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Hyundai’s Australian TCR success a proud achievement
During the last decade, Hyundai’s motorsport activities have grown significantly through rallying and its touring car programs, in alignment with its popular N performance brand.
Barry and Nathan Morcom through their HMO Customer Racing operation committed early to TCR Australia when plans were formally announced in 2018 ahead of the category’s debut the following year.
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It was a successful start for HMO Customer Racing and Hyundai Motorsport locally as driver Will Brown secured the inaugural TCR Australia Series title, with a round to spare.
This season, HMO Customer Racing’s new recruit Josh Buchan is placed third and teammate Morcom fourth ahead of the TCR Bathurst 400.
The addition of Australian Hyundai customer teams has positioned the brand as the most represented on the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia grid.
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Andrew Johns detailed how the relationship with the Morcoms began.
“Barry Morcom approached us when he was over in Europe during 2018 visiting some of his suppliers and he called into Hyundai Motorsport,” Johns explained.
“He got a contact in the building, who organised a meeting with myself and Andrea Adamo (Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal) where Barry gave his vision for what he wanted to do with Hyundai in TCR Australia, which was to run a frontrunning team. He wasn’t interested in just making up the numbers.
“Barry also wanted to act as an agent in Australia for the cars and spare parts support. We had two meetings in as many days, we shook hands and away we went.
“When he went back to Australia, he placed two orders and deposits with both being delivered. As that was happening, an order for two more came through so we could tell Barry was a guy with a very ambitious mindset about what he wanted to do with Hyundai and his own team in TCR Australia.
“One thing that I’ve always said to people that I’ve really admired in TCR Australia is it appeared to me the Australian teams just went out, bought cars and said to themselves ‘we’re going to make this work’.”
Hyundai is the most successful marque across the two seasons of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia having achieved 10 race wins, which Johns described as the perfect way to represent the brand.
“It was obviously great to win the series, while the cars have been constantly at the front of the grid, which is testament to HMO Customer Racing,” Johns lauded.
“What’s been really good from our side is that Barry and his team have really taken the product from us and they’ve run with it.
“They’ve needed no hand holding at all, it’s a dream for us.”
At its Alzenau base, Hyundai Motorsport remain informed by each customer’s activities and highlighted its Australian success as a proud achievement.
“For us when we see Hyundais racing, it’s as important to see a customer win as it is in WTCR,” Johns said.
“There’s no result that goes unnoticed. A report is put together every Monday morning showing all of the results from every Hyundai customer car, whether that be rallying or TCR around the world.
“To see what Barry, Will and HMO achieved in 2019 was amazing. To do it in their first year with a new team and start up TCR Series, we were very happy.”