Hyundai Motor launches TCR World Tour in Korea

A series of motorsport events will entertain fans this weekend in Inje County, Gangwon Province. Hyundai Motor said it will co-host the Inje World Touring Car Festival with the local government at Inje Speedium on Oct. 18–19. The festival will feature the Hyundai N Festival and races from the FIA TCR World Tour and TCR Asia.

The FIA TCR World Tour will be held in South Korea for the first time. The TCR series is a global touring car championship in which automakers build race cars and sell them to independent teams. This year’s season began in May with rounds in Mexico, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Australia, and the Inje race will be the sixth round. Teams representing eight automakers, including Hyundai, Toyota and Audi, will compete with their chosen models. Hyundai, which supplies the Elantra N TCR (known domestically as the Avante N TCR), said this is the first time the world tour has been staged in Korea.

The Hyundai N Festival will feature speed races between the Ioniq 5 N and Avante N models. It is the country’s largest single-make motorsport competition.

A variety of programs will also entertain fans. Events include a “Grid Walk,” where spectators can meet drivers and see race cars up close at the starting line; a “Circuit Safari,” offering bus tours of the track; an “N Taxi” ride with professional drivers; and an RC car experience for visitors to try remote-controlled racing.

Hyundai said it plans to make the festival a memorable celebration of Korea’s first FIA TCR World Tour and will offer an event that everyone can enjoy.


Won-Joo Lee takeoff@donga.com