SEAT Cupra


SEAT Cupra, S.A.U., known by the brand name Cupra and formerly known as SEAT Sport is the high-performance motorsport division of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT, founded in 1985, succeeding the "SEAT Special Vehicles department" which had been formed in 1971 with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, followed by 11 titles between 1979 and 1983. It has competed in rallying and touring car racing, and also develops high performance versions of road cars. The result of this effort has been rewarded through SEAT's most prestigious titles in FIA championships, three conquests with the SEAT Ibiza Kit-Car in the FIA 2L World Rally Championship and two times with the SEAT León in the FIA World Touring Car Championship .
In 2018 SEAT created the Cupra brand as its independent high-performance branch and officially SEAT Sport was replaced by Cupra Racing.

Rallying

SEAT's first serious attempt at a World Rally Championship was back in the 1977 season when SEAT took part with its 'SEAT 1430/124D Especial 1800' race car, and already in its debut rallying event at the Monte Carlo Rally the SEAT team finished in the third and fourth place with the official 1430-1800 cars being driven by Antonio Zanini and Salvador Cañellas. In the recent years the consignment was burdened on the small SEAT Ibiza, a 1.6L normally aspirated front-wheel drive car with its roots in the Volkswagen Polo. The Ibiza allowed the company to start building its rallying experience, and was officially engaged in some European national championships. The years went by and little success followed until a 2L version of the Ibiza was homologated as a kit-car, and extra wide tracks, larger wheels, brakes, etc., were fitted to it as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile kit-car regulations allow. With these attributes, the car won the 2L World Championship three times.
SEATs three conquests of the 2L FIA title, and the sport's popularity in Spain, convinced Volkswagen Group management to go further, and allocate sufficient budgets to the SEAT Sport department so as to allow it a chance to reach its goal. SEATs project to build a WRC-spec car was officially announced during the 1997 San Remo rally. It was in 1998 that the SEAT Córdoba WRC was first enrolled by the company to compete at the highest level of WRC racing. The Córdoba was based on the family saloon of the same name but was, naturally, a WRC class car. It had a 4 cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, permanent four-wheel drive, and active differentials were involved in its transmission. However, the short wheelbase and high-mounted engine worked against the Córdoba, and results weren't impressive. The main drivers were ex-WRC champion Didier Auriol, along with Harri Rovanpera and rising Finnish star Toni Gardemeister. They did achieve three podium finishes; at the 1999 Rally New Zealand, the 1999 Rally of Great Britain as well as the 2000 Safari Rally. SEAT pulled out of international rallying at the end of 2000.

WRC Results

YearCarNoDriver1234567891011121314WDCPointsWMCPoints
1998Seat Cordoba WRC9 Harri RovanperäMONSWEKENPORESPFRAARGGRCNZLFIN
11		ITA
Ret		AUS
11		GBR
6		15th*3*5th1
1998Seat Cordoba WRC10 Oriol GómezMONSWEKENPORESPFRAARGGRCNZLFIN
Ret		-05th1
1998Seat Cordoba WRC10 Marc DuezITA
16		AUS
Ret		-05th1
1998Seat Cordoba WRC10 Gwyndaf EvansGBR
Ret		-05th1
1999Seat Cordoba WRC9 Harri RovanperäMON
7		SWE
16		KEN
6		POR
Ret		ESP
14		FRA
13		ARG
Ret		GRE
Ret		NZL
Ret		9th105th23
1999Seat Cordoba WRC Evo29 Harri RovanperäFIN
5		CHN
5		ITA
16		AUS
6		GBR
3		9th105th23
1999Seat Cordoba WRC10 Piero LiattiMON
6		SWEKEN
Ret		POR
Ret		ESP
10		FRA
9		ARG
Ret		GRE
Ret		23rd15th23
1999Seat Cordoba WRC Evo210 Piero LiattiCHN
Ret		ITA
16		23rd15th23
1999Seat Cordoba WRC10 Marcus GrönholmSWE
Ret		15th*5*5th23
1999Seat Cordoba WRC10 Toni GardemeisterNZL
3		13th*6*5th23
1999Seat Cordoba WRC Evo210 Toni GardemeisterFIN
6		AUS
16		GBR
Ret		13th*6*5th23
1999Seat Cordoba WRC Evo216 Gwyndaf EvansMONSWEKENPORESPFRAARGGRENZLFINCHNITAAUSGBR
Ret		-05th23
1999Seat Cordoba WRC Evo220 Toni GardemeisterMONSWEKENPORESPFRAARGGRECHNITA
Ret		13th*6*5th23
2000SEAT Cordoba WRC Evo27 Didier AuriolMON
Ret		SWE
10		KEN
3		POR
10		ESP
13		ARG
Ret		GRC
Ret		NZL
Ret		12th45th11
2000SEAT Córdoba WRC Evo37 Didier AuriolFIN
11		CYP
Ret		FRA
8		ITA
17		AUS
8		GBR
9		12th45th11
2000SEAT Cordoba WRC Evo28 Toni GardemeisterMON
4		SWE
Ret		KEN
Ret		POR
9		ESP
Ret		ARG
Ret		GRC
Ret		NZL
Ret		13th45th11
2000SEAT Cordoba WRC Evo38 Toni GardemeisterFIN
Ret		CYP
Ret		FRA
11		ITA
Ret		AUS
6		GBR
12		13th45th11
2000SEAT Cordoba WRC Evo217 Harri RovanperäMONSWE
12		KENPORESPARGGRCNZL9th*7*5th11
2000SEAT Cordoba WRC Evo317 Harri RovanperäFINCYPFRAITAAUSGBR
10		9th*7*5th11
2000SEAT Cordoba WRC Evo320 Gwyndaf EvansMONSWEKENPORESPARGGRCNZLFINCYPFRAITAAUSGBR
Ret		-05th11
2001SEAT Cordoba WRC Evo3- Marc BlázquezMONSWEPOR
16		ESP
Ret		ARG
Ret		CYP
Ret		GRCKENFINNZLITAFRAAUSGBR–0-0
2001SEAT Cordoba WRC Evo321 Salvador Cañellas Jr.MONSWEPORESP
Ret		ARGCYPGRCKENFINNZLITAFRAAUSGBR–0-0
2001SEAT Cordoba WRC Evo324 Gwyndaf EvansMONSWEPORESPARGCYPGRCKENFINNZLITAFRAAUSGBR
Ret		–0-0

