Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing has confirmed that it will be represented by two Hyundai Elantra N cars in the inaugural TCR World Tour season in 2023.
Hyundai was previously represented in every season of the FIA World Touring Car Cup from 2018 to 2022, although last year it only had two full-season cars for eventual champion Mikel Azcona and Norbert Michelisz.
The Hyundai representation in world touring cars has been run by Italy-based BRC Racing since 2018, running two cars in the first year, before expanding to four cars in 2019 and then latterly two, with Team Engstler running two cars in 2020 and 2021 after BRC scaled back its entry.
No drivers have yet been confirmed for the coming season, whilst the team operating the cars is also to be confirmed.
“The Customer Racing department and TCR programme are very important elements of Hyundai Motorsport,” said Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul.
“Just like the start of our work on the Hyundai i30 N TCR in 2016, and then the development of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR, the dawn of the TCR World Tour brings another fresh challenge.
“We embrace this new era with the experience and expertise gained from years of success in WTCR and the confidence that we can start the season with the same strength we have shown before.”
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Andrea Cisotti believes that the new TCR World Tour offers more of a global audience.
“As a manufacturer we enjoyed incredible success in WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup, and we look forward to continuing this record with our customers this season,” added Cisotti. “The TCR World Tour promises to deliver the same exciting, close racing as its predecessor.
“The events that have already been confirmed will take the series to a truly global audience and some of the best race circuits in the world.
“This will be only one of several new challenges for our customers and their drivers, but one for which we will support them entirely.”