Next Friday, in the run up to the Daytona 24 weekend, Hyundai’s Veloster N ETCR racer will take to the track for some exciting demonstration laps. This will be the first time that anyone outside of Hyundai will get to experience the quick acceleration of Hyundai’s 670 horsepower electric machine based on its quirky three-door sporty hatch.
The Veloster N ETCR is based on Hyundai’s winning Veloster N TCR chassis, which has secured two straight IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge championships. Until this season Hyundai has run a Veloster in American TCR classes and an i30 in European venues, but this year will converge on a global racing platform with its new-for-2021 Elantra TCR.
The Veloster N ETCR will be running in the 2021 Pure ETCR championship, though this display indicates to me that Hyundai and IMSA are potentially working on an electric class for the Pilot Challenge series, or even a standalone support series. Perhaps something more in line with a 30 minute sprint instead of the hours long races in the Pilot Challenge.
“The Daytona track is one of the most famous in the world, and the 24 Hours is one of the biggest racing weekends of the year, so we’re honoured to have been invited to showcase our car in front of the fans and race teams who will be there,” explained Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Andrea Adamo. “The sight of the Veloster N ETCR at pace on the circuit is sure to build interest in the category, and in electric racing in general, in a very important automotive and motorsport market.”
Hyundai will compete in the inaugural Pure ETCR series against other electric touring cars from Alfa Romeo, Cupra, and MG. I would really love to see an electric Veloster N street car come out of this program sometime soon. The electric hot hatch market is just begging to be created.
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