- The performance divisions of Hyundai and Toyota team up for a special event in Korea.
- The Hyundai N x Toyota GR Festival will be held at the Everland Speedway, on Oct 27.
- The brands will bring rally cars and high-performance models, piloted by racing drivers.
Hyundai and Toyota maintain a healthy rivalry on WRC, but their performance-focused divisions announced an unexpected collaboration for a special motorsport event in South Korea. The Hyundai N x Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival will be held on October 27 at the Everland Speedway, with both firms bringing rally cars, high-performance production models, and prototypes.
The inaugural collaboration between the two rival brands will include a track day event, where attendees will have the chance to witness and experience various Hyundai N and Toyota GR vehicles in action. The companies will offer test rides of their WRC rally cars, and a demo drive with professional drivers from the respective WRC teams.
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The event was announced with a cool video on YouTube, starring the fully electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 N racing the Toyota GR86 ICE-powered sportscar. As the two models are powersliding on the track, the narrator says: “We race as competitors. The moment we meet, a new thrill begins. Beyond competition, united by passion.”
The companies will be represented at the event by Euisun Chung, Executive Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, and Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporations. Their goal is to strengthen the motorsport culture in Korea, although we can’t help but wonder if similar joint events will be held in other countries in the future.
Hyundai will bring the i20 N Rally 1 Hybrid and Rally 2, with WRC drivers Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo, and Andreas Mikkelsen sitting behind the wheel. There will also be a bunch of production models from the Hyundai N division, including the Ioniq 5 N and the Elantra N, driven by TCR drivers Norbert Mischelisz, and Mikel Azcona. Furthermore, visitors will be able to check out the Ioniq 5 N Drift Spec, Ioniq 5 N TA Spec, and N Vision 74 prototypes.
Toyota’s lineup will include the GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid and Rally 2, GR Supra, GR86, alongside the hydrogen-powered AE86 H2 Concept and GR Corolla prototypes, among other high-performance models. The Japanese rally cars will be driven by WRC driven Takamoto Katsuta, his father and nine-time Japan Rally Champion Norihiko Katsuta, and Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Team principal Jari-Matti Latvala.
Yeong Ho Lee, Hyundai’s Executive Vice President, Global Operations Division, said: “This event will emphasize the fierce competition and friendship that coexist in motorsport and is an opportunity to demonstrate the pure passion for cars shared by both Hyundai and Toyota, as well as our commitment to further expand motorsport culture in the future.”
H/T to Don
