Hyundai Motor Deutschland has formally confirmed it will not support teams in this year’s ADAC TCR Germany, ending three full years of support in the series.
Hyundai first entered TCR Germany for the second half of the 2018 season, when Engstler Motorsport switched from Volkswagen to Hyundai machinery.
For 2019, the backing extended to a full season, culminating in youngster Max Hesse claiming the overall drivers’ title.
The success continued in 2020, when Finn Antti Buri lifted the title with Hyundai Team Engstler, before Luca Engstler completed the hat-trick of drivers’ titles in 2021 with his first overall championship in German tin tops.
Engstler Motorsport had already revealed it would switch to Honda machinery for 2022, although the company will continue to support customer racing teams.
The Hyundai brand will not disappear from the series, however, with Robin Jahr’s ROJA Motorsport team recently confirming it would expand to three i30 N cars in the championship.
Hyundai Motorsport itself will continue to support teams participating in TCR Germany.
The participation of Hyundai in TCR Germany brought much success, with the brand claiming 28 victories in total from 2018 to 2021.
“Of course, it’s a shame when such a successful project comes to an end,” said Franz Engstler, Team Principal of Engstler Motorsport.
“We have achieved a lot together and have always worked together in a goal and success-oriented manner.
“The relationship with Hyundai Germany has always been harmonious, not only on a business level, but also on a social level.
“As a team, we clinched every title that was up for grabs in the series. I would like to thank you for the great cooperation over the last few years and not miss a second of it.”
Hyundai’s support in the series meant several high-profile guest drivers, including WTC winner Thierry Neuville, touring car legend Gabriele Tarquini and WTCR champion Norbert Michelisz all had outings in the series.
“We would like to thank the entire Engstler team for the successful cooperation,” said Jürgen Keller, Managing Director of Hyundai Motor Deutschland.
“In the past four years, the team in ADAC TCR Germany has impressively demonstrated the performance of our Hyundai i30 N TCR with three driver titles and two team titles.
“We wish the team from the Allgäu every success for their future projects.”
Hyundai is planning to focus on its electric motorsport commitments in 2022 – with a new era in the World Rally Championship with its Hyundai i20 N Rally1 and the new FIA eTouring Car World Cup with its Hyundai Veloster N ETCR.
This article was amended on 30 January 2022 to clarify that it is only the backing of Hyundai Motors Deutschland, not Hyundai Motorsport GmbH, which is changing in respect to TCR Germany.