From the challenges faced in the early days to the first Manufactures’ Championship

Immense effort goes into managing a team in the World Rally Championship. Antoni “Toni” Sanchez, Hyundai Motorsport’s Senior Test Team Coordinator, gives his insight into the challenges faced in the early days of Hyundai Motorsport’s first rally, first podium, and the team’s first season in the championship in 2014.

Toni’s journey began with the Hyundai Motorsport family in 2013 when the team was preparing for the start of its 2014 WRC campaign at Rallye Monte-Carlo. It was a big job for that first event with all the coordination requirements including organizing the logistics for the team, ensuring the right resources, supplies and materials throughout the season.

What can you say about the build-up to the first WRC event for Hyundai Motorsport?

When I arrived in Alzenau, in January 2013, the office and workshop were empty and there were only a handful of employees, including the then President Gyoo-Heon Choi.

Meetings began that month focused on building the team. We soon had a huge list of more than 900 items including trucks, vans, trailers, recce cars, toolboxes, jacks, stands, clothing, workshop bays, service area and containers. We also had to organise the first test so needed to find a location for that too!

We decided on the location for our rollouts then we did a simulation rally in the east of Germany for two days, where I handled the setting up the service park, Parc Fermé and mapping out roads to see how the team would perform before 2014 Rallye Monte-Carlo.

Since we were building the team from scratch – I was mostly working every day, including the weekends helping organise with everything we needed; it really was an intense and incredible time.

How memorable was the first podium for Hyundai Motorsport in Mexico 2014?

It was the third round of the season and first overseas event of the year. We were all excited and curious knowing the challenges we had to prepare and manage a new service area, new hospitality setup and a different altitude.

The first podium of the season, in Mexico, was a special one. Thierry Neuville was in the top four going into the last day but, in contrast, Chris Atkinson had some issues on Friday. Thierry moved into third on the penultimate stage, so everyone was feeling euphoric.

However, just before the last stage, Thierry let us know that there was a problem – there was no water left in the cooling system due to a hole in the radiator. All the excitement turned in to a nervous moment as the podium was still 40 kilometres away and we were not sure if the car would make it. I recall calling Thierry’s co-driver, Nicolas Gilsoul, where he mentioned that the engineers asked them to use any water available or to stop at a petrol station! Fortunately, they were handed bottles of Corona beer and luckily this was enough to get the car to the finish and take that first highly memorable podium.

What is the biggest challenge in managing logistics in Motorsport?

I’m lucky in my position with Hyundai Motorsport that I’ve experienced all of our categories. Even with a wealth of experience, there are always new challenges to deal with in every new project. We always have to be ready to overcome with constant challenges in quickest way possible.

Moreover, dealing with external factors like the Covid-19 Pandemic or perhaps learning about diverse locations and to manage the logistics in extreme weather conditions are always challenging. During 2020, as the entire world was dealing with the pandemic, a lot of new rules were laid in with extra paperwork that made operations more difficult. Thinking about one of the most memorable experiences our team had, was receiving a news that all flights were suddenly cancelled and we had to find a solution immediately! That was a busy day!

Any other notable challenging situations?

During the final round of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship was another challenge. We were in Australia, and due to bush fires the rally was cancelled for safety reasons. The situation was very intense – the fire was spreading very rapidly near the service area. Transport was needed for our team members, which was very challenging to coordinate due to these unforeseen circumstances. The rally was cancelled, but we had won our championship.

Another challenging situation occurred during 2018 Rallye Monte-Carlo. With only three hours to the start of the event, we were waiting for our four cars to arrive in Monaco. Despite the rain and traffic, we were running on schedule. Once the cars arrived, we unloaded the two cars from the lower platform. However, while unloading the other two cars which were on the top platform, the hydraulic system of the lift broke down.

One of our chief mechanics came up with an idea that helped us lower the platform half-way down. Immediately we had to think about another solution that was by using a crane we transferred the cars along with the platform to the lower them on the road. Finally, we managed to get the cars to Monaco Casino Square just 1 hour and 30 minutes before the rally began!

How did you feel when the team won the first Manufactures’ Championship?

The entire team celebrated together but it was a bit unusual way for us to win the first championship in Australia 2019. I remember being the only team whose hospitality setup was completely ready and were fully prepared for the rally.

The bush fire was spreading intensely and it came so close to the service area, we had to act quickly and all we could think was to protect the people and our equipment. Thankfully, the promoters agreed to move the cars and the parts to a nearby rugby field. And in couple of hours later, the cancellation of the rally was announced, which as a consequence, announced us as champions.

When you think of a victory, all we imagine is to compete until the final stage, however it wasn’t the case here due to fires and so it was a win without getting a chance to compete.

What skills and qualities are essential for someone aspiring to work in logistics in motorsports?

Firstly, the qualities you most need is to be a bit crazy about your passion and be committed to it. At times you may have to stay up all night and work flat-out during unforeseen events.

Not every time everything will go as per your plan, so you have to be flexible enough to adjust to deliver the best possible outcome.

You should be ready to face any challenges and most importantly to face that challenge and find a solution to it in any circumstances. You need to know how to organize things efficiently and precisely.

Sometimes, you have to picture the potential problems you can face during a stressful time to be ready with a potential solution. It is important to keep calm and in control of your emotions to handle the situation.