Hyundai Motor has lifted its third championship trophy of the season at the global top-tier touring car competition, the ‘2023 TCR World Tour’!
Hyundai announced that the ‘Elantra N TCR’ (known as Avante N TCR domestically) achieved a double podium finish by securing both first and second places in the opening final race of the ‘2023 TCR World Tour’, which took place from August 25 to 27 at the José Carlos Pace Circuit in Argentina.
Mikel Azcona, a driver from the ‘BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’ team, racing in the Elantra N TCR, clinched first place in the first final race held on Saturday, August 26, delivering a precious victory to the team.
Norbert Michelisz, also competing in the same racing car, claimed second place in the first final race, highlighting the overwhelming performance of the Elantra N TCR.
Norbert Michelisz finished fourth in the second final race and accrued a total of 55 points during the event, placing him at the top of the driver standings with a total of 270 points.
The ‘BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’ team, which includes both drivers, maintained second place in the team standings with a total of 523 points.
Til Batenburg, Executive Director of Hyundai Motor’s N Brand & Motorsport Division, expressed, “I am glad to have achieved another good result following the Portugal opening round of the TCR World Tour and the third round in Italy. We will actively support our customer racing teams to fully showcase the outstanding performance of the Elantra N TCR in the remaining events of the season.”
The 2023 TCR World Tour, newly launched this year following the conclusion of the ‘WTCR (World Touring Car Cup)’ last year, selects 9 out of over 200 TCR competitions worldwide and ranks drivers based on points accrued from race results.
After 9 rounds of competition, the top 15 drivers with the most points will compete for the final championship at the ‘TCR World Final’ held at the end of this year or early next year.
Meanwhile, the TCR World Tour prohibits direct participation from manufacturers and only allows professional racing teams that have purchased the manufacturer’s racing cars to compete. The next event is set to take place from November 3 to 5 at the Sydney Motorsport Park in Australia.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr