Hyundai i30 N completes Nürburgring 24 Hours

Hyundai’s N sub-brand continues its strategy of doing the final-phase testing for the i30 N hot hatch in endurance racing conditions.

The 200kW-plus i30 N with its electromechanical front diff makes its world premiere this September in Frankfurt, and will arrive in Australia during November.

This latest announcement around the i30 N – partly about vehicle testing and partly a savvy publicity stunt – states that two “close-to-series-production” versions finished the Nürburgring 24 Hours last weekend.

This comes six weeks after a similar announcement from the less prestigious VLN endurance race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Hyundai says the two test cars managed 240 laps, equating to about 6000km in extremely trying conditions.

“The 24-hour race at the Nürburgring was a real success for us,” said HMC executive vice president and head of vehicle test & high performance development, former BMW M chief Albert Biermann.

“The two i30 N completed the race without any technical problems and we are really happy with the performance and durability of the cars.

“With only slight modifications on the two cars, we could really prove the track-capability of the i30 N series model in the most challenging race in the world.”

The two i30 N entries, close to series production, competed in the SP3T class (for 1.6 to 2.0 litre turbocharged engines). The cars managed 35 laps and 105 laps respectively during the course of the 24 hour race period without any technical difficulties.

The only setback was accident damage to rear of car No. 95 that necessitated repair.

Car No. 92 finished 5th in class out of 14 contenders, and in 52nd place overall (out of 109 classified finishers). 51 cars out of the 160 initial starters had to retire before the end of the race.

The Nürburgring circuit length for the 24-hour race is 25km combining the Nordschleife and parts of the Grand Prix Circuit.

For participation in the 24-hour race the two cars i30 N entrants were modified focusing mainly on the drivers’ safety, featuring a FIA homologated roll cage, a fire extinguisher and a race seat.

The i30 Ns were also fitted with racing tyres and race brakes. Additionally the exterior was fitted with a front splitter and rear spoiler.

The Hyundai i30 N will be Hyundai Motor’s first high performance model under the N sub-brand. The ‘N’ stands for Namyang, Hyundai Motor’s global R&D Centre in Korea, and for the Nürburgring, home to Hyundai Motor’s European Test Centre.

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