Motor racing is one of the ways automakers can showcase the quality of their models, especially if we’re talking about endurance racing. Hyundai Motor did just that by scoring a 1-2 finish at the 51st ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring.
Hyundai secured a three-peat at the Green Hell
With over 200,000 fans and 136 car entrants, the two Hyundai Elantra N race cars end up at the top of the Touring Car Race (TCR) class. This means that the Korean automaker managed to secure its third straight win at the grueling 24-hour endurance race.
The race-winning car was driven by Mikel Azcona, Marc Basseng, and Manuel Lauck. Meanwhile, the second car was piloted by the Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) drivers of Taylor Hagler, Michael Lewis, Mason Filippi, and Harry Gottsacker.
One of the entrants that gave Hyundai a fight was Subaru with its all-new WRX. The Japanese automaker competed in the endurance race under a team formed by Subaru Tecnica International (STI), which is its performance-oriented subsidiary.
The Elantra N fought a long battle
Now that the race is over, Bryan Herta Autosport, which had its sixth visit to the Nürburgring circuit in two months, will shift its focus to the next event on the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race at Watkins Glen International on Friday, June 23.
Aside from endurance racing, Hyundai is also busy competing at other motorsport events such as the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The team is running the Hyundai i20 N Rally 1 Hybrid, which is modified to conquer different rally stages around the world.
Hyundai’s motorsports division, N, is responsible for delivering the brand’s race-winning cars. This explains why the Hyundai Elantra at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and the Hyundai i20 at the WRC come with the "N" moniker.
One strong performance from Hyundai
As of this writing, Hyundai’s Philippine lineup doesn’t offer any N models. But a Hyundai executive said last year that the company could consider bringing the brand’s electric vehicles (EVs) with the N badge.
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