Hyundai Motorsport and Shell have extended their partnership within the WRC and will continue together for a further three years. This agreement, born in 2014, has allowed the British company Shell to be the main sponsor of the brand in the World Rally Championship, even causing the official structure of the South Korean firm receives the name of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team. In addition, Shell is also a technical partner of the manufacturer both in its project in the premier class of the WRC with its new ‘Rally1’ and in the project in the WRC2 category with its ‘Rally2’.
The partnership between Hyundai and Shell in the World Rally Championship started in 2014, before Hyundai’s debut in the WRC. Since then, the collaboration between both parties has been really successful, as evidenced by the twenty victories achieved by the brand until the beginning of this season. To which must be added the recent victory of Tänak in the Rally of Italy-Sardinia, first and only to date with the new Hyundai i20 N Rally1the hybrid vehicle of the Asian manufacturer.
In the last eight years, Shell has supported the team through various iterations of the technical regulations to shape some of the most advanced cars to ever grace the WRC stages. The regulatory change of 2017 and the introduction of hybrid technology in 2022 have strengthened cooperation between both parties, providing gains in the development of Hyundai and Shell products. Along the way, Hyundai Motorsport has managed to be the constructors’ world champion in 2019 and 2020.
Sean KimPresident of Hyundai Motorsport, said: “Shell has been with us since the beginning of our WRC journey. It is a testament to the strength of our working relationship that we are able to extend the partnership for another three years. We have gone through two major regulation changes in recent years, in 2017 and this season. Shell has been with us every step of the way. They played a key role in both of our titles and we are pleased to continue this partnership.. This is much more than just a sponsorship, it is a true technical collaboration.”
Ade Ajalahead of Shell, added: “The extended sponsorship and technical partnership represents a strong and valuable platform for Shell to showcase its technology leadership, using motorsports as a development testbed. This agreement allows our teams to continue working together to achieve our goals. Learning from working together has enabled the development of our Shell Helix Ultra lubricants. to benefit Hyundai customers around the world while minimizing our carbon footprint.”
Photos: hyundai motorsport