TCR World and life

6 FEATURE While the i30 was the first TCR model from the South Korean manufacturer, it wasn’t long until the Veloster made its debut at the start of 2019, with the car builder producing a car which would be relevant to the US market. The four- door coupé has so far just raced in the USA and the TCR Asia series, alongside some occasional appearances in the Nürburgring Endurance Series. “The i30 N was the first of the road- going N line range of cars, so that was obvious that had to be our first TCR car,” said Andrew Johns, Hyundai Motorsport’s Customer Racing Manager. “It was in 2018 that Bryan Herta Autosport were in the Pirelli World Challenge and were dipping their toe in the water with Hyundai USA. Towards the end of the year, they decided to go to the IMSA series, and they felt they’d need a car that’s relevant to the America market, as the i30 N doesn’t exist over there. So, they asked if they could have a Veloster N TCR. That was signed off by our management HQ in Korea, and they ran that car in 2019- 2020 in IMSA, and then our HQ then showed a desire in us also producing the Elantra N TCR.” The approach means Hyundai Motorsport has relevant models for all its markets, since it has no global model. “Here we have parts to build i30, Veloster, Elantra, according to the customers’ requests,” explained Johns. “So, all three models are current; we can build any, with the Elantra being the newest of the three. If someone wanted a Veloster, we’d sell it if anyone wants one say in the UK, or Italy etc. but the real interest in that car was from the US - and now that we’re moved on to the Elantra, I don’t think we’ll really build many more Veloster cars, but we’ll support all those cars just as we would the i30 and the Elantra in equal measures.” The Elantra made its debut in this year’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Bryan Herta Autosport, and has since appeared in WTCR, TCR Europe and TCR South America series. The Elantra is a key seller in North America, where it is the second most popular road car in its class. And the TCR car is selling well too, with Hyundai confirming that its 20th and 21st Elantra N TCRs have just been shipped off the USA, where they’ll race in the Endurance Challenge event in support of the 24 Hours of Daytona next January. “The Elantra is meant to be a worldwide car,” said Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Andrea Adamo. “It’s also sold in Central and South America, it will be in the Middle East, it could be that it’s sold much wider in the future, so it makes more sense”, he explained, giving the reason why the Elantra has been brought in as part of the brand’s touring car strategy. “The i30 is very European. It’s something for us that’s fully alive for the regional and European markets, and it’s something on which we’re still working hard, even if the impression