In 1970 the beginning of the so-called "Fórmula Nacional" was announced (later to be known as Formula 1430). Sports vehicles were equipped with a 1430 engine and a SEAT 6700 gearbox. The first race, which was very successful, took place at the Jarama circuit (Madrid) with a total of 27 cars lined up.

In 1971 SEAT started up a Special Vehicles department in its "Zona Franca" manufacturing Plant (Barcelona) and decided to officially take part in competitions the following year with a team made up by Salvador Cañellas and Jorge Babler. This department was to become the starting point for the future SEAT competition team and the present SEAT Sport department.
The first rally for SEAT's official team was the Luis de Baviera Criterium in 1972 where SEAT lined up a SEAT 124-1600, registration plate B-7169-F. In OCTOBER 1972 Cañellas driving a 124-1600 TC won for the first time at the European Championship's RACE Rally. At the "2000 Swerves Rally", SEAT put its trust on a young driver called Antonio Zanini who won the rally and was to become SEAT's third pilot on board.

The 1972 Rally Championship ended with Cañellas' title, the beginning of a long list of titles in the Spanish Rally Championship which ended in 1978. SEAT won the Brand's Champion of Spain title from 1973 to 1979. During that span of time SEAT took part in 104 rallies, won 39 and made an overall of 96 podiums. In regional championships SEAT won 250 times and made over 750 podiums. In the Touring Class championships, SEAT won 11 titles between 1979 and 1983.

SEAT also took part in the European Championship races where Antonio Zanini was to become second in 1976 and 1979. SEAT won five times in the European Championship.

But SEAT's greatest result in those days was the Brand Cup in the Montecarlo Rally in 1977 where Zanini came third and Cañellas fourth. In 1980 Fiat pulled out of SEAT and the company underwent a period of financial trouble, so SEAT had to give up competitions although it continued to sponsor promotion cups as Fura Cup in circuits and the Panda Cup in rallies.

After a five-year period, having become part of the VW Group, SEAT decided to go back to competitions in 1985 and created what is nowadays the SEAT Sport department. The first activities this department became involved in were the start up of the VW Polo Cup on circuits and the SEAT Ibiza Rally Championship.

In 1987 SEAT Sport had two official teams at both of the Spanish Rally Championships: asphalt and track, with the two Serviá brothers as drivers (Salvador and José Mª). Salvador, driving a VW Golf Gti commenced a year of success; he won the Costa Brava Rally which was included in the European Championship with a very high score. At the end of the year Salvador came second in the Spanish Championship, behind a young pilot named Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, his brother José Mª won several rallies with the Ibiza Bimotor (twin-engine), one of the major SEAT Sport developments.

After such a good start SEAT Sport kept on participating in competitions. In 1988 with two VW Golf Gti group A at the Asphalt Spanish Championship and with the SEAT Ibiza twin-engine and the new Marbella Proto on the National Track Championship. The SEAT Marbella Proto equipped with a compressor, which allowed for 140 HP, won the Championship while the Ibiza twin-engine ended its life with an absolute victory. Josep María Serviá won the Two Wheel Drive Class at the wheel of a VW Golf Gti Safari in the International Baja de Aragón in 1988.

In 1989 SEAT Sport makes the decision to take part in the first edition of the Spanish Raid Cup where Jose Mª Serviá won the two-wheel drive class. In the Spanish Rally on Track Championship, Antonio Rius continued winning the two-wheel drive class at the wheel of the Marbella Proto.
At some promotional events the Marbella Proto models were driven by international motorcycle champions such as Alex Crivillé, Joan Garriga and Jordi Tarrés.

In 1990 SEAT Sport continued its activities representing VW Motorsport and Audi Sport in Spain, while the Marbella Proto continued participating in the National Track Championship. Antonio Rius ran for VW in the asphalt rallies with a Golf G60 and Jose Mª Serviá came first in the Spanish Raid Cup with an Audi Coupe Quattro Raid developed by SEAT Sport.

In 1991, VW Motorsport and Audi Sport continued participating in the same championships for SEAT Sport. Rius won the Córdoba Rally and the RACE Rally while Jose Mª Serviá won the Mijas Rally and won the Spanish Raid Championship for the second time.

1992 was to be a milestone year for SEAT Sport, which was working on a major project. After six years of study a high competition vehicle was designed, the SEAT Toledo Marathon. This became a car capable of facing up to the trickiest international programmes, and giving the Spanish Brand some great victories.
Also,SEAT Sport continued to be involved in promotion activities, the most outstanding of which was the SEAT Marbella Cup. SEAT Sport and Repsol signed sponsorship agreements for sports events during 1993.

1993 was the crisis year and this obviously had its effect on sports car races. Measures taken to cope with the situation included having to concentrate in supporting and enhancing the SEAT Marbella Cups, which were in its seventh edition and also starting off the asphalt races. Efforts and budgets were concentrated on national races, regional Cups had to be left out. The SEAT Toledo Marathon made its debut at the Baja Portugal driven by Jose Mª Serviá.

