Team Americas Finishes Second at the ADAC Ravenol 24 Hours of Nurburgring
- Hyundai earns fifth consecutive class win at N24
- The #831 Elantra N TCR driven by Bryson Morris, Mason Filippi, Michael Lewis and Robert Wickens finishes 25th out of 137 cars and 2nd in class
- Robert Wickens takes the checkered flag becoming the first driver to race the Nurburgring 24 with hand controls
- 280,000 spectators set new attendance record
Hyundai Team Americas delivered an impressive performance at the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours, finishing second in their class with a strong driver lineup consisting of Robert Wickens, Mason Filippi, Michael Lewis, and Bryson Morris. Piloting the #831 Hyundai Elantra N TCR, the Bryan Herta Autosport team showcased resilience and speed on the legendary Nordschleife amid record heat and intense competition throughout the grueling endurance race.
Wickens continued his remarkable return to motorsport, becoming the first driver to complete the Nürburgring 24 Hours using custom hand controls recently developed by Bosch. Michael Lewis started the 24-hour race in front of 280,000 enthusiastic fans, while Wickens took the checkers. Teammates and 2024 Nürburgring 24 Hour race winners Mason Filippi and rising talent Bryson Morris delivered consistent pace and teamwork. The result marks a significant achievement for Hyundai in one of the world’s toughest endurance races, underscoring the brand’s continued commitment to motorsport excellence on a global stage.
Driver Quotes:
Bryson Morris: “We had a good race. It wasn’t easy, and we worked hard to overcome some obstacles, but we didn’t give up, and the results are proof of that. It was awesome being able to double-stint during the night. I am really grateful for the whole experience.”
Mason Filippi: “It was awesome to finish 1-2 for Hyundai. All four of us worked really well together. I absolutely love racing here and every part of the experience. Huge thank you to my teammates, Hyundai and the BHA team who always give 110%.”
Michael Lewis: “It seems like we just started this journey, and now it’s over. I am so happy to have been a part of this project with Bryson, Mason, Rob, and the whole crew. The car ran so well. I wish we could race here all of the time, but that is part of what makes it so special. A lot of hard work was put in to making us successful, and thanks also to all of the fans and everyone at Hyundai for their support.”
Robert Wickens: “P.2 in the end, it was a massive effort by everyone. It wasn’t without its struggles; we had a turbo issue, then several punctures, but we fought hard to correct it. Mason, Michael and Bryson they were flawless throughout, the team was flawless, and the car is one peice with barely a scratch on it. It was a special 24 hours for me, my first with the Bosch hand controls, and it worked perfectly. That was important for me for my future, it provided a lot of great data for Bosch and the first-generation controls, its a bout 20 hours more than they’ve ever run consecutively, so pretty impressive. I’m really grateful to Hyundai, Bosch and everyone involved for the incredible opportunity to be a part of this special race.”
As released by Hyundai Motorsports Group:
Hyundai Motorsport scores fifth consecutive Nürburgring 24 Hours class victory
- Hyundai Elantra N TCR crews scored a fifth consecutive TCR class win at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, adding a 1-2 finish in class to their list of honours at the event
- Marc Basseng, Christer Joens and Manuel Lauck dominated the event, completing 130 laps to finish an impressive 22nd overall ahead of their Team America stablemates
- A strong debut Nürburgring 24 Hours run for the Elantra N1 Cup car of Gyumin Kim, Youngchan Kim, Jeff Ricca and Zhang Zhen Dong ends after contact, with seven hours remaining.
Nürburg, Germany
June 22, 2025 – Hyundai Motorsport’s Elantra N TCR teams have won the TCR Class of the Nürburgring 24 Hours for the fifth consecutive time, adding to Hyundai’s incredibly impressive record in the category and race.
The all-German team of Marc Basseng, Christer Joens and Manuel Lauck dominated the event. Lauck placed the car on class pole position with a lap of 8:52:924 after a planned shakedown in Friday’s Qualifying 3 became an impromptu time trial as a clear track presented an undeniable opportunity. At the head of the class throughout the race, they steadily climbed the overall order as the frantic pace led to issues and incidents for teams throughout the near 140-strong entry. They finished 22nd overall with Hyundai Motorsport N24 debutant, Christer Joens, crossing the line with a three-lap lead over their Team Americas stablemates, who finished 25th overall.
Robert Wickens was given the honour of bringing the Bryan Herta Autosport-supported entry to the flag – a fitting end to a journey to the race which began at the start of 2024. The Canadian was fortunate enough to have several highlight stints as he and American teammates Mason Filippi, Michael Lewis and Bryson Morris kept a routine rotation through the race. Wickens took the restart following an early red flag after a power outage struck the pit garages and Race Control building, but also took stints during the night and at sunrise before bringing the car home.
The Hyundai Motorsport teams were not immune from the issues and attrition that affected many of their competition. The Team Americas car was slowed by multiple punctures as temperatures increased on Sunday, contributing to the final margin between the two Hyundai Motorsport entries. Both Elantra N TCR crews had to contend with the frequently sweltering conditions at the wheel of the car, with the normal challenges of the infamously changeable Eifel weather replaced with the demands of keeping hydrated and maintaining concentration during each stint.
The team’s Elantra N1 Cup Car and the driving quartet of Chinese driver Zhang Zhen Dong, South Koreans Gyumin Jim and Youngchan Kim, and American Jeff Ricca delivered an excellent performance on the car’s Nürburgring 24 Hours debut. The team, working well together were part of the fight for pole in the SP3T Class, holding the provisional top spot on multiple occasions during Thursday and Friday’s Qualifying sessions.
They were on course for a podium result until shortly before 9am on Sunday morning while running second in class and 50th overall. Exiting a Code 60, Ricca was hit by a GT3 car, spinning into the barriers at the Pflanzgarten area of the circuit. Ricca was uninjured, but the car was seriously damaged, bringing their race to a frustrating end.
Marc Basseng said: “I think this year was a pure demonstration of our speed with my teammates. Manuel Lauck, like every year, and our new teammate Christer Joens did an awesome job. I’m super stoked with everything – five TCR class victories now. Normally we have the hail, snow, rain, too much rain, cold. But this time it was incredibly hot – for everybody this was completely new. It was tough for the machinery, for the drivers, for the team, for everybody. I don’t think we’ve ever used so many water bottles before but the Elantra N TCR was absolutely perfect. No stress