Hyundai Scores Second Manufacturers Title; Wraps-up Third Successful Season in Michelin PRO Rally Series
8 December 1997
Hyundai Scores Second Manufacturers Title; Wraps-up Third Successful Season in Michelin PRO Rally SeriesFOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Dec. 8 -- Hyundai Motor America clinched its second consecutive Michelin PRO Rally Series manufacturer's championship at the season-ending Maine Forest Rally. Piloting the winning Hyundai Tiburon was driver Paul Choiniere and co-driver Jeff Becker. The two also emerged from the 1997 season with respective driver and co-driver championships. "We are very proud Hyundai has captured its second manufacturers championship in a row thanks to a great car, a terrific driver and the excellent team management of John Buffum and Libra Racing," said Jim Hossack, Hyundai's vice-president of product planning. "We find rallying, with its wide variety of terrain and weather conditions to be the best form of racing for us to demonstrate the reliability and durability of our products." Despite his best efforts, treacherous heavy snow, freezing rain and ice limited Choiniere to finishing 20th at the Maine Forest Rally. A series of misfortunes, beginning when he was hit from the rear by a spectator prior to the start of the first stage, and later when the Tiburon slipped off the road early in the first stage, ended the team's hope of ending the season on a winning note. "I got off to a really bad start on the first stages," explained Choiniere. "The roads were incredibly icy and I never really got into a comfortable rhythm until the second day. We were running quite far back by that point, with little chance of finishing in the points. "Fortunately we had a six point lead in manufacturers championship going into this event," he continued. "And were able to take the title for Hyundai for a second year," Led by team owner and rally legend John Buffum, Libra Racing completes its third successful season racing under the Hyundai banner. The 1997 championship marks Choiniere's third consecutive driver's title at the wheel of a Hyundai (his seventh career drivers championship), Becker's third co-driver's title (sixth career championship) and the second time Hyundai has taken the coveted manufacturers championship in only three seasons of competition. "The Tiburon is, without a doubt, the most enjoyable rally car I have ever driven," said Choiniere, who has raced a variety of vehicles throughout his 13-year PRO Rally career. The team won five national events in 1997, including the Doo Wop III & IV, the Wild West, the Ojibwe Forests, Prescott Forest and Lake Superior events. The successful season is made more remarkable by the fact that the Tiburon entered the series as an all-new vehicle. Among the team's formidable competitors in the Open Class is a turbo- charged Audi Quattro driven by Canadian Frank Sprongl, who took a convincing win in Maine. A Ford Escort Cosworth driven by veteran PRO Rally competitor Carl Merrill and the equally hard-charging Henry Joy in his Mitsubishi Lancer also posed serious challenges throughout the 1997 season. "The level of competition in PRO Rally has increased significantly over the past few years," said Hossack. "We at Hyundai feel fortunate to be affiliated with the top team in the sport. John Buffum is the winningest rally driver in the history of the series and, with continued success, Paul could eventually eclipse that success. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Libra Racing in 1998." Hyundai Motor America, based in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Company of Korea. Hyundai cars are distributed in the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through nearly 500 dealerships nationwide. SOURCE Hyundai Motor America