Norbert Michelisz and Hyundai Motorsport’s Circuit Racing Project Manager Julien Moncet reflect on a successful 2024 season
Norbert Michelisz claimed his third TCR World title at Macau, claiming the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title* after a weekend that had a bit of everything – including crashes, drama, wet weather and excellent team work on track from the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse drivers. Now, a few days after the end of the season the new crowned champion and Julien Moncet, Hyundai Motorsport’s Circuit Racing Project Manager reflect on a successful 2024 season.
How do you see the Macau weekend, now we are a few days after the event?
Norbert Michelisz: “It was an incredible weekend. In Macau anything can happen and of course going there with the points lead is always something you choose. But you need to consider looking back at all the history of the races in Macau a lot of things can happen, so I never took if for granted that we would be in this position after qualifying or after the second race. In the end the main focus was not to do any mistakes, to nail the car set-up, to nail the tyre choice because Macau in itself with consistent conditions is already a huge challenge. This year we had rain, we had a damp circuit, we had races where it was difficult to make a tyre choice, same in qualifying. At many points of the weekend it could have gone wrong with a very small mistake. So, I was very stressed, I was thinking a lot about all the possible outcomes and I am super-relieved we didn’t put a foot wrong. I think we didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the season, which was the key to win the championship.
I remember waking up on Sunday morning. The weather forecast looked completely dry yesterday but opening the curtain in the room I just thought ‘I’m still dreaming’ with the rain. Then looking at the forecast, sitting in the car with a lot of rain, experiencing these difficult conditions I realised that it was very far from over. I was waiting for the moment to finish the second race and to know the outcome. It could have gone either way with all these changing things. I’m very relieved because surviving a weekend and a race like Sunday I think we gained a lot of experience, to be even more mature for the future, even more consistent, focusing on the right things. I am very grateful.
How does it feel to be a two-time TCR World Champion?
NM: “It feels very similar to last year. In fact, it’s a big déjà vu. All the stress throughout the weekend, the interviews after the race and the prize giving. To be honest, it’s just something unreal. As a race car driver, you do racing and you take the stress and you take the pressure, just for these kind of special moments. So, in the end I feel very blessed to be in a position to experience these kind of things for two years in a row now. It’s one of the happiest days of my life.”
Does the stress and the pressure of a weekend like the finale in Macau get easier with experience?
NM: “No, it never really gets any easier. I mean, every time I tell these to people and they always laugh. If someone comes to me one hour before the race or 30 minutes before the race, and asks me if I enjoy this, I say ‘no, for sure not and this is my last event. I just cannot take this pressure for sure. It’s not good for the health’. But then you know you finish the race weekend and it’s like an addiction. You want to go again, and it is like a circle, this cycle of racing and competing, I guess.”
Did you always feel like you could win the championship again this season?
NM: “To be honest, yes, because last year I remember that, personally, I did a very good season, but I still thought that there are some things which I can improve. My main target for 2024 was to be a bit more consistent than last year, when I had a few more ups and downs and I think I managed to do that. You could see many times that scoring points was vital, and thinking to the long term is vital. You are not always in a position to fight for a race win, but these are very important moments to understand, to put your head down and to go for what’s possible without making stupid mistakes and risking too much. In the end, in my years of racing, I understood you need to be very intelligent in the fights you select. Sometimes you do need to take the fight, but not always.”
What, personally, was your high point of the 2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour season?
NM: “My best race of the season was the Race 2 in Interlagos. I mean, to be honest, I remember after qualifying that I finished P10 And I said, ‘OK, there’s no chance. We have reverse grid pole, but on this circuit it’s impossible to stay in the lead if nothing unusual happens.’ And then it happened. I think this gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. So for me, Interlagos Race 2, winning that race from a sporting and emotional perspective was a key point in the season. If I had not have won that race then obviously the points gap, but also the dynamics of the season would have been completely different. It’s proof of what I said before. I was wrong with calculating my chances, and I decided to go for the fight because I felt confident that it was the moment to go for it, put my head down and stay in front.”
How important has the support from the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team, and from Mikel and Néstor been for you this year?
NM: “I don’t think that I would have won the championship without all the work in the background, without Mikel and Néstor and without the team. If you look back, we had probably 50 times where if we didn’t make the right decision, we would have lost a lot of points and I think in many, many situations you don’t even understand at that moment. But having the experience and the dynamics we have the team to be able to make the right choice with cars set-up with the engineers or the how to approach a qualifying session or what to do in a race to maximise points with Gabriele Rizzo and Gabriele Tarquini is a crucial part of winning a championship.”
What does Norbert Michelisz’ 2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour title mean from the perspective of Hyundai Motorsport?
Julien Moncet, Hyundai Motorsport Circuit Racing Project Manager: “Well, firstly it’s obviously a great relief after a close season and final weekend. Our target was clear at the beginning of the season – to win drivers’ and teams’ championships. Sadly, we already saw already a few days ago that winning teams’ title would be difficult, so we focused mostly on the drivers’ points and that became our only target, so to finally make it is a great feeling. Norbi has been leading the championship since is qualifying in Vallelunga and he has been very consistent for the entire season. This was definitely the key. We haven’t won as many races as our competitors, but we scored good points on regular basis and avoided mistakes and the Norbi’s title is the prize for this.”
What has stood out for you this from Norbi, and from BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse during this year?
JM: “Of course, you cannot split one from the other. Definitely, to win a world title, you need an excellent driver, this is clear, but what we have shown over the whole season and especially over the last few events is that there was a team behind. Of course, there are engineers and mechanics and so on, but as well Néstor and Mikel were a key factor in Norbi’s title success. I think he even recognised that. He told us we with without them, he would not be in this position. I think this is the most enjoyable thing about this season for me. We have worked with the highest team spirit I have ever seen, with everyone dedicated to the cause. There was no story of one person putting their ego in front of the team and so on. We all had the same target and the drivers made it happen on track.”
How important is for Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing to have this continued success in the TCR World Tour?
JM: “It’s very important because the TCR project is a great example of what we have always worked to do with our motorsport projects and have close links between Hyundai road cars and our racecars. For example, for the start of the season we introduced the new facelift for the Elantra N TCR to match the design of the latest road car. The launch of the Elantra N TCR Special Edition brings us even close and shows how important the link to success in the TCR category is for the entire company. Obviously, we have now won three drivers’ titles in a row. The target next year has to be to keep it up to, and to go for at least a fourth title. My dream would be to manage the team title and driver title. The target now is so high that it will push us even more to achieve it. Our Customer Racing TCR programme is the most successful project for Hyundai Motorsport, so it means there’s some pressure to keep delivering every season!”
As well as the three consecutive drivers’ titles in for BRC, our customers have won back-to-back titles in TCR China, TCR Australia and TCR Eastern Europe. What do you put the success of the Elantra N TCR down to?
JM: “Well, I mean The Elantra N TCR is an excellent package, probably the best overall in the whole TCR category. We have an excellent chassis, a good power train, and strong reliability. I think it’s a car that is easier to drive than many others and easier to push with in every condition, which is what you need over a full season of racing. Even during the Macau weekend, we have seen that our car can perform well on a dry track, but also in the wet it’s a very good car. So, I think it’s a good overall package we are. It’s not the best in some individual areas, but when you look at everything together it is very hard to beat, as the results of our customer teams with car show.”
*All results subject to final FIA confirmation
