Hyundai Motorsport N targets strong start to 2022 FIA ETCR eTouring Car World Cup
- Hyundai Motorsport N is fully charged for battle as it heads to the Circuit de Pau-Ville for the season opener of the 2022 FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup
- The team has worked hard since the 2021 PURE ETCR finale to improve the package of the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR in a bid to fight for the first King of the Weekend title of the year
- Four drivers will represent Hyundai Motorsport this weekend (May 6-8): Jean-Karl Vernay, Mikel Azcona, Norbert Michelisz and Kevin Ceccon.
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Hyundai Motorsport N is targeting a strong start to the 2022 FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup, which begins this weekend (May 6-8) with the Race FR.
The Circuit de Pau-Ville is set to play host to the first round of the season as part of the Pau Motors Festival. The iconic 2.76 km street track is located in the heart of the city and roughly 25 km away from the Pau-Arnos E-Circuit, which held the 2021 PURE ETCR series finale. Boasting a narrow layout which leaves little margin for error, the Circuit de Pau-Ville presents a challenging first test for the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR.
The team’s line-up features plenty of fresh faces, with Jean-Karl Vernay the only returning member of the 2021 squad. The Frenchman had a competitive first season in the ETCR category, narrowly missing out on the drivers’ title by four points.
Jean-Karl Vernay
Vernay will be joined in his home country by Spaniard Mikel Azcona, Hungarian Norbert Michelisz and Italian Kevin Ceccon. Azcona brings previous success from PURE ETCR to the team, having twice claimed the King of the Weekend in the inaugural season. While the event will be a first outing in electric touring car racing for Michelisz and Ceccon, both drivers have CVs filled with touring car experience.
Although now boasting a new name, FIA ETCR will retain its unique racing format in 2022. The Pau-Ville event will begin with the twelve drivers being split into two Pools for the weekend in a draw. The first track action takes place on Friday with two Free Practice sessions – one of which will be held after sunset. Saturday sees each Pool tackle Qualifying, which determines which Quarter Final each driver will participate in. The competitors race door-to-door straight out of the starting gates, vying for a spot in the more favourable of the two Semi-Finals.
The results of the Semi-Finals set the grid positions for each Pool’s Super Final. This is the last chance for the drivers to earn valuable points and is the only time all six cars in each Pool race will against each other on track during the weekend. The driver with the most points across both Pools at the conclusion of the event will be crowned the King or Queen of the Weekend.
It is incredibly exciting to be competing in the FIA ETCR – eTouring Car World Cup this season. Our Veloster N ETCR showed great potential on its debut last year and we are confident it can be even better in 2022. The team has made some positive steps with the performance package during the winter break and our goal is to compete for the King or Queen of the Weekend crown at every event. With our excellent driver line-up, we are well positioned to enjoy another successful season of electric racing and put ourselves in the fight for the both the manufacturers’ and drivers’ titles.
I cannot wait to be racing again after a long offseason. Pau has been a good place for me, especially after winning there last year in PURE ETCR. This time it will be different as we are competing on a street circuit, but it is a track I know very well. Looking at our opponents, I think the competition level is going to be very high and consistent this year, so there will be no point where we can take it easy. We have made some big improvements to the car compared to last year and we are ready for this first race. My focus is on doing the best job we can and winning the Race FR.
It has been a very long time since I last had this feeling of starting something completely new, so I am very excited for the start of the FIA ETCR season. Pau is a circuit where having previous knowledge is a big advantage, as it is a very demanding street track that can be quite stressful for a driver. For me the most important thing will be to fine tune the car to a point where I feel comfortable to push it to its limit. If we can do this, then I think we can be confident in achieving a strong finish. I will try my best to be competitive from the first moment we take to the circuit.
Norbert Michelisz
The Circuit de Pau-Ville is a new track for me, and with it being a street circuit it will give us some difficult conditions to deal with. The team and the car are also new to me, but as always I will try my best and give 100 per cent of my effort. Although the goal is to go as fast as possible, we have to remember this is a long season and we need to be consistent throughout the year. The focus for the Race FR event will be to get valuable kilometres in the car and work closely with the team to secure the best result possible.
Left: Kevin Ceccon Right: Mikel Azcona
It will be a demanding weekend for me as I do not know the track and it will be my first FIA ETCR race – and my first time racing any electric car – so everything is new. My expectations for the event is to just do my best for Hyundai Motorsport N and myself, and try to get the best result possible for everyone. Testing has been good so far but it is hard to tell where we are in comparison to the other teams: we will have to wait until Qualifying to discover that. Overall, I am really excited for this new electric adventure.
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Florian Büngener
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Product PR & Communications Expert
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apinoperez@hyundai-europe.comMaria Bricio
Corporate & Brand Communications Expert
