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Hyundai Elantra N dominated the 2021 Nürburgring 24 Hours with a win in its class

CY Foong · Jul 15, 2021 11:00 AM

Hyundai Elantra N dominated the 2021 Nürburgring 24 Hours with a win in its class 01

At this year’s gruelling and somewhat chaotic Nürburgring 24 Hours, Hyundai Motorsport fielded three cars in the race, a Hyundai Elantra N TCR, a Hyundai i30 N TCR, and a near-production Hyundai i20. The pair of TCR cars dominated the TCR class and finished in the top two.

Hyundai Elantra N dominated the 2021 Nürburgring 24 Hours with a win in its class 02

The Elantra N TCR shared by Marc Basseng, Manuel Lauck, and Moritz Oestreich took pole position ahead of the i30 N TCR which consisted of Luca Engstler, Hendrick Still, and Jean-Karl Vernay.

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Throughout the race, the weather kept changing as a downpour forced many teams to be wiped out over the deteriorating conditions. At the sixth-hour mark, the race had to be stopped as fog descended on the famous 25 km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit known also as the Green Hell.

Also read: Malaysia Boleh – Proton Wira 'Teksi' takes on the Nurburgring

Hyundai Elantra N dominated the 2021 Nürburgring 24 Hours with a win in its class 01

After 14 hours, the race resumed and the pair of Hyundais lost their leading positions, only for the moment. With a great strategy and a performance advantage, Hyundai managed to regain its lead in class and finished the competition in 35th and 36th overall.

Hyundai Elantra N dominated the 2021 Nürburgring 24 Hours with a win in its class 02

Meanwhile, the near-production i20 N finished the race 97th overall. The team, which consisted of Marc Ehret, Kai Jordan, Markus Lungstrass, and Guido Naumann, showed the strong performance and reliability of what was essentially a close representation of the road-going hot hatch.

Hyundai Elantra N dominated the 2021 Nürburgring 24 Hours with a win in its class 03

Finishing what is one of the most gruelling endurance races in the world in the most famous and dangerous race circuit is an achievement indeed. Hyundai’s 1-2 victories in its class are proof that there is a new letter that the motorsports world should notice and it comes right after BMW’s M.

Also read: Toyota Corolla Altis conquers yet another Nurburgring 24h race

Hyundai Elantra N dominated the 2021 Nürburgring 24 Hours with a win in its class 04

That being said, the Elantra N TCR is far different from the actual Elantra N that was unveiled yesterday. Hyundai’s newest hot sedan is packed with plenty of performance (280 PS/392 Nm), and best of all, it comes with a good ol’ 6-speed manual gearbox. Who says manuals are irrelevant these days?

Also read: Priced from RM 117k in Korea, 2021 Hyundai Elantra N debuts with 6MT, 280 PS/392 Nm

CY Foong

Writer

Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.

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