The 2023 Nürburgring 24 Hours in Germany will see Hyundai Motorsport enter the TCR class race with a pair of Hyundai Elantra N TCR vehicles. The first car will be piloted by Mikel Azcona, Marc Basseng and Manuel Lauck, and the second by four drivers, Mason Filippi, Harry Gottsacker, Taylor Hagler and Michael Lewis, who will be making their Nürburgring 24 Hours debut.
In addition to the TCR entries, Hyundai will also enter the race with a pair of production-based Hyundai i30 Fastback Ns. The Hyundai i30 Fastback Ns – which will enter under the Hyundai Driving Experience name – made its N24 debut in 2022 and has also appeared in the first two rounds of the NLS championship this season, where it enabled the American drivers to gain the experience necessary to join the TCR class.
One i30 Fastback N will be driven by a German team of Michael Bohrer, Gerrit Holthaus, Tobias Overbeck and Marcus Willhardt, and the second by drivers Jun Sung Park, former TCR champion Byunghui Kang, Jeff Ricca and Jens Dralle.
“The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a hugely important event, not just for Hyundai Motorsport, but for Hyundai as a global manufacturer,” explained Sean Kim, president, Hyundai Motorsport. “The N brand has very strong ties with the Nürburgring Nordschleife through the testing of road cars on the track. Our history of success in the 24 Hours event further reinforces the excellent reputation of Hyundai’s high-performance designs.”
Hyundai Motorsport customer racing manager Andrea Cisotti added, “The Nürburgring 24 Hours remains one of the toughest races in the world, so it is the perfect place to show the Hyundai Elantra N TCR’s blend of performance and reliability. We are in the position of defending our wins from the last two seasons, so we know the pressure will be on us. However, with the driver line-ups we have in both TCR cars we have everything in place for repeat success.”