1994 was a year of success with the SEAT Toledo Marathon. SEAT Sport took part in the Off Track World Rally Cup, with a second position gained by Erwin Weber, the German, at the Baja de Portugal. At the Baja España he also got up on the podium but this time in the third position, while the other Toledo Marathon driven by Jose Mª Serviá was fourth. Another important event for SEAT Sport was the Greece Raid where Jose Mª Serviá came second with the Toledo Marathon. The promotion Cups continued their way and several victories were attained at the Spanish Rally on Track Championship within the two-wheel drive class.

In 1995, after 18 years away from the World Championship, SEAT makes a comeback with the Ibiza 1.8 16V group A driven by the German pilot Erwin Weber at the Portugal Rally coming third among the 2WD class cars. At the Acropolis Rally in Greece SEAT achieved an historic double-win with Weber and Rius in first and second position of their class. The Ibiza 16v Cup is started.

SEAT faces 1996, its most important challenge ever, by participating in the FIA 2L World Rally Championship with the SEAT Ibiza Kit car and with the target of gaining the title. After taking part in eight rallies with various different results, the Spanish team, which was taking part in the Championship for the first time, became FIA 2L WORLD RALLY CHAMPION at the Great Britain RAC Rally, the last race in the calendar, something no other Brand had ever done before.

After the previous year's achievement SEAT began the 1997 season with a very high bar to jump - the target of winning the recently created 2 litre World Cup. The new SEAT Ibiza Kit Car EVO 2 made its debut at the Spanish Rally .The Spanish Brand began its triumphs at the Argentina Rally with a double-win in its class. From that race onwards SEAT won every single time it took part in a race - eight consecutive wins in such hard and different rallies as the Italy, Indonesia, New Zealand and RAC rallies, among others. These results proclaimed SEAT automatically 2L WORLD RALLY CUP CHAMPION at the end of the Italy Rally. One of the greatest moments for SEAT that year was, obviously, the announcement of the building of a WRC to make its debut at the Finland Rally in 1998.

The 1998 season made history for SEAT. The third consecutive 2L World Rally Championship title was won with drivers Harri Rovanperä, Oriol Gómez, Toni Gardemeister, Jörgen Jonasson and Gwyndaf Evans. The SEAT Córdoba WRC makes its debut in Finland. And the first point is won by the WRC at the Great Britain RAC Rally.

In 1999 SEAT takes part in the World Rally Championship with the Córdoba WRC driven by Piero Liatti and Harri Rovanperä. They win their first scratch at the most well known Montecarlo Rally lap: the Turini Col. Harri Rovanperä is the fastest at the Channel 4 Rally (Finland) with the Córdoba WRC E2. At the New Zealand Rally Toni Gardemeister gets the first podium for the SEAT WRC. The SEAT WRC E2 makes its official debut at the Finland Rally coming fifth and sixth in the general classification (Rovanperä and Gardemeister). First participation in China where Rovanperä came fifth, adding more points to the score. SEAT Sport finished the season with a fantastic result in the last event of the calendar, Rovanperä finished third overall. SEAT confirmed the drivers for the 2000 season: Didier Auriol and Toni Gardemeister will drive the SEAT Córdoba WRC E2.

The 2000 season started in Montecarlo, where Gardemeister finished in fourth position after fighting from the first moment against the fastest cars. In Kenya, the hardest rally of the calendar, SEAT had an important role. For the first time in its history, SEAT was leading a world rally with Auriol's Córdoba WRC, which reached the scratch for the fastest lap of the rally. Gardemeister retired due to physical problems and Auriol finished in third position, achieving the first podium for the Spanish team in this season. In Portugal, Cataluña, Argentina and Greece, the result was not successful for the Spanish team due to different problems. In Finland SEAT launched the 3rd evolution of the Cordoba WRC, the E3. This year, the World Rally Championship visited Cyprus for the first time, and there, SEAT announced that in 2001, the Spanish brand will not be involved in the championship in order to focus their efforts on the new activity: build special series of high performance cars. At the Birmingham motorshow, SEAT Sport launched the first product of this new activity: the Ibiza Cupra R. The season finished with an incredible participation with 4 Cordoba WRC in Great Britain driven by the four most representative drivers for SEAT, Rovanperä, Gardemeister, Auriol and Evans.

Starting 2001, SEAT decided to affront both Spanish Rally Championship, on gravel and asphalt. The SEAT Repsol YPF Córdoba WRC driven by Marc Blázquez achieved another title for the Spanish manufacturer in the gravel championship. On asphalt, Salvador Cañellas drove superb the Telefónica Córdoba WRC and became second in the championship.

The first edition of the SEAT Leon Supercopa organized by SEAT Sport meant SEAT’s return to circuit competition in 2002. The success of the first edition was clear - exciting races, the performance of the cars and the incredible attendance of the public. After leading almost all season, Alfredo Mostajo lost the title in the last race to Joan Vinyes.

The year 2003 became a milestone for SEAT Sport with their return to high level international competition. With Jordi Gené and Frank Diefenbacher at the wheel, the SEAT Toledo Cupra showed several promising performances in its first year at the Championship. On a national level, SEAT achieved an excellent victory at the Spanish Touring Car Championship with the Toledo GT, and the SEAT León Supercopa showed a high competitive level with Luis Miguel Reyes as the overall winner.

