Norbert Michelisz wins 2019 WTCR FIA World Touring Car Cup

Driving a BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse-run i30 N TCR, Michelisz claimed victory from pole position in race one and held off the challenge of nearest rival Esteban Guerrieri of Argentina in the crucial third and final race to take the title from inaugural WTCR / OSCARO title winner and team-mate Gabriele Tarquini.

The points allocated also meant Hyundai Motorsport finished runners-up in the 2019 Teams’ Championship title which was won by Cyan Racing Lynk.

Sunday’s final round of action in the 2019 season was held at the Sepang International Circuit and was part of the Races of Malaysia double-header with the FIM Endurance World Championship for motorbikes. The event had a unique format in that all three races took place on the same day in late afternoon, at dusk and at night under floodlights.

That challenge and the wet weather conditions proved no obstacle for the Hyundai Motorsport team who once again have showed why they have consistently achieved great results in two consecutive seasons of FIA WTCR in 2018 and 2019.

With two drivers still in contention for the crown, Michelisz took a major step towards claiming the 2019 FIA WTCC title by winning race one, before ALL-INKL.COM Münnich Motorsport driver Guerrieri won race one in which Michelisz could only finish eighth.

That closed the gap in the title race to within 10 points with just race three to come. Michelisz still led the points standings going into the final decisive race and started from pole position, although he shared the front row with Guerrieri who was just 10 points behind him.

The final deciding race saw the safety car employed very early on after three laps, which then saw the race lead change hands several times along with the title battle itself between Michelisz and Guerrieri.

The switching of positions in the race also saw the battle for the title change hands six times before crucially Guerrieri’s car lost power and slipped down the field to eventually finish 22nd. Michelisz however simply knew all he had to do was complete the race to take the title, which he did so by coming through the finishing line in fifth place. Johan Kristoffersson took the victory in race three coming from 22nd position on the grid

Sunday’s victory for Michelisz caps another impressive WTCR season for Hyundai after Tarquini won the 2018 Driver’s Championship - with Michelisz in fourth place – and the team narrowly finishing runners-up in last year’s Teams’ Championship.

Before the weekend’s finale, Michelisz had previously registered first place victories at four consecutive events. The first came at Nurburgring, Germany, in June, which was then backed by a further success at Vila Real, Portugal, in July, after taking pole position.

The break between events did not hinder the progress as he claimed another top spot on the podium in Ningbo, China, before claiming another first place in one of the three races held at Suzuka, Japan.

Tarquini has once again performed well in 2019, finishing seventh on the final Drivers’ Championship standings. There were first place finishes in April’s two events, the first coming in the season’s opener in Marrakech, Morocco, which was followed by another victory at Hungaroring, Hungary, later in the month in which Michelisz also claimed a pole position on home soil.

It is these consistent results over the course of the season which has demonstrated why Hyundai's TCR products like i30 N TCR and Veloster N TCR are showing great performances and in doing so winning many titles in TCR series around the world.