Touring cars

In 2002 SEAT Sport set up the SEAT León Supercopa in Spain, a one-make series featuring the SEAT León. This format has since expanded across Europe, with the formation of the SEAT León Eurocup in 2008. In 2003, SEAT began entering the SEAT Toledo Cupra in the European Touring Car Championship with drivers Jordi Gené and Frank Diefenbacher. Former British Touring Car Championship winner Rickard Rydell joined them in 2004, taking their first victory.
driving for SEAT Sport in Macau in the 2008 WTCC season.

WTCC

In 2005, the ETCC became the World Touring Car Championship. Peter Terting replaced fellow German Diefenbacher. Jason Plato also joined the team for four rounds, and Marc Carol for one round. Later in 2005, the León model made its debut.
In 2006, Gabriele Tarquini, Yvan Muller and James Thompson joined the team. André Couto, Oscar Nogués and Florian Gruber also raced in one-off rounds.
In 2007, Rydell, Thompson and Terting left the team and were replaced by Michel Jourdain Jr. and Tiago Monteiro. Terting and Rydell later made one-off appearances for the team, as did Nogués. Towards the end of the season SEAT debuted the TDi diesel version of the León.
In 2008, Jourdain left the team, as the team scaled down from a six-car to a five-car team. Yvan Muller won SEAT's first driver's championship in the WTCC and SEAT also won the manufacturers title.
In 2009, SEAT Sport continued with the same five drivers, with French team Oreca assisting with the operation. Gabriele Tarquini won SEAT's second in-a-row driver's championship in the WTCC and SEAT won the manufacturers title for a second consecutive year.
After winning two consecutive driver's and manufacturers titles, SEAT withdrew from the WTCC at the end of the 2009 season as a manufacturer-backed team. However, in January 2010, it was announced that they would provide backing to the newly formed SR-Sport team run by SUNRED Engineering, while also confirming Gabriele Tarquini, Jordi Gene, Tiago Monteiro and Tom Coronel as 2010 drivers, as Yvan Muller departed for the works Chevrolet team.
For 2012, SEAT Announced that they will return to the WTCC Season as a Customer Supply team, SEAT Sport supplied engines in 2012 to the Lukoil Racing Team who run two 1.6T cars driven by veteran SEAT Driver Gabriele Tarquini and Aleksei Dudukalo. They also supplied 1.6T Engines to the Tuenti Racing Team who ran cars for Pepe Oriola and Fernando Monje, Tuenti Racing Team driver Tiago Monteiro ran a SEAT Sport TDI engine for the first weekend but then switched to a 1.6T engine supplied by SUNRED. Special Tuning Racing have run both a 1.6T engine and 2.0 TDI engine both supplied by SEAT Sport, Daryll O'Young has only used the 1.6T engine but Tom Boardman used the 2.0TDI from the start of the season till round 7. SUNRED engineering ran a SEAT Sport 2.0TDI engine at the start of the season in Andrea Barlesi's car but then switched to the SUNRED 1.6T engine from rounds 2-3.
driving for SEAT Sport UK at Oulton Park in the 2008 BTCC season.

BTCC

Between 2004 and 2008, SEAT Sport competed in the British Touring Car Championship, under the SEAT Sport UK banner. Jason Plato drove for the team for five years, while Rob Huff, James Pickford, Luke Hines, Darren Turner, James Thompson and WTCC regular Tom Coronel also competed. Initially the cars were run by RML Group until they began concentrating on the Chevrolet WTCC project. Plato finished as championship runner-up in 2006 and 2007. In 2008 the TDi version was used, but reliability was a problem. Two teams continued to campaign petrol SEATs in the championship during 2009 with Adam Jones and series returnee Dan Eaves competitive for the Cartridge World Clyde Valley team, while Gordon Shedden drove for Clyde Valley for a couple of events before it withdrew, but he returned to drive a Leon for the Club Seat outfit.
In 2010, Tom Boardman drove a petrol SEAT Leon Under the team name Special Tuning UK with sponsorship from Club SEAT. Phil Glew joined Tom in a SEAT for one weekend at Silverstone racing under the team name of YourRacingCar.com but the car was run by Special Tuning UK.
In 2011, Boardman and Dave Newsham drove petrol SEATs under the team name Special Tuning Racing. Special Tuning Racing where not associated with SEAT Sport or SEAT Sport UK. Boardman came first in the third race at Knochill.

Models

Current model range

Street models

Some SEAT models of competition and special sporting versions are