In 2004 SEAT won its first victory at the European Touring Car Championship, exceeding all expectations and making the Toledo Cupra one of the star attractions of the championship. Besides the victory at Oschersleben, the Toledo Cupra also won four podiums, two pole positions and three fastest laps thanks to Rickard Rydell, Jordi Gené and Frank Diefenbacher. SEAT stood out internationally at the BTCC, one of the most prestigious European touring car championship events. SEAT Sport UK drivers Jason Plato and Robert Huff won nine victories, and Plato finished third overall.

The León Supercopa was also successful in several other countries. Marc Carol won in Spain, James Pickford in the UK and Sebastian Stahl in Germany. Turkey was added to the list of organising countries. With the Vodafone Cup, Portugal also gave the SEAT León widespread circuit fame in 2004, the same year the SEAT Cupra GT made its debut at the Spanish GT Championship.

In 2005 SEAT went on to participate at the WTCC and achieved three victories - two with the SEAT Toledo driven by Rickard Rydell at Silverstone and Peter Terting at Puebla. At the same time, the team was preparing for the debut of the SEAT León WTCC and the Supercopa León.

Jordi Gené drove the León for the first time at Oschersleben, and he took the victory a few weeks later in the third race in Valencia. That same race was also the backdrop for two further León units, proving it was the car of the future for SEAT Sport.

During the greatly popular run of the SEAT León Supercopa in Great Britain, Germany, Turkey and Spain, SEAT Sport was preparing the new León for the next Supercopa season. It was officially presented at the last race at the Circuit de Catalunya, which was won by Oscar Nogués. The European Masters took place at the same venue. Gathering the four best drivers from each of the Supercopa races, it was won by Florian Gruber.

The SEAT León continued to make progress in 2006, and the brand began to achieve success, with the greatest achievement being the winning of the BTCC manufacturers’ title. At the same time, SEAT was one of the main protagonists in the WTCC, finishing in second position following a hard-fought season which went down to the wire, with the titles only being decided at the last race.

In this race no fewer than nine drivers and two brands could have been crowned champions, and SEAT finished the WTCC as runners-up in the manufacturers’ standings. Overall, 2006 proved to be a highly satisfactory season, as SEAT drivers won three races with Yvan Muller at Brands Hatch, Jordi Gené in Curitiba and Gabriele Tarquini in Istanbul. In addition, the team achieved five pole positions, eight fastest laps and a total of twenty-two podium finishes.

One of the high points of the season took place at Brands Hatch, when three SEAT León drivers made it onto the podium, with an Yvan Muller, Peter Terting and James Thompson 1-2-3. In the famous race in Spain, on the Cheste track, Tom Coronel won the Yokohama Title for Independent Drivers for SEAT. In addition, Ali Laivola and Roberto Colciago won the national Finnish and Italian championships, and SEAT also scooped the European Championship, with a Ryan Sharp and Emmet O’Brien 1-2.

The SEAT León Supercopa continued to be held in Great Britain, Germany, Turkey and, of course, Spain. In Germany and Spain, the new León model was used, demonstrating its competitiveness, and with the maximum number of drivers possible competing, this led to hard-fought and spectacular races.

In 2007 SEAT Sport continued to compete at the World Touring Car Championship with a team of five official drivers, Jordi Gené, Michel Jourdain Jr., Tiago Monteiro, Yvan Muller and Gabriele Tarquini. The season began with Tarquini driving the SEAT León WTCC to a victory in Zandvoort.

But the big moment of the season came midway, when SEAT Sport made its debut with the new SEAT León TDI WTCC in Anderstorp, Sweden. At the new model’s second appearance in Oschersleben, Yvan Muller made history at the wheel of the SEAT León TDI when a car equipped with a diesel engine won a FIA World Championship event for the first time.

This result was followed by other victories by Muller and Gené in Monza, giving Muller and SEAT the honour of finishing second in both the WTCC Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ categories.

At the same time, SEAT scored several other victories to prove its consolidation in the touring car category such as its second consecutive European Championship, a win and outstanding performance at several national championships such as Italy and Finland, and the victory at the 24 Hours at Barcelona.

The next step was to win at least one of the World titles – that was the goal set for 2008 by SEAT Sport director Jaime Puig. And that goal was fully met since SEAT won the manufacturers’ title and Yvan Müller was the drivers’ title champion. For the first time in history, a Spanish brand won a FIA World championship, and a double title at that.

The team made up of Jordi Gené, Rickard Rydell, Yvan Müller, Tiago Monteiro and Gabriele Tarquini managed a total of eleven victories out of a possible 24, besides another one achieved by Tom Coronel with his petrol-powered SEAT León WTCC. SEAT won races with both engine choices, proving that the León was in roaring good shape at the championship.

Besides these two titles, independent driver Oscar Nogués was the European runner-up, and the SEAT León units dominated at the 24 Hours at Barcelona and successfully competed at several European racing events.