CUPRA

SEAT Sport was founded in 1985, succeeding the "SEAT Special Vehicles department" established in 1971. The Cupra name first appeared in 1996 on a road car celebrating three consecutive FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup victories with the SEAT Ibiza. The name is derived from "Cup Racing." SEAT's involvement in the World Rally Championship followed from 1998 to 2000 with the SEAT Córdoba WRC. Drivers Didier Auriol, Harri Rovanperä, and Toni Gardemeister achieved three podium finishes before SEAT withdrew from international rallying at the end of 2000.

SEAT's involvement in touring car racing included the SEAT León Supercopa in Spain, established in 2002, and the SEAT León Eurocup in 2008. In 2003, SEAT began competing in the European Touring Car Championship (ETCC) with the SEAT Toledo Cupra. In 2005, the ETCC became the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), with the SEAT León making its debut. Drivers such as Gabriele Tarquini and Yvan Muller were part of the team. In 2008, Yvan Muller won SEAT's first WTCC Drivers' Championship, and SEAT also claimed the Manufacturers' title. Both titles were retained in 2009, with Gabriele Tarquini winning the drivers' crown. After these consecutive championships, SEAT withdrew as a manufacturer-backed team at the end of 2009 but continued to supply engines to customer teams until 2012.

SEAT Sport UK also competed in the British Touring Car Championship between 2004 and 2008. Jason Plato drove for the team for five years, finishing as championship runner-up in 2006 and 2007.

In 2018, SEAT created the Cupra brand as its independent high-performance division, and SEAT Sport was officially renamed Cupra Racing. Customer TCR cars, based on the León Cup Racer platform, continued to compete in national touring car series worldwide.

Cupra entered the inaugural Pure ETCR season in 2021, with Mattias Ekström winning the drivers' championship and Cupra claiming the manufacturers' title. In 2022, the series was elevated to FIA World Cup status, where Adrien Tambay won the drivers' title and Cupra again took manufacturers' honours before the series ceased operations in 2023.

The Abt Cupra XE team competed in the all-electric Extreme E off-road series from 2021 through 2023, achieving race victories and podiums before the partnership concluded in December 2023. In Formula E, the Abt Cupra Formula E Team raced from the 2022–23 season to the 2023–24 season using Mahindra powertrains. Cupra subsequently partnered with Kiro Race Co for the 2024–25 season, with Dan Ticktum scoring the team's inaugural Formula E victory at the Jakarta ePrix. CUPRA KIRO won the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2024. Dan Ticktum races for CUPRA KIRO in Formula E.

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