[ChiragM]

When Andrea Adamo walked into Hyundai Motorsport for the first time, he couldn’t have been more relaxed. Yes, he was at its HQ in Alzenau, Germany, for a job interview, but it was going be the easiest interview of his life.

Whether he left there as Hyundai Customer Racing manager or not, it wouldn’t change his life.

“I had been working in motorsport for 25 years,” says Adamo. “But I had stopped. I was ready for a normal life, to work from eight in the morning until five in the evening and then go home. And stay home at the weekend.

“I had a call to ask if I would come for the interview. Why not? I went and had a nice chat with [then Hyundai Motorsport team principal] Michel Nandan and then I took the plane back to Turin. I didn’t think more about it. That was on the Wednesday. I got another telephone call, this time asking if I could start on Monday.”

That was in 2015. Adamo started on the Monday.

His job was to oversee the development of customer operations running alongside Nandan’s factory World Rally Championship outfit. Having invested millions of euros in an i20 WRC car, the Koreans wanted to see some financial return in the shape of sales of a second-tier R5 car, with an i30 TCR race car following a couple of years later.

After five years with no title, change was needed. Nandan was gone. In walked Adamo

“People died for you to be able to express your opinion and I respect that,” he says. “But the most important thing we have is time and I hate to waste time. I don’t want to intimidate no one, but I want to speak with people who have something to say. When people come to me with stupid questions or accusations, I get annoyed because I’m busy enough. My time is Hyundai Motorsport’s time. They pay for my time and I don’t want to waste it.”

Adamo cut his teeth at Lancia, working under such legends of the sport as Ninni Russo and Sergio Limone and walking corridors that still echoed the forthright views of Cesare Fiorio.

“I grew up in an environment where not winning was a big problem,” he says. “I was so fortunate to have incredible teachers. The lesson was that we had only one target. We’re not interested to see the car out there, running around, blah, blah, blah. I remember being told: ‘I don’t care. You have to win.’”

His rotation of a third driver in the team has allowed him to manipulate the running order and deploy team orders on a scale that would have impressed Ferrari team management at the height of their Formula 1 pomp.

Such a single-minded approach didn’t sit well with everybody.

After the Rally de Portugal in 2019, Sébastien Ogier had had enough. The Frenchman said, fuming: “I got the information, not from any drivers – I have my sources – that this great gentleman that is Andrea Adamo asked him [Dani Sordo] to stop in the stage and start in front of Kris [Meeke]. That was really mean.”

Adamo batted the then six-time world champion away: “I won’t answer such low-level accusations.”

What mattered to Adamo was the result at the end of his first season in charge. Hyundai Motorsport topped the world.

Equally as impressive as lifting Hyundai’s maiden title in 2019 was the way he landed his employer that year’s drivers’ champion, Ott Tänak, for 2020. Adamo quickly found common ground with the Estonian driver, who is known for a frank, forthright approach.

Tänak’s experience of M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta WRC and Toyota’s Yaris WRC allied to a single-minded approach is recognised as a key factor in the development of the i20. His home win at Rally Estonia – an event every bit as smooth and fast as Finland – demonstrated the fruits of the team’s collected labours last season.

“I am lucky,” says Adamo. “I have good people around me. I’m here for them. I’m not here to make friends or to be the popular guy. I’m here with 254 other people to make sure Hyundai Motorsport is winning. I know I am sometimes too much, but I have this passion for our sport and I cannot keep it all the time in the basement.”

Source

[Red Liner]

I like stories like these. There is no way i would have gotten to read this unless i was a subscriber on some rally or motorsport website. Was a great read and thanks for sharing!

[AMG Power]

They say racing improves the breed. Have been following the WRC series and the way those damn Hyundai’s move is a revelation!

Winning at the pinnacle of motorsport indicates your cars have the right combination of being extremely fast along with handling and high speed manners to match. What more proof that the Koreans are capable of making cars that are right up there with the very best?

It also shows that it’s not true that the Koreans aren’t close to Germans in the areas of engines, suspensions and handling.

B U T

Why would Hyundai want to give the best suspensions in the world to its mainstream customers?

Selling 200000 units in 17 months is no small matter and Hyundai / Kia are laughing all the way to the bank with their existing product formula by hitting the sweet spot for the customer.

It just doesn’t make sense to give expensive multi link suspensions, reduce body roll, improve high speed stability beyond certain levels because, as they have rightly assessed, their customers won’t fork out the extra money for them. And at the end of the day the Koreans are in this to make money.

I drove the Kia 1.4 turbo petrol manual albeit for a short while today. It’s got almost zero lag, the turbo kick of a punchy diesel along with the red lining capability of a smooth petrol. Not too much more that an enthusiast would want from engines.

[GTO]

Mod Note: Thread moved to the International Motorsport forum!

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

I drove the Kia 1.4 turbo petrol manual albeit for a short while today. It’s got almost zero lag, the turbo kick of a punchy diesel along with the red lining capability of a smooth petrol. Not too much more that an enthusiast would want from engines.

You are spot on. Koreans, like the Chinese, know how to mint money and they always hit bullseye in India. I have driven Hyundais and the Kia Seltos but somehow it does not pull your heart strings. Their cars are really good, low on maintenance, practical and dependable like the Japanese but there is something in them that does not attach them to your heart; I do not know if it is only me!

Sorry for going off-topic

[shibujp]

With the availability of WRC+ I have been regularly watching WRC rallies for over a year. While I am quite impressed with how Tommi Makkinen has built to Toyota WRC team and especially the Yaris into arguably the best car on the grid, it is exciting to watch how doggedly the Hyundai WRC team pursues success.

Even in the last race at Monte Carlo Theirry Neuville grabbed a podium from Rovanperra due to a single minded approach.

Adamo has a lot to do with this. To manage top drivers like Tanak and Neuville, to convince them that their interests are second to that of the team is not an easy task. Often in successful motorsport teams drivers tend to be eulogised and put on pedestal but it's the team principal often who is crucial to enabling that success. Persuading people like Dani Sordo and Leob to race in the third car was crucial to winning the constructors championship in 2020.

And is shows in Hyundai's cars too. Suspensions have improved in leaps and bounds too and second only to the Germans. It's a matter of time before them conquer that bastion too.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[ads11]

I was wondering for a while if Hyundai's big money push to get a motorsport crown would end up a vain pursuit much like Toyota's ill fated Formula 1 push. Glad to see they finally got to the top.

Ever since WRC went off free to air channels I haven't really followed as much. I think I was most immersed back when Loeb was flinging that ugly Xsara around while Gronholm had the classic Castrol-BP liveried Focus. Post that era I only have a passing interest. Neuville has been with the Hyundai team since the beginning iirc, surprised to see it wasn't him that won the drivers title with them, rather Tanak.

Correct me if I'm wrong but WRC is Hyundai's blue chip factory backed motorsports effort yes?

[HooghlyBoy]

This is a great news indeed. Usually WRC participant Car Models are worth their money. No wonder Hyundai Cars remain a breeze to drive. I am driving a Aura for last 5 months and loving it. Suzuki's downfall started when they quit participating in WRC from 2008. The last car to participate was the SX4, which still remains an iconic car from Suzuki stable(I also own one). Just having the conservative approach of selling 4 door Match-Boxes on the Heartect platform won't work in the long-term for the Japanese. Suzuki is paying the price as it's out of American markets and might not return in near future, all their recent cars are quite average. Hail Hyundai !!!