Hyundai today announced the next chapter in its championship-winning, customer-racing motorsports program at the Michelin IMSA Sports Car Encore.
Bryan Herta Autosport, fresh off the team’s 2018 debut season in which it secured both the Team and Manufacturer championships in the 2018 Pirelli World Challenge TCR class, will compete in the 2019 IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge in the all-new Hyundai Veloster N TCR race car. In addition, Bryan Herta Autosport will sell Hyundai TCR race cars to customer teams and provide technical and parts support.
The Veloster N TCR was designed by the same Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Team that developed the championship-winning i30 N TCR. Like its i30 stablemate, the Veloster N TCR will be produced at Hyundai Motorsport Headquarters in Alzenau, Germany. The two cars share around 85% of their core components, including the 350-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged engine.
The Veloster N TCR will be fully unveiled closer to the start of the 2019 IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge Season, which spans 10 rounds at marquee tracks across North America. The season kicks off on January 25 at Daytona International Speedway.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to have Bryan Herta Autosport back with us, racing the new Veloster N TCR at America’s most fabled racing circuits in the IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge,” said Dean Evans, Hyundai Motor America’s Chief Marketing Officer. “After their championship run in 2018, we can’t wait to see the show they put on for our fans and customers in the Veloster N TCR race cars.”
“Chapter Two is going to be exciting,” said Bryan Herta, president and CEO of Bryan Herta Autosport. “We learned so much by racing and winning with the i30 N TCR last season. We know just how excellent the platform is in hard competition. The Veloster N TCR retains everything great about the i30 N and gives us a world-class race car with a direct road-car counterpart that our fans can purchase and drive every day.”
The Veloster N TCR is part of the ongoing rollout of the Hyundai N brand globally, and addresses the requests of Hyundai Motorsport customer teams in select national markets where the i30 N TCR race car was in competition, but the i30 N road car was not part of a region’s production-vehicle model range. The addition of the Veloster N TCR to the customer motorsports lineup gives teams in national markets where the Veloster N road car is available a more relevant platform for their respective audiences.
Both Veloster N TCR and i30 N TCR are fully homologated for competition in officially sanctioned TCR series. Priority for initial Veloster N TCR deliveries, however, will go to customer teams in markets where the Veloster N road car is offered.
BRYAN HERTA AUTOSPORT TO PROVIDE U.S. SALES AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT
In the United States, Bryan Herta Autosport is the designated sales agent for the Veloster N TCR and i30 N TCR customer cars. The Veloster N TCR can be ordered for €135,000* plus shipping, with customer deliveries set to begin in March 2019.
Bryan Herta Autosport will also provide technical assistance, spares, and parts support to teams campaigning Hyundai TCR models in the U.S.
* NOTE: US pricing is dependent on exchange rates, which are subject to fluctuation. Based on current rates, for example, the Veloster N TCR would retail for approximately $155,000 plus shipping.
HYUNDAI BACKS CUSTOMER TEAMS WITH CONTINGENCY AWARDS PROGRAM
As Hyundai Motorsports heads into its second year of North American competition, Hyundai Motor America announces that it will support customer teams in the 2019 IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge and 2019 Blancpain GT World Challenge with optional contingency awards programs in each series. Participating teams will be eligible for contingency payouts for each 2019 race based on IMSA or Blancpain GT World Challenge race results and eligibility requirements.
In the IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge, both the Veloster N TCR and i30 N TCR are eligible. In Blancpain GT World Challenge, the eligible vehicles are the Hyundai i30 N TCR, Veloster N TCR, and, in the TC class, the Veloster N.
2018 HYUNDAI CONTINGENCY PROGRAM PAYOUT PLAN
Payout Schedule
|
1st
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
4th
|
5th
|
TCR Class
|
$7,500
|
$5,000
|
$2,500
|
$1,500
|
$1,000
|
TC Class
|
$7,500
|
$5,000
|
$2,500
|
$1,500
|
$1,000
|
Drivers’ Championship
|
$10,000
|
$7,500
|
$5,000
|
HYUNDAI VELOSTER N TCR TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Engine
Type: Hyundai Motorsport 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged
Power (Max): 350 hp @ 7000 rpm
Torque (Max): 450 Nm @ 3500 rpm
Electronics: Life Racing ECU and power management system
Transmission
Type: Front-wheel drive
Gearbox: Six-speed sequential gearbox with pneumatic paddle-shift
Differential: Mechanical with external pre-load adjuster
Clutch: AP Racing Cerametallic twin-disc
Cockpit
Seats: Sabelt competition seats
Belts: Sabelt six-point HANS compatible
Instrumentation: Life Racing compact configurable driver’s display
Chassis
Front suspension: MacPherson struts with adjustable dampers
Rear suspension: Four-arm multi-link with adjustable dampers
Steering: Hydraulic power-assisted rack and pinion
Front Brakes: 380mm ventilated brake discs with Hyundai Motorsport-branded six-piston Brembo calipers
Rear Brakes: 278mm brake discs with two-piston calipers
Handbrake: Hydraulic control
Wheels: 10x18 inch aerodynamic Braid rims, designed for Hyundai Motorsport
Bodywork
Structure: Hyundai Motorsport designed lightweight high-tensile steel roll cage
Bodywork: Steel and composite fiber panels
Length: 4,450mm
Wheelbase: 2,650mm
Width: 1,950mm
Track Width: 1,610mm
Fuel Tank Capacity: 100 liters
Weight: 1,285kg minimum (including driver)*
Price
€135,000 (approximately $155,000 in U.S. per current exchange rates)
*mandated by TCR regulations
2019 MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE TCR CLASS SCHEDULE
January 25
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona International Speedway
March 15
Sebring, Florida
Sebring International Raceway
May 4
Lexington, Ohio
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
June 29
Watkins Glen, New York
Watkins Glen International
July 6
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
July 20
Lakeville, Connecticut
Lime Rock Park
August 3
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Road America
August 24
Alton, Virginia
VIRginia International Raceway
September 14
Monterey, California
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
October 11
Braselton, Georgia
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
January 25
Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona International Speedway
March 15
Sebring, Florida
Sebring International Raceway
May 4
Lexington, Ohio
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
June 29
Watkins Glen, New York
Watkins Glen International
July 6
Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
July 20
Lakeville, Connecticut
Lime Rock Park
August 3
Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin
Road America
August 24
Alton, Virginia
VIRginia International Raceway
September 14
Monterey, California
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
October 11
Braselton, Georgia
Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
_websize.jpg)
