Hyundai Completed a Strong Weekend at Nordschleife | Hyundai N

The countdown to the Nürburgring 24 Hours race is well and truly underway following a strong weekend for our cars in the pre-event six-hour Qualifying Race (May 19).

Our i30 N TCR and Veloster N TCR completed a near-perfect weekend at the iconic Nordschleife, finishing 1-2 in the TCR class. They also set new benchmarks for the class in endurance racing in the process.

Each of the two entries was driven by a three-person crew: the all-German trio of Manuel Lauck, Andreas Gülden and Peter Terting piloted the i30 N TCR, while Marc Basseng, Moritz Oestreich and Nico Verdonck took charge of the Veloster N TCR.

Rehearsed and ready

In mixed weather conditions, tyre strategy was in play from the outset of the race. While the Veloster N TCR had the upper hand on slick tyres in the opening laps, a puncture forced the car into the pits temporarily and handed the advantage to the i30 N TCR.

The Veloster N TCR remained on the pace, but was slowed in the second half of the race by a minor issue. The team was able to fix the car during a brief stay in the garage, minimising the time lost in the overall standings.

The final stint in the i30 N TCR went to Terting, who completed 38 laps of the 25km circuit, an achievement that gave them victory in the TCR class in 28th overall. Anchoring the crew in the Veloster N TCR, Verdonck was only a lap behind, to complete a consistent weekend and a perfect warm-up for the longer race to come.

“The Qualifying Race was a very important step in our work towards the 24 Hours,” said our Team Director Andrea Adamo. “The performance of the team and cars was the perfect outcome from the event. Both the i30 N TCR and Veloster N TCR proved to be consistently quick around such a demanding track and to have the reliability necessary for the 24 Hours. We must now complete the final preparations to make sure we can repeat this performance.”