Champions of 2019

Shell and Hyundai

Shell continues its exciting and successful partnership with Hyundai Motorsport in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) as the defending Manufacturers’ Champion.

Car race in Mexico

Car race in Mexico 1

Car race in Mexico

Car race in Mexico 2

Car race in Monte Carlo 1

Car race in Monte Carlo 1

Car race in Monte Carlo 2

Car race in Monte Carlo 2

Working with the Car

Changing the terrain in the World Rally Championship

As the Co - Title Sponsor and Technical Partner of the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, Shell has supported Hyundai Motorsport with their lubricant requirements since they joined the WRC in 2014.

Our partnership with Hyundai

Having been partners with Hyundai since 2005, when a Global Cooperation Agreement was first signed, our ambition was to progress this association into the elite level of global rallying. Fast forward to 2014 - when our Technical Partnership was taken to another level and we started to co-engineer a winning edge with Hyundai Motorsport, ultimately leading to their taking the Manufacturers’ Championship in 2019.

With drivers and their cars battling against extreme temperatures that can plunge to near -30ºC and rise as high as 50ºC, as well as high altitudes and challenging road surfaces, the WRC calendar ensures that Shell’s engineers are tasked with delivering elite lubricant performance in all conditions.

When facing these extreme environments combined with racing mentality, having complete trust in your vehicle is essential to be able to push it to the limit, and since starting in the WRC series in 2014 Hyundai Motorsport have had total engine reliability and no wear issues thanks to the use of Shell Helix Ultra. In fact, Shell has helped the team to develop and an extra 1.5 horsepower, representing an average of six seconds advantage at the end of each rally, by having complete confidence to drive flat out in their Hyundai i20 WRC.

We recognise that our customers deserve the same quality products as the Hyundai Motorsport team, and we take all of our learnings from our six years of delivering quality reliable engine performance in the WRC and put them directly into your car so it also performs at its best, whatever the weather, or the terrain.

Click here for more information about Shell and Hyundai in WRC

Meet the team

Thierry & Nicolas

Meet the team Thierry and Nicolas

Thierry & Nicolas

Thierry Neuville first came into the rally spotlight in after he secured a first career win in 2008 at the RACB Rally Content, a Belgian competition to find the next best young rally driver. His career continued in this vein of success when in 2010 he claimed his first class win in his rookie season at the Junior World Rally Championship.
Destined for rally’s biggest stage, Thierry was snapped up as driver in the WRC in 2012. He later came on board for the debut season of the new Hyundai Shell World Rally Team in 2014, scoring the team’s maiden victory that year at Rally Deutschland ahead of teammate, Dani Sordo. Alongside co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul, Thierry finished runner-up in the Drivers’ Championship in 2019. 

Nicolas Gilsoul first began competing in regional driving events in 2000 and has since been enamoured by the world of rally. He made his international debut in 2004 and later entered the World Rally Championship in 2007. The Belgian currently acts as Thierry Neuville’s co-driver for the Hyundai Motorsport Team, a position he has held since 2011.

Nicolas helped secure Hyundai Motorsport’s first ever WRC victory at Rally Deutschland in 2014. He also finished second in the WRC in 2018 & 2019 alongside Neuville.

Dani & Carlos

Meet the team Dani and Carlos

Dani & Carlos

Dani’s first experience of motorsport came on two wheels racing in motocross when he was just 12 years old. After briefly experimenting in motorbikes, Dani decided to trade in two wheels for four and landed in the exciting rally. Born in Torrelavegga, Spain, Dani’s first break into the WRC came in 2003 competing in the Rally Catalunya. His maiden win came 10 years later at Rally Deutschland before he then joined the Hyundai Motorsport team. His co-driver is fellow Spaniard Carlos del Barrio.
Dani is now recognised as one of the more experienced and consistent members on the rally circuit, having entered over 150 rallies in total securing upwards 40 podium finishes in his career to date.

Carlos del Barrio has extensive rallying experience, first entering the sport in 1987 but it was 1994 when he took his maiden steps into the WRC. After much success, Carlos joined forces with young compatriot Dani Sordo in 2004.
After a break, the pair returned to share a car in 2011 resulting in three podiums and victory at the 2013 Rallye Deutschland. The duo came back will participate in selected events with Hyundai Motorsport.

Sebastien & Daniel