The Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Team Americas, driven by Mason Filippi, Harry Gottsacker, Bryson Morris, and Mark Wilkins, triumphed in the TCR class of the 2024 Nürburgring 24 Hours. This victory marks Hyundai’s fourth consecutive win at the prestigious race. The team completed 44 laps on the 25km track, overcoming severe weather conditions that limited Sunday’s running to a few laps under Safety Car due to heavy fog, which led to a red flag lasting over 14 hours.
Team Americas led a historic 1-2-3 finish in the TCR class, the first time Hyundai Motorsport entered three cars in the race. Team Europe, with defending class winners Mikel Azcona, Marc Basseng, and Manuel Lauck, secured second place, while Team China, featuring Hongwei Cao, Zhang Zhendong, Rainey He, and Andy Yan, finished third.
The race weekend began promisingly for Bryan Herta Autosport’s drivers. Debutant Bryson Morris secured class pole with an impressive lap in the final qualifying session on Friday afternoon. Despite a strong start by Team Europe’s Manuel Lauck in slippery conditions, a driveshaft change forced their car to drop from the lead to third. However, Team Europe was on the verge of retaking second place from Team China when the race was red-flagged seven hours in due to heavy fog.
The race restarted at 13:30 on Sunday, but the fog prevented any further competitive racing, leading to an early finish with an hour remaining. This confirmed Team Americas’ victory, with all three Elantra N TCR teams finishing on the same lap.
In the VT2 Front class, the Hyundai Driving Experience team started well, with their Fastback N Cup Car leading after Michael Bohrer’s opening stint. However, a puncture during Jens Dralle’s turn dropped them to third. Despite a recovery effort by Marcus Willhardt and Gyumin Kim, the race’s early end left them in second place in their class.
Hyundai Motorsport Circuit Race Project Manager Julien Moncet praised the teams’ performance, stating, “We knew that a 1-2-3 finish in class for our Elantra N TCR teams was possible if we avoided mistakes and brought the cars to the finish. Mason, Harry, Bryson, and Mark of Team Americas had a very consistent race, which was key to their success.”
Bryson Morris expressed his satisfaction with the victory, saying, “It was a difficult weekend for me, but we were able to take the win. It was a super difficult first stint in the rain at the Nürburgring, but I was able to get through it.”
Marc Basseng highlighted the challenging conditions, “We had a really good start and extended our gap, but a technical problem cost us time. Despite the fog and red flag, it’s a 1-2-3 for Hyundai Motorsport, which is a huge achievement.”
Andy Yan reflected on the race’s difficulty, “Everyone knows the Nürburgring 24 Hours is the toughest race in the world, and this year it was more difficult than ever. We faced difficult, changing conditions but achieved a 1-2-3 finish for Hyundai Motorsport and the Elantra N TCR.”
Here are the 2024 Nürburgring 24 Hours Provisional Final Results:
TCR Class:
#831 Elantra N TCR (Filippi/Gottsacker/Morris/Wilkins) – 44 Laps – 1st in Class – 42nd Overall
#830 Elantra N TCR (Azcona/Basseng/Lauck) – 44 Laps – 2nd in Class – 49th Overall
#832 Elantra N TCR (Cao/Dong/He/Yan) – 44 Laps – 3rd in Class – 50th Overall
VT2 Front Class:
#486 Fastback N Cup Car (Bohrer/Dralle/Kim/Willhardt) – 40 Laps – 2nd in Class – 74th Overall
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