Articles, In the News, Michelin Pilot Challenge

BHA Drivers Lead Hyundai Elantra N TCR Victory for Fourth Straight Nürburgring 24 Hours

Posted on by Katie Brannan
03
Jun

·       Drivers Mason Filippi, Harry Gottsacker, Bryson Morris and Mark Wilkins gave the Elantra N TCR a fourth consecutive class win in a curtailed edition of the Nürburgring 24 Hours

·       Heavy fog prompted a 14-hour red flag from shortly after 23:00 on Saturday and prevented any competitive running on Sunday as the race finished after five laps behind the Safety Car

·       Hyundai Motorsport entered Elantra N TCR finished 1-2-3 in the TCR class, with defending winners Team Europe second and Team China third.

 

 

June 3, 2024 – The Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Mason Filippi, Harry Gottsacker, Bryson Morris and Mark Wilkins, representing Team Americas has won the TCR class of the 2024 Nürburgring 24 Hours, giving Hyundai victory for the fourth consecutive year at the race.

 

The Bryan Herta Autosport quartet crossed the line after completing 44 laps of the 25km track at the end of a race where the action was severely curtailed by heavy fog that limited Sunday running to a handful of laps under Safety Car conditions after a red flag that lasted more than 14 hours.

They headed a historic 1-2-3 in the class in the first year Hyundai Motorsport has entered a trio of cars into the race, which also included Team Europe, the defending class winning driver Mikel Azcona, Marc Basseng and Manuel Lauck, and Team China – Hongwei Cao, Zhang Zhendong, Rainey He and Andy Yan completed the podium in third aboard the #832 Elantra N TCR.

 

The weekend started well for the team of Bryan Herta Autosport drivers. Nürburgring 24 Hours debutant Morris snatched class pole away from his European team-mates with a superb lap late in the final qualifying session on Friday afternoon.

Led by Team Manager Phil Howard and Crew Chief Nate Smola, it was Bryan Herta Autosport’s first victory at the famed Nordschliefe circuit.

 

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

 
Mason Filippi: “We won the Nürburgring 24 Hours in TCR! It was a wild race and our BHA team made it to the top step. Finishing 1-2-3 for Hyundai was a great accomplishment, and I cannot thank Hyundai, Target Competition, and our supporters enough for

helping us get to our first Nürburgring win. Our Elantra N TCR is special around the Ring, and I can’t wait to be challenged again. The energy at this event is incredible and pushes you to the next level. We have had support from all around the world and I look forward to carry this momentum to Mid Ohio next weekend.”
Mark Wilkins: “1-2-3 for Hyundai at the Nürburgring is a fantastic result! We certainly experienced the full range of Nürburgring weather and ultimately that played a lage factor in how the race played out. A huge thanks to my teammatees for stellar drives in very challenging conditions, and to the team and our BHA crew for all of their hard work over the past few months.

It was a tremendous and challenging experience, that I really enjoyed. This is a circuit and race like no other and that makes it truly special; a career highlight, without a doubt. I look forward to getting right back to it with our endurance race next weekend at Mid Ohio.”
Harry Gottsacker: “We are 24 Hours of Nürburgring race winners! It has been a difficult road to get here, and I arrived to this weekend with just one lap on the famous Nordschleife this year before qualifying.

The double stint four hours into the race was one of the most difficult I have done with rain, fog, and darkness. We worked as a team and ran a solid race for this result. Thank you to Hyundai and Bryan Herta Autosport for this opportunity!
Bryson Morris: “We were able to take the win the #831 Elantra N TCR for Team Americas. It was a difficult weekend for me,

coming back for a second weekend in the TCR car at the Nürburgring for the first time at the 24 Hours. In Qualifying 3 I was able to set the pole time in the TCR class but we had a bit of a surprise on the grid when the rain came down so we swapped tires at the last second. The start of the race was the

first time in the rain at the Nürburgring for me so it was a super difficult first stint but I was able to get through it. I got back in the car at night in the lead, but there was some fog – later we’d find out that was bad news. I

drove for about an hour in pretty difficult conditions. It was a drying track with a dry line in most places but wet in others and the fog getting heavier and heavier with the eventual red flag. Unfortunately, we couldn’t race to the end but still super happy to take the win and I really enjoyed the experience.”

The Bryan Herta Autosport crew pushes the Hyundai Team Americas #831 Hyundai Elantra N TCR to the grid at the Nurburgring 24 Hours on Saturday, June 1, 2024. l-r Jonathen Ghormely, Cruz Juarez, Andrew Kissinger and Nate Smola.
The #831 Hyundai Team Americas Elantra N TCR on pole position at the 2024 Nurburgring 24 Hour race on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
Katie Brannan

Leave a Reply