Hyundai ‘Hungaroring’ for electric racing points

Hyundai Motorsport wants to secure its first overall victory at the fourth round of the PURE ETCR (electric touring car racing) season, as the series moves to the Hungaroring racetrack in Hungary on August 20-22.

Drivers Jean-Karl Vernay, Augusto Farfus, John Filippi and Tom Chilton aim to leverage their previous racing experience at the Hungaroring as they hunt down the King of the Weekend title in the penultimate round of the year at the iconic racing circuit.

At the previous round in Copenhagen, Farfus and Vernay both topped their respective pools after the first two rounds with the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR, but the team failed to capitalise on its advantage on the final day.

Chilton missed out on a well-earned haul of points after a puncture, caused by a sharp edge on the track, forced him to retire from his super final while running in second. His team-mate Filippi demonstrated promising pace early in the event, although struggled to return to form after an accident in a test session affected his confidence.

In the break between events, the team has identified areas for improvement as it seeks to redouble its efforts in the championship battle.

Drivers will have two free practice sessions on Friday August 20 to get up to speed at the Hungaroring ahead of the PURE ETCR draw that evening. This decides the pools for the weekend, as well as the first battle groups in Round 1, held on the morning of Saturday August 21. The results determine the Round 2 battles later that day. Round 3’s time trials on Sunday August 22 set the grids for each pool’s super final.

“Our team has been on a steep learning curve in PURE ETCR, and while we didn’t have the results we deserved or hoped for in Copenhagen, we will be seeking retribution in Hungary,´ Hyundai Motorsport marketing and PR director Stefan Henrich says.

“We’re still hunting down our first overall victory, and all four of our drivers have shown they can be quick in the Hyundai Veloster N ETCR. The championship standings are as close as the on-track racing, but we need to be topping the classification in every round of the final events of the season to regain lost ground.”