It cannot be said that the 2021 FIA WTCR season has been satisfactory for Hyundai Motorsport and the confirmation comes from its own boss.
Andrea Adamo did not hide by talking to Motorsport.com, admitting that the hoped-for results with the entry of the all-new Hyundai Elantra N TCR did not come for various reasons.
But in this exclusive interview, the Piedmontese engineer who directs the operations in Alzenau, where the European headquarters of the Korean company is located, also touches on other points that are currently putting the world of racing tourism in difficulty, both from the point of view managerial, economic and sporting.
Are you happy with the first season on the track of the new Hyundai Elantra N, seen in TCR Europe and in the FIA WTCR?
“No, because we didn’t bring home the results we deserved. The reasons are different. I believe that in TCR Europe it was not used in the right way, while in the WTCR for a number of reasons we did not achieve what it should have been” .
Could the car already be as successful as the i30 N TCR was in its first year, even after winning the World Championship?
“The answer is simple: it is the car that has won the most races to date. In addition, I say: do you think Hyundai Motorsport spends millions of euros to present itself at the start of a championship without being able to win it?”
A shareable observation, but here then one wonders: is the car manageable by all the teams, without distinction of category, or is it more a racing car than the i30 that needs a high-level team to make it perform?
“All the teams can manage it in the same way if they follow the instructions we give them. Quite simply, you have to know how to read the sheets relating to the set-ups we provide, there is nothing more complicated than the i30. Camber, height and quant ‘other is spelled exactly the same “.
Do you think that Elantra can arrive at national level next year, for example in TCR Italy?
“I think at the moment there is a fundamental problem with TCR which is called costs. It is linked to a general situation, the national championships are mainly made up of used cars because I don’t think there are the budgets to buy new ones. So , after years and years of success, we have reached a stalemate in the sale of new TCRs. There are several championships that are well organized and still have many cars on the grid, in others there are fewer, but in general I struggle to see series that can afford new cars “.
Were you able to give an answer as to why?
“There are many explanations. TCR Asia and TCR South America could be used car buying areas, in Latin America there are big problems, in Asia you too know what the situation is, so there is no flow. If you can’t sell your used car, you don’t have the money to afford the new one. “
Is the fact that the manufacturers are carrying their next-generation TCRs raising the bar of costs?
“I don’t think so, the Elantra costs a little more than the i30 and this is due to the general increase in the costs of materials and the situation. If anything, everything is linked to the budget available to do the TCR”.
However, TCRs have become more expensive, from 2015 to today …
“The truth is that the cars have always cost a lot more than what was claimed. In 2015 the then Seat Leon Cup Racer probably cost little, but the first year of the TCR there were already higher priced models. it is an explosion of costs as we have seen in other leagues, so in my opinion the problem is that there is less and less money. “
Gabriele Tarquini, BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Racing Team Hyundai Elantra N TCR
Photo by: WTCR
Is it possible that the TCRs were initially sold below their real cost of production, as if it were a promotional investment by the manufacturers to launch the category?
“No. The real TCRs arrived in 2015-2016. The ones that kicked off the championship were the single-brand trophy cars, or built by private teams with what they had at their disposal. Right Honda had done with JAS Motorsport. a full-fledged TCR, so clearly it cost more. Then someone came along who worked better, like the Cupra itself; when they introduced the Sadev gearbox and further upgrades the cars certainly didn’t cost as much as the Racing Cups. with real TCRs the purchase price of a car began to be around € 120,000 / 130,000. We stayed there, then if there are those who enjoy telling films about the costs of the cars, you can say what you want ” .
Can the TCR still be considered a touring championship for production derived cars?
“Certainly yes. Ours are within the canons of the regulation, no more and no less than the others you see on the grid in the WTCR. If anything, the difference is that to go fast we no longer have to ‘cry’ to fix ridiculous Balance of Performance” .
Are you satisfied this year with how the Balance of Performance has been managed?
“Here … I prefer not to comment on this”.
Instead, what do you think of the management of the WTCR, which for the second year in a row had to stay in Europe to run due to a pandemic?
“I’m absolutely not happy. I don’t know if there were the conditions to go to Asia, but I know that there is a championship called TCR Europe that runs on circuits, then there is one called WTCR where they do it. go to something that is little more than a kart track! “
How would you have acted?
“I do not know because it is not my problem and work that concerns me. I do mine and I can judge the work of others, as I am judged for my work”.
Do the promoters involve you when they try to organize a championship, hearing and evaluating your opinion?
“They just tell us where to go, considering they have to do their business. So they don’t ask for proposals from us. If anything, the problem is that when you sign up the calendar says you go to Ningbo, Macau and Korea. Then it turns out that there is Covid and you cannot go. And the alternative they have proposed is the one you have seen in the last two years “.
In Italy, motorsport is mainly linked to Ferrari and Formula 1, while other series seem to suffer from the lack of public. Is it the people who have lost their love of racing, or is it the promoters who are not doing enough to attract them?
“A few weeks ago we tested the new Hyundai Rally1 in Piedmont and it was full of people, a sign that the passion still exists and is very present. Let’s start doing things well, enticing and making people come and see you. that we did with Rally1 is a demonstration. If you have nothing to show it is difficult for people to come. I remember 2003, when Gabriele Tarquini won the European Touring Championship in Monza; it was literally blocked, some took over two hours to get from the motorway exit to the circuit, demonstrating that if you do things right people will come to see you. It is an excuse for those who do things badly, while those who do them well look for ideas. Like the argument that there are no good young people in Italy because there is no manufacturer. I have yet to understand who the Belgian car manufacturer is, Estonia or Finland capable, but in those countries there is no shortage of interesting kids “.
Mitchell Cheah, Engstler Hyundai N Liqui Moly Racing Team Hyundai i30 N TCR
Photo by: WTCR
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