Hyundai: ‘Impossible to state Tarquini’s impact’

Hyundai motorsport boss Andrea Adamo admits that Gabriele Tarquini will be ‘sorely missed’ by the Korean manufacturer when he brings the curtain down on his career at the end of the 2021 World Touring Car Cup season.

Tarquini joined Hyundai back in 2017 as the lead test driver for the new TCR programme with the i30 N, and secured the first pole – and win – for the car when guesting in the TCR International Series later that year.

The experienced Italian then saw off the challenge of Yvan Muller to win the WTCR title the following year, carrying Hyundai Motorsport to its first world title in the process.

Alongside his ongoing racing commitments, Tarquini has also played a key role in development of both the Veloster N TCR and the new Elantra N TCR with discussions ongoing about his future involvement with Hyundai once his full-time racing career draws to a close.

“It is impossible to put into words how much of an impact Gabriele Tarquini has had on Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing,” Adamo said. “From the second day of our Hyundai i30 N TCR project, he was there to help us develop our debut circuit racing challenger.

“With Gabriele, it was born, learned to walk and then ran. He won the first-ever race for a Hyundai Motorsport car in the TCR International series, and he was the first world champion for our company in WTCR 2018.

“For me personally, it is difficult to split my passion and my job, and it will be strange not to see him at a racing circuit. I started working with Gabriele in 1994 when I was 24 years old, and he is one of the few people I have shared most of my time and life with.

“It is hard to come to terms with Gabriele putting down his helmet, and he will be sorely missed. While he may not be racing anymore, we are in discussions about how our relationship might work, but today we celebrate his incredible career and look forward to seeing his next adventures outside of the cockpit unfold.”

Tarquini’s success on track with Hyundai has come with the BRC Racing squad, with team principal Gabriele Rizzo lauding the impact he has had on the TCR programme.

“This is an incredibly emotional day for everyone at BRC Racing Team,” he said. “We will never be able to fully express how much of an influence and guiding factor Gabriele has been in our success. Thankfully we still have two more rounds of WTCR to go before we part ways, but all of us are incredibly grateful for his passion, dedication, and motivation that has helped us to win two drivers’ titles and countless races.

“From all of us in the team, we want to celebrate his outstanding career, thank him for his work, and wish him all the best in his retirement.”