport N 117
- Romeo Ferraris 117
2022 FIA ETCR Drivers' Standings
After round 1
- Mattias Ekström 100
- Adrien Tambay 92
- Tom Blomqvist 79
- Mikel Azcona 72
- Bruno Spengler 61
- Maxime Martin 56
- Jean-Karl Vernay 45
- Norbert Michelisz 43
- Jordi Géne 35
- Kevin Ceccon 33
- Giovanni Venturini 29
- Luca Filippi 15
Contacts
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Florian Büngener
Head of Department PR & Communications
fbuengener@hyundai-europe.com LinkedIn ProfileAdriana Cerami
Head of Section Corporate & Brand PR
acerami@hyundai-europe.comKatharina Kupper
Hyundai Newsroom Lead
kkupper@hyundai-europe.comAnja Wente
Product PR & Communications Expert
awente@hyundai-europe.comElvira Herrera
Corporate Communications Expert
eherrera@hyundai-europe.comÁngel Pino Pérez
Product Communications Professional
apinoperez@hyundai-europe.comMaria Bricio
Corporate & Brand Communications Expert
