Hyundai Motorsports sur le podium à Mid-Ohio / Podium finish for Hyundai Motorsports

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Podium finish for Hyundai Motorsports

Lexington, Ohio (August 12th, 2002) – Wade Gaughran and Peter MacLeod wrote history when they navigated the #14 Hyundai Motorsports Tiburon to a third place finish at Mid-Ohio, Saturday, August 10. This podium finish is the best team result ever in the Grand-Am STI class.

Wade Gaughran/Peter MacLeod had qualified second earlier Friday and were able to stay in front in this 2.5 hour endurance race. More than 28 cars participated in the ST class.

"This whole week at Mid-Ohio has been so much fun," MacLeod said. "I wanted to show everyone that Hyundai Motorsports is a first-class operation that can run right up front. We may not fight for the championship, but for now, Wade, Mark, Steven and myself are here to do well for the wonderful people who make up this team and to enjoy this great series. I think we've accomplished what we needed to and proved our point."

"I enjoy this track. It's a good challenge. I enjoy it. We're learning so much now on this new 2003 Tiburon and we're having a fun time doing it. I'm just happy with the results," said Wade Gaughran. "This is like a stress reliever to me. I really enjoy doing this. The Hyundai Motorsports’ crew members are awesome. Racing for them again is just a lot of fun. Sure, when you're in the car you're working hard, you're competing hard, but at the same time you're doing for a great group of people that make it a lot of fun for us," he concluded.

Team co-owner and driver Mark Craig was not available for this 6th round of the season, and was replaced by Canadian Paolo Dal Cin. In the past, Paolo has been a full time driver for Hyundai Motorsports for many years and was not a stranger to the cars/organization.

Hyundai Motorsports’ car #6, driven by Steven Gorriaran & Paolo Dal Cin, retired after 45 laps after experimenting a mechanical failure.

The Honda American Racing was quick off the gate and used the right pit strategy to hold the lead. HART led from start to finish.

The next event on the Grand-Am Cup Street Stock Series calendar will be on Labour Day Weekend, August 29-September 1, at Virginia International Raceway.

RACE RESULTS – CLASS STI

1. Schmitt/Halsmer - Acura RSX
2. Adams/Allen/Rough - Acura RSX
3. Wade Gaughran/Peter MacLeod - Hyundai Tiburon
4. Van Sicklen/Endicott - Acura Integra Type R
5. Gaffney/Lally – Lexus IS300
6. Goldsborough/Dumoulin – Lexus IS300
7. Patch/Salama – BMW Z3
8. Villamil/Heffron – BMW Z3
9. Tuaty/Navarro – Acura Integra Type R
10. Spangler/Chenoweth – BMW 330 i

20 – Steven Gorriaran/Paolo Dal Cin – Hyundai Tiburon – DNF (Mechanical)

Pictures available in photo gallery on www.hyundaimotorsports.com


Contact: Benoit Gosselin – Hyundai Motorsports




Hyundai Motorsports sur le podium à Mid-Ohio

Lexington, Ohio (August 12th, 2002) – Les pilotes Wade Gaughran et Peter MacLeod écrivent une nouvelle page d’histoire pour l’équipe québécoise Hyundai Motorsports, en pilotant la voiture Hyundai Tiburon #14 à une troisième position à la piste de Mid-Ohio. Ce podium représente le meilleur résultat à vie pour l’équipe, et ce, dans la classe Grand-Am STI.

Après avoir qualifié deuxième lors des qualifications de vendredi, Wade Gaughran et Peter MacLeod sont demeurés à l’avant pendant les 2 heures et demi de cette course d’endurance. Plus de 28 voitures étaient inscrites dans la classe ST.

"Cette fin de semaine à Mid-Ohio fût des plus plaisante," affirme MacLeod. "Je voulais montrer à tous que cette équipe Hyundai est une organisation de premier plan, et qu’elle peut rouler à l’avant. Nous ne pouvons peut-être pas nous battre pour le championnat général 2002, mais toutefois, Wade, Mark, Steven et moi-même sommes ici pour bien faire et récompenser les gens de l’organisation. Je crois que nous avons prouvé notre point et avons lancé un message clair aux autres équipes."

