Hyundai Motor gets 6th consecutive Nürburgring win

MANILA: Hyundai Motor Company secured its sixth consecutive Touring Car Racing (TCR) Class win at the 2026 Nürburgring 24-Hour Race.

The South Korean car brand fielded the Hyundai Elantra N TCR in the TCR category. On the other hand, two Elantra N1 RP cars competed in the SP4T class.

Per Hyundai Motor Company, the race at the iconic German racetrack not only underlined the company’s motorsport prowess but also served as a successful proving ground for the Hyundai Elantra N1 RP’s next-generation powertrain. 

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“Securing our sixth consecutive TCR class victory at the Nürburgring is an incredible milestone that speaks to the relentless dedication of our teams and the proven excellence of Hyundai N technologies,” Hyundai Motor Company N Management Group Vice President Joon Park was quoted as saying.

“Just as importantly, successfully finishing this punishing 24-hour race with our new Elantra N1 RP powertrain validates our future engineering direction, as we did in 2026 with 2.0T used in all Hyundai N’s ICE (internal combustion engine) models. This event remains the ultimate test for our vehicles and a vital platform for our global junior drivers to grow further,” he added.

Hyundai Elantra N TCR

The Hyundai Elantra N TCR was piloted by seasoned European champions, namely Marc Basseng, Manuel Lauck, and Mikel Azcona — who, Hyundai Motor Company pointed out, together boast 10 TCR class wins at the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race with Hyundai Motorsport, alongside Basseng’s 2012 overall event victory. 

Joining them was Nico Bastian, whose extensive Nürburgring experience includes five top-10 overall finishes in GT3-spec cars.

Together, the car demonstrated durability and speed, allowing the team to successfully secure its sixth consecutive win in the highly competitive field.

“In addition to dominating the TCR category, the Elantra N TCR achieved an impressive overall ranking of 69th, further cementing Hyundai N’s reputation for engineering high-performance vehicles capable of challenging top-tier endurance competitors, including faster cars in higher classes,” Hyundai Motor wrote.

Hyundai Elantra N1 RP

On top of the commendable performance displayed by the Hyundai Elantra N TCR and its drivers, the Elantra N1 RP, too, showcased the company’s future technologies. 

For the uninitiated, the latter is powered by a pre-production engine featuring improved power and response characteristics for enhanced race capability while meeting current emissions standards.

Making sure the two cars were pushed through their paces were driven by a mix of veteran and young professionals.

Sharing driving duties for one Hyundai Elantra N1 RP were Azcona, Lauck and Mark Wallenwein from the Hyundai Jr program with Korean driver Youngchan Kim.

The second paired Wallenwein with previous Hyundai N Festival N1 Class champion Gyumin Kim, fellow festival competitor Woojin Shin from Korea, and young American driver CJ Sepulveda, known for his experience racing the Elantra N1 in the TC America series.

The two vehicles had to endure extreme conditions in the 25.378-kilometer Nordschleife to finish the 24-hour race.

“This achievement provides Hyundai Motor engineers with invaluable data and successfully verifies the performance and durability of the pre-production engine under some of the world’s most demanding racing conditions,” the company stated.

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