Hyundai i30 N TCR sets the TCR lap record at the Nürburgring

The Hyundai i30 N TCR has set the lap record for any TCR-spec car at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, as Target Competition along with Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing were in action at the famous circuit this weekend, getting ready for their participation in the 24-hour event next month.

Target Competition fielded two cars, with Moritz Oestreich and Jae-Kyun Kim racing with journalists Byung Hui Kang and Guido Naumann in the #830 car, while the experienced line-up featured former WTCC racers Nicola Larini and Peter Terting, sharing the #831 car with Manuel Lauck and Andreas Gülden.

It was Gülden who said the lap record of 9:03.206 in qualifying, putting the Hyundai i30 N TCR on the class pole position. The #831 car also set the best race lap record for a TCR car during the event, though minor technical issues in the six-hour race saw the team’s cars finish second and third overall, with the Bonk Motorsport Audi RS 3 LMS of Bock Hermann, Partl Max and Partl Rainer winning the event after 34 laps, over a minute clear of the Larini, Lauck, Gulden and Terting Hyundai.

Under the radar and taking part in the event included Team WRT Audi drivers Gordon Shedden and Jean-Karl Vernay. Unlike most other WTCC regulars who’ve been racing at the circuit for three years, Shedden and Vernay have missed out and were catching up on track mileage. Unable to compete in a TCR car as that would count as in-season testing, the two drivers were racing in a BMW 235i for Walkenhorst Motorsport in the BMW Racing Cup class.

On Hyundai’s record, Hyundai Motorsport’s deputy general manager Andrea Adamo said: “Of course the performance of the i30 N TCR this weekend was very encouraging, and another show of the potential of the cars after other strong results in the last few weeks.

“Unfortunately, we were not able to claim the overall result to match the speed that we showed all weekend. However, we now have to work on the minor issues from the weekend, so not only can we truly show the performance of the i30 N TCR during the 24 Hours, but we can continue to support our customers competing elsewhere.”