"J’adore cette piste. Elle est très technique. Nous apprenons encore énormément sur la voiture Hyundai Tiburon 2003, et nous avons un plaisirs fou à le faire. Je suis bien content du résultat," affirme Wade Gaughran. "Piloter est comme un relaxant pour moi. Les membres de l’équipe Hyundai Motorsports sont fantastiques. Les représenter en piste est bien plaisant. Il est certain que lorsque nous sommes en piste, nous travaillons fort et voulons gagner, mais le faire pour ce groupe de personne rend la tâche encore plus facile," conclu-t-il.

Le co-propriétaire et pilote Mark Craig ne pu être présent pour ce 6ième événement de la saison. Pour l’occasion, il fût remplacé par le canadien Paolo Dal Cin. Celui-ci ne fût pas étranger aux voitures car il pilota pour l’équipe lors des saisons précédentes.

La voiture Hyundai Motorsports #6, pilotée par Steven Gorriaran & Paolo Dal Cin, fût contrainte à l’abandon après 45 tours (raisons mécaniques).

Les gagnants de l’événement; Honda American Racing partirent en tête rapidement sans jamais être menacé par la suite.

La prochaine étape de la série Grand-Am Cup Street Stock aura lieu à la fête du travail, du 29 août au 1er septembre prochain, au circuit Virginia International Raceway.

RÉSULTAT– CLASS STI

1. Schmitt/Halsmer - Acura RSX
2. Adams/Allen/Rough - Acura RSX
3. Wade Gaughran/Peter MacLeod - Hyundai Tiburon
4. Van Sicklen/Endicott - Acura Integra Type R
5. Gaffney/Lally – Lexus IS300
6. Goldsborough/Dumoulin – Lexus IS300
7. Patch/Salama – BMW Z3
8. Villamil/Heffron – BMW Z3
9. Tuaty/Navarro – Acura Integra Type R
10. Spangler/Chenoweth – BMW 330 i

20 – Steven Gorriaran/Paolo Dal Cin – Hyundai Tiburon – DNF (Mécanique)

Photos disponibles dans la section galerie sur www.hyundaimotorsports.com

Contact: Benoit Gosselin – Hyundai Motorsports
 
Congratulations guys!! It's nice to see something diffrent take a trophy home. How much better do you prefer the new car compared to last years?
 
VRsik:

Good question. The car from last year is totally different, it had a less powerfull engine (4 cylinders, 2 liters, approx. 200hp), we are now working with a V6, 2.7 liters, 6 speeds, 250hp. Because of this major change, we have been put in a higher Grand-Am class. So instead of fighting against Miata, civic and protege, we compete against Porsche Boxter, Lexus IS300, Toyota Supra, Acura RSX, BMW Z3 and 330i, Mercedes 190e, Type R...The competition is ferocious. There is an average of 30 cars per race in the ST class. It is hard for us to show up at races with new cars like the 2003 Tiburon. This car is so new we learn at each race (and Hyundai also benefits from our feedback/results), so it is hard to have a fast and reliable car at each race. Which is different for the other teams that have been developing their cars for the last 4 years. Having that said, we are very happy about our performance so far.

In term of adjustments-setups, it is about the same as last year.

The drivers prefer this year car because it has so much more torque/speed. In straight line, the Tiburon dominates all other cars (in its class). As for tight corners, we are still working very hard with the suspension people to find the right set-ups.

So you will understand that for now, we prefer race tracks like Daytona (fast track) compared with Virginia (tight turns/slow course) - or Trois-Rivières if you want to compare - event though we do not race Trois-Rivières.
 
It goes to show how much more advanced the platforms are today compared to a couple years back. The newest cars take the cake, even with less development and money (well maybe Acura has got some $$$), you still get to the top.

With a properly tuned suspension nothing can stop your team. Good luck and keep us updated!!:bigup:
 
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