BRC Racing Team bids farewell to Gabriele Tarquini
Following the announcement that Gabriele Tarquini will retire from full-time racing in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup, BRC Racing Team would like to thank the Italian driver for a successful and fruitful partnership over the past four seasons.
Tarquini revealed his decision during the media day for WTCR Race of Italy, which sees the pinnacle of touring car racing compete in his home country for the first time in its history. The Italian has collated a vast fanbase around the world during his long career, with many of them expected to descend on Adria International Raceway to support him this weekend (November 6-7). The event will form Tarquini’s penultimate race in the series, before he takes his final bow at Race of Russia at the end of this month.
Tarquini and BRC Racing Team first joined forces in the test and development stage of Hyundai Motorsport’s first-ever circuit racing car, the Hyundai i30 N TCR. After BRC Racing Team committed to participating in the debut WTCR season in 2018, Tarquini was the perfect fit to spearhead the team’s effort. Together they made the perfect start to their campaign and claimed the inaugural race win of the series at Race of Morocco.
Victories in Hungary, Slovakia and Japan followed to ensure the title fight would be decided at the season finale at Race of Macau. The fairy-tale year ended with Tarquini triumphing in the drivers’ standings - breaking his own record for the oldest FIA world title winner - and BRC Racing Team finishing second in the teams’ standings.
The 2019 season began well with wins in Race 2 of Morocco and Race 3 of Hungary. Tarquini supported his team-mate Norbert Michelisz’s title fight, with his expertise playing a key role in securing the Hungarian’s drivers’ crown. His efforts also ensured BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse finished vice-champion for a second year running.
A difficult 2020 season yielded just two podium finishes in Slovakia and Spain, but Tarquini, Michelisz and the team had also begun testing the all-new Hyundai Elantra N TCR ahead of its debut in 2021. The hard work and preparation soon paid off; Tarquini returned to the top step of the podium after successfully converting pole position in Race 1 of Spain, while Michelisz claimed his first win of the year a few months later in Race 2 of the Czech Republic.
Tarquini’s drive and determination has powered the team to great success in the WTCR. In their time together, Tarquini has taken eight wins, six pole positions and 18 podiums for BRC Racing Team. While one-off appearances in different series form part of Tarquini’s plan for life outside of touring car racing, his presence and impact will be sorely missed by the Italian outfit.
Team Principal of BRC Hyundai N LUKOIL Squadra Corse Gabriele Rizzo said: “This is an incredibly emotional day for everyone at BRC Racing Team. 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.”