The first-ever Hyundai N and Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival took place over the weekend in Korea, with thousands of spectators enjoying two brands coming together to celebrate all things performance and rally. Oh, and a hint of WRC thrown in for good measure.
Hyundai has been hosting N Festivals for quite a few years, and recently Toyota has been putting together similar events through its Gazoo Racing division for its ‘GR’ models. But this was the first time the two joined forces, which is highly unusual for the industry but amazing for the fans.
Although customers were able to take part in some track driving on the day, at Yongin Speedway, the event was more about the brands showcasing and celebrating their efforts in sports cars and rallying. As such, one of main attractions was a centre stadium, purpose-built for donuts and drifting demonstrations.
Both brands had their best WRC rally drivers and their current and some past rally cars, including WRC2, to demonstrate tyre-smoking action for the crowds. If that wasn’t close enough to the action, both brands were also offering ‘WRC Taxi’ rides for customers.
Hyundai rolled out its new RN24 concept car – if you can call it a car – and cut some sick skids in the centre stage. The concept is like a rolling lab, whereby engineers can test and tune systems within the E-GMP underpinnings. It so happens to feature the 478kW dual-motor electric package from the IONIQ 5 N, except with essentially no bodywork or luxuries, it weighs only 1880kg (down from about 2200kg of the IONIQ 5 N).
Both company bosses were also on attendance, with Toyota chairman, Akio Toyoda – known for being a keen driving enthusiast – entering behind the wheel of a WRC car, sideways. Hyundai boss Chung Eui-sun arrived in the passenger seat, which was a refreshing display of camaraderie.
Other highlights included a WRC Game Zone with simulators for spectators to play around with, a ‘Gymkhana Competition’ with WRC drivers Thierry Neuville and Jari-Matti Latvala going head-to-head in a production-spec i30 Sedan N and GR86 (video below), and then finally a parade lap with around 30 Hyundai and 30 Toyota entrants, and some racing cars, on the track for a cool photo session.
So, what’s next, will there be another combined event like this? Both companies are yet to officially announce anything, so it seems like this was just a one-off event. However, the respect from each brand was certainly nice to see and great for the fans.
