Brazil next for Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing drivers Azcona, Girolami and Michelisz

The Kumho FIA TCR World Tour will take BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse from North to South America this week with the legendary Interlagos circuit in São Paulo, Brazil, preparing to host the fourth event of the season from July 19-21.

And the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing outfit will take to the Autódromo José Carlos Pace on a high on the back of a strong start to the year.

Following last month’s stop at Mid-Ohio, USA, Norbert Michelisz heads the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Drivers’ championship by 22 points, while BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse holds a 20-point advantage in the Teams’ title table. Michelisz’s Hyundai-powered team-mates, Mikel Azcona and Néstor Girolami, are third and fifth in the standings respectively.

In accordance with the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour regulations, Azcona will carry 40 kilograms of success ballast in Brazil as the best-scoring driver during the previous event. Michelisz will carry 30 kilograms, but Girolami is gearing up to start at Interlagos with zero additional weight in his Hyundai Elantra N TCR.

As was the case at Mid-Ohio, Interlagos is an all-new venue for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse and the only current Formula One circuit on the calendar. It’s also the first part of a South American double-header with El Pinar’s Autódromo Victor Borrat Fabini in Uruguay up next from August 2-4, the second of two ‘home’ races for Girolami.

When BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse visited South America last season, Azcona took a second-place finish in El Pinar before heading home Michelisz in a Hyundai-powered 1-2 in La Pedrera, Argentina. The Kumho FIA TCR World Tour contenders will join the TCR South America grid for the Interlagos and El Pinar events this year.

Brazil is a significant market for Hyundai Motor Company. The firm’s first manufacturing plant in Latin America opened in Piracicaba, São Paulo, in 2012 and currently produces the HB20 and Creta models. The Copa Hyundai HB20, a one-make series for the 1.6-litre HB20, is currently led by Brazilian Marcus Indio.

Italy-based BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse is fielding the 2024 version of the Elantra N TCR in the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour. It reflects the latest facelift applied to the road-going Elantra N, which was launched in September 2023 and offers the benefit of improved front aerodynamics. The three Elantra N TCR cars sport the N Motorsport colours worn by the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid in the FIA World Rally Championship.

Hyundai Motorsport Circuit Racing Project Leader Julien Moncet said:

“We head to Brazil ready to take on another unknown track, but we do so in the knowledge that Mid-Ohio was also unchartered territory and we left there with two podiums and the lead of the Drivers’ and Teams’ championships intact. We have to accept that the undulating layout of Interlagos could hinder the outright performance of both Mikel and Norbi, who start the event with 40 and 30 kilograms of success ballast. Although it won’t be easy for them, they are fantastic drivers who are never afraid of taking on whatever challenge is thrown at them. And the team has worked non-stop since Mid-Ohio to be prepared for managing this additional weight and the impact it might have. For Néstor, Interlagos is a great opportunity to close the points gap to the leaders and we have every confidence in him doing just that.”

Driver Notes: #196 Mikel Azcona (ESP), Hyundai Elantra N TCR

• The highest-scoring driver at Mid-Ohio, Spaniard Azcona is third in the standings
• A Brazil win would be the first of 2024 for the Hyundai-powered star, who turned 28 last month

Azcona said: “Interlagos is a very famous track from Formula One and, as I was following Formula One since I was a kid, it’s going to be a dream come true to drive there. It will be a big challenge, especially because we will carry 40 kilograms in our Hyundai Elantra N TCR and there are lots of ups and downs and some long straights. There will also be some drivers from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, who will join the grid and will be really high level. This will make it really tight to get into the top 10 in qualifying when we can score important points. But I am super-confident and I believe in our performance, especially after our pole position at Mid-Ohio. A lot of the weekend will be about working with the team to compensate for our extra weight and minimise the damage, but we have a very good team and I’m feeling ready.”

Driver Notes: #105 Norbert Michelisz (HUN), Hyundai Elantra N TCR

• The Kumho FIA TCR World Tour Drivers’ championship leader by 22 points after three rounds
• Returns to Brazil for the first time since he raced FIA World Touring Cars in Curitiba in 2012

Michelisz said: “Interlagos races are always very exciting to watch in Formula One and, from the outside, it looks like a very challenging circuit with a lot of elevation changes and slow and fast corners. It will be difficult to put a good lap together and find a good car set-up, particularly with the extra 30 kilograms we will carry. But it’s always nice to experience a demanding circuit like this and our Hyundai Elantra N TCR is a very good car. I’m also excited to go back to Brazil. The last time was in 2012 and I really enjoyed it. The season so far has been good. We’ve won races and we’re competitive. That’s always a nice feeling and I hope the momentum can be carried all the way to the end because the target has to be to fight for the title again. It won’t be an easy weekend, but I am still confident we can score good points.”

Driver Notes: #129 Néstor Girolami (ARG), Hyundai Elantra N TCR

• Argentine driver targeting big points during ‘home’ race weekend
• Running with zero success ballast will boost his bid to catch championship leader Michelisz

Girolami said: “As a driver, racing at Formula One tracks is super-exciting and Interlagos is probably the best track in South America, if not the best ever. I always like tracks like this – fast, technical and a lot of ups and downs. For sure it will be a tough track for the drivers carrying extra kilos, but we are with zero kilos and I am really looking forward to having a great weekend and reducing the gap to the leaders by taking a lot of points in my Hyundai Elantra TCR. This is my target for Interlagos and I am very confident. It’s been super-nice to work with BRC and Hyundai Motorsport since I joined for this season. Norbi and Mikel have been super-helpful and super-kind, and there is always a lot of support from the team. We are close in the championship having scored a good average of points in every race. As a team, we are also very strong but we need to keep pushing, which we will do. I really hope we can get a good result for all the people in the team.”

Weekend at a Glance

• Free Practice 1 at the 4.309km Autódromo José Carlos Pace runs from 10:00-10:30 (06:00-06:30 GMT) on Saturday July 20 with Free Practice 2 from 12:30-13:00 (08:30-09:00 GMT). Both sessions will be followed by a maximum 10-minute practice start period.
• Qualifying takes place later in the day from 15:00 (11:00 GMT). Q1 runs for 20 minutes with the fastest 12 drivers progressing to the 10-minute Q2 starting at 15:25 (11:25 GMT).
• Race 1 is due to begin at 11:10 (07:10 GMT) on Sunday July 21 lasting approximately 28 minutes followed by Race 2 from 14:40 (10:40 GMT). That race will last approximately 33 minutes.
• The Race 1 grid is decided by the Qualifying results with the top 10 from Race 1 lining up in reverse for Race 2.
• In addition to the Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing drivers, 32 cars appear on the provisional entry list for the Interlagos weekend, round four of the 2024 Kumho FIA TCR World Tour.