Editing SEAT (section)

== Motorsport ==
{{main|Cupra Racing}}
[[File:Seat1430.jpg|thumb|The [[SEAT 1430]] in competition]]
SEAT's involvement in motorsports began in the 1970s with the brand's contribution to the national formula races in Spain, and by the end of the same decade, the start of its involvement in rallies.<ref name="SEAT's Racing History 1970-1985">{{cite web |url=http://www.seat-sport.com/seats-racing-history-1970-1985/ |title=SEAT's racing history 1970-1985 |work=seat-sport.com |date=March 19, 2014 |access-date=March 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320042308/http://www.seat-sport.com/seats-racing-history-1970-1985/ |archive-date=March 20, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1971, the Special Vehicles department was formed with the mission to enforce the brand's participation in rally championships, resulting in 11 titles between 1979 and 1983.<ref name="SEAT's Racing History 1970-1985"/> The year 1985 was when [[SEAT Sport]] was founded as a separate motorsport division, and especially since the Volkswagen Group takeover in 1986, SEAT has been increasing, even more, its presence in the motorsport world, mainly down to VW's plan on focusing the SEAT brand as sporty to appeal particularly to the younger generation of drivers.<ref name="SEAT Sport 1987-2001">{{cite web |url=http://www.seat-sport.com/seats-racing-history-1987-2001/ |title=SEAT's racing history 1987-2001 |work=seat-sport.com |date=March 19, 2014 |access-date=March 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320041934/http://www.seat-sport.com/seats-racing-history-1987-2001/ |archive-date=March 20, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The results of this effort have been SEAT's most prestigious titles in [[FIA]] championships, three conquests with the SEAT Ibiza Kit-Car in the [[FIA 2-Litre World Rally Cup]] (1996, 1997, 1998), and two times with the SEAT León in the FIA [[World Touring Car Championship]] (2008, 2009).<ref name="SEAT Sport 1987-2001"/>

=== Rallying ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2024}}
SEAT's first serious attempt at a [[World Rally Championship]] (WRC) was in the [[1977 World Rally Championship season|1977 season]] when SEAT took part with its SEAT 1430/124D Especial 1800 race car, and in its debut rallying event at the [[Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo|Montecarlo Rally]], the SEAT team finished in the third and fourth places with the official 1430-1800 cars being driven by Antonio Zanini and Salvador Cañellas. In recent years, the consignment was placed on the small [[SEAT Ibiza]], a 1.6-L, normally aspirated, [[front-wheel drive]] car with its roots in the [[Volkswagen Polo]]. The Ibiza allowed the company to evolve its rallying experience further and was officially engaged in some European national championships. The years went by until a 2-L version of the Ibiza was [[homologation|homologated]] as a kit car, and extra wide tracks, larger wheels, brakes, etc., were fitted to it as the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile]] (FIA) kit-car regulations allow. With these attributes, the car won the 2-Litre World Rally Cup three times (1996, 1997, 1998), proving its maker had accumulated enough experience, and budget, to move to the top category, the [[World Rally Car]] class of rallying cars.
[[File:SEAT Cordoba D. Sola (R.cangas).jpg|thumb|[[Daniel Solà]] driving the [[SEAT Córdoba]] WRC at the Rallye de Tierra de Cangas del Narcea]]

SEAT's three conquests of the FIA 2L WRC title, and the sport's popularity in Spain, probably convinced [[Volkswagen Group]] management to go further and allow the [[SEAT Sport]] department a chance to reach its goal in the top-class WRC category. This situation ended in September 2000, when the company's German upper management revoked its decision forcing SEAT Sport to retire from the World Rally Championship.

SEAT's project to build a WRC-spec car was officially announced during the 1997 San Remo rally. It was in 1998 that the first evolution of the [[SEAT Córdoba]] WRC car was presented at the Porto Motor Show and then 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 equipped with an [[Straight-four engine|inline-four]] [[turbocharger|turbocharged]] [[petrol engine]], permanent [[four-wheel drive]], and active differentials involved in its transmission. The Córdoba WRC made its debut at the 1998 [[Rally Finland|Rally of Finland]], while a further race car development was incarnated on the SEAT Córdoba WRC E2 which was presented at the Barcelona Motor Show in 1999. However, the short [[wheelbase]] and high-mounted [[internal combustion|engine]] (compared to its rivals) worked against the Córdoba and results were not competitive. Despite hiring ex-WRC champion [[Didier Auriol]], and a new [[evolution]] of the car, the SEAT Córdoba WRC E3, SEAT pulled out of international rallying at the end of 2000.

=== Touring cars ===
{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2024}}[[File:Yvan Muller and Andy Priaulx 2008 Japan.jpg|thumb|[[Yvan Muller]] driving the [[SEAT León]] TDI in Japan]]
In 2002, SEAT announced a one-make championship for the new [[SEAT León]] Cupra R, the [[SEAT León Supercopa]].

In 2004, SEAT with [[Ray Mallock Ltd.]] (RML) entered the [[British Touring Car Championship]], running two [[SEAT Toledo]] Cupra for former-BTCC Champion [[Jason Plato]], and 2003 León UK Champion, [[Rob Huff]]. In 2005, Huff left to join [[Chevrolet]] (run by RML in the [[World Touring Car Championship]] (WTCC)), and he was replaced by 2004 Leon Champion [[James Pickford]], and [[Luke Hines]] as SEAT expanded to three cars, now run by Northern South. 2006 saw the Toledo replaced by the new [[SEAT León|León]], and [[Darren Turner]] joined the team with [[James Thompson (racing driver)|James Thompson]] when his WTCC commitments allowed. 2007 was SEAT's best year in BTCC, as Plato was locked in a season-long battle with [[Fabrizio Giovanardi]], which came down to the final race of the season, but just missed out on the title.

