PURE ETCR driver line-up revealed | Hyundai N
Four drivers will compete in the inaugural season of PURE ETCR, in which our first-ever electric race car, the Veloster N ETCR, will make its competitive debut.
“Racing in PURE ETCR is the natural next step for our project, and in the four drivers we have for the season ahead I believe we have a line-up where everyone is capable of racing for victory on every weekend,” said our Team Principal Andrea.
Valuable experience
The line-up is led by test drivers Augusto Farfus and Jean-Karl Vernay, who have been instrumental in the development of the car over the recent months. For Augusto, the drive marks a return to racing with one of our challengers, having competed with our i30 N TCR in the 2019 season of WTCR.
“It’s great to be racing again as part of the Hyundai Motorsport team and with the Veloster N ETCR,” said Augusto. “As you’d expect from an electric car the acceleration is incredible, and the handling and balance of the chassis has given me the confidence that I can really push on track.”
Jean-Karl will combine his ETCR drive with a full season in WTCR this year, where he will compete in our new Elantra N TCR.
“This is going to be a very busy season for me as a Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing driver – but I couldn’t be happier about it,” said Jean-Karl.
New energy
Joining them in the series will be Briton Tom Chilton and French driver John Filippi, both newcomers to electric racing. Tom boasts a successful Touring Car career that has seen him take race wins in both the British and World championships.
“Electric-powered racing is a new challenge for me, but as part of the Hyundai Motorsport line-up for PURE ETCR I think I am in the best place to race for victories,” said Tom.
John also brings Touring Car experience and has had recent success with our i30 N TCR, which powered him to second in last year’s TCR Europe standings.
“I’m sure it will be a very competitive series, and watching the racing should be very exciting,” said John. “It should be a great season.”
Vice President and Head of N Brand Management and Motorsport Sub-Division at Hyundai Motor Company, Till Wartenberg, added: “PURE ETCR offers a great opportunity to show the high-performance potential of an electric powertrain, in a car that is instantly recognizable as a Hyundai. Already the experience the Hyundai Motorsport team has gained during the development of the Veloster N ETCR has been included in our ongoing development of road-going models, and this will only continue in the future tests and in the racing season to come.”
The inaugural PURE ETCR season is due to begin at Vallelunga on June 18-20.