SHELL and Hyundai Motorsport have announced a three-year extension of their technical partnership in the FIA World Rally Championship as the co-title sponsor of the 2017 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team. The agreement, signed at a closed ceremony ahead of the season opener in Monte Carlo, will see Shell continue to supply bespoke Shell Helix Ultra synthetic motor oil to the Hyundai Motorsport team for races, testing and development of the new 2017 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC. "Shell Helix Ultra has already helped Hyundai Motorsport develop an extra 1.5 horsepower, representing an average advantage of six seconds at the end of each rally," said Michel Nandan, Team Principal of the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team. In a collaboration that started in 2005, Shell is also the exclusive recommended oil supplier for Hyundai Motor Company's aftermarket business worldwide, delivering quality motor oils to dealers in more than 70 markets around the world. "Shell has played a very important role in our business globally, both as a technical and a commercial partner. They have been hugely valuable advisors right from our first season in WRC where we were just a factory with a bold vision, to finishing second in both the 2016 Manufacturers' and Drivers' Championships just a few months ago" said G.H. Choi, President of Hyundai Motorsport after the ceremony. Shell and Hyundai Motorsport took their first strides in WRC together in 2014, with Shell bringing over 40 years of experience in rallying to the table as the new race team's official lubricant partner right from their very first rally. "WRC is one of the most challenging motorsport series in the world, with rallies taking place on gravel, asphalt, ice and snow. The cars have to perform at the limit, whether it's -30°C or +40°C outside, which is why we have worked with Hyundai Motorsport to develop Shell Helix Ultra race lubricants designed to improve performance by helping keep the engine clean and minimizing friction and wear, even in the extremes of rally racing," said Jochen Lach, Shell Project Lead for WRC Engine Oil Development.