Since 2005, SEAT has also competed in the [[World Touring Car Championship]], with its first best season being 2007 when a failed [[water pump]] robbed [[Yvan Muller]] of a certain victory at the final meeting in Macau. SEAT became the first team to run a [[Turbocharged Direct Injection|TDI]] in the WTCC, and this gave them a dominant [[2008 World Touring Car Championship season]], with Yvan Muller winning the driver's championship. French racing team [[Oreca]] cooperates with the WTCC team. SEAT's UK team followed suit in the 2008 BTCC. The BTCC team was sponsored by [[Holiday Inn]].

In 2007, SEAT – with the [[SEAT León#1P|León Mk2 TDI]] at the [[Motorsport Arena Oschersleben]] in Germany – became the first manufacturer to win a round of the [[World Touring Car Championship]] (WTCC) series in a diesel car, only a month after announcing it will enter the [[Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile|FIA]] World Touring Car Championship with the León TDI. SEAT's success with the León TDI continued and resulted in winning consecutively the [[2008 World Touring Car Championship season|2008 World Touring Car Championship]] and [[2009 World Touring Car Championship season|2009 World Touring Car Championship]] both titles (for drivers as well as for manufacturers').

In September 2008, SEAT UK announced that it would withdraw from all motor sport activity in the UK at the end of the season. The SEAT Cupra Championship and the SEAT BTCC campaign ended at Brands Hatch on 21 September. BTCC drivers Jason Plato and Darren Turner have been left without drives for 2009. But Plato will drive for Silverline [[Chevrolet]].

At the opening of the 2009 WTCC, SEAT placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in both races in Brazil.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.seat.com/en/seat-news/359.html |title=Spectacular double 1-2-3-4 for SEAT in Brazil |publisher=Media.seat.com |access-date=2009-04-27 |archive-date=2009-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315113455/http://media.seat.com/en/seat-news/359.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> At the second meeting of the WTCC (in Mexico), the SEAT team placed 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th and 11th in the first race. In the second race, they placed 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.seat.com/en/seat-news/372.html |title=SEAT continues on winning streak in Mexico with Muller and Rydell |publisher=Media.seat.com |access-date=2009-04-27 |archive-date=2009-04-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416221952/http://media.seat.com/en/seat-news/372.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> While SEAT may have withdrawn from the BTCC, they are showing impressive results in the WTCC.
[[File:SEAT Cupra GT cropped.jpg|thumb|The [[SEAT Cupra GT]] in the [[Spanish GT Championship|Spanish GT championship]] for the SunRED racing team]]

=== Grand tourer cars ===
In 2003, the SEAT Sport division presented at the Barcelona Motor Show first as a concept car and later the final version of the [[SEAT Cupra GT]] race car, which was produced in limited series on customer demand addressed to expertised individuals and racing teams willing to take part in race events.

The Cupra GT was chosen as a GT race car from racing teams, like the [[Sunred Engineering|Sunred Engineering (SunRED)]] team, making its debut in 2004 in the [[Spanish GT Championship]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seat-sport.com/en/compania/seat-competicion.php |title=In 2004, the SEAT Cupra GT made its debut at the Spanish GT Championship |publisher=Seat-sport.com |access-date=2012-02-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313073925/http://www.seat-sport.com/en/compania/seat-competicion.php |archive-date=2012-03-13 }}</ref> and took part in several [[Grand tourer]] circuits not only in Spain but also run in tracks abroad like those of [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]] and [[Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours|Magny-Cours]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.racingsportscars.com/type/archive/Seat/Cupra%20GT.html |title=Complete Archive of Seat Cupra GT |publisher=Racingsportscars.com |date=2001-07-01 |access-date=2012-02-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715142533/http://www.racingsportscars.com/type/archive/Seat/Cupra%20GT.html |archive-date=2011-07-15 }}</ref>

=== Formula ===
[[File:Formula SEAT 1430.jpg|thumb|SEAT [[Formula 1430]]]]
In 2002, SEAT announced a one-make championship for the new [[SEAT León]] Cupra R, the [[SEAT León Supercopa]].
In 1970 SEAT set up the 'Fórmula Nacional' series in Spain,<ref>[http://www.seat-sport.com/seats-racing-history-1970-1985/ SEAT' Racing History 1970-9185 ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320042308/http://www.seat-sport.com/seats-racing-history-1970-1985/ |date=March 20, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archivo.marca.com/automovilismo/rallyes/seat.html |title=MARCA: Noticias |publisher=Archivo.marca.com |access-date=2012-02-05}}</ref> a year later to be known as [[Formula 1430]]. The single-seater formula cars, which took part driven by young Spanish drivers, were equipped under support from SEAT with engines of the 1430 model and 6700 gearboxes. The first race of the 'Fórmula Nacional' series took place at the Jarama circuit in Madrid.<ref name="media.seat.com">{{cite web |url=http://media.seat.com/en/seat-news/597-nuevo-seat-alhambra-mas-funcional-y-eficiente.html |title=The new Alhambra – highly functional and efficient perfect for the active family |publisher=Media.seat.com |date=2010-04-19 |access-date=2012-02-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223013627/http://media.seat.com/en/seat-news/597-nuevo-seat-alhambra-mas-funcional-y-eficiente.html |archive-date=2012-02-23 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.seat-sport.com/en/compania/seat-competicion.php |title=In 1970 the beginning of the so-called "Fórmula Nacional" was announced |publisher=Seat-sport.com |access-date=2012-02-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313073925/http://www.seat-sport.com/en/compania/seat-competicion.php |archive-date=2012-03-13 }}</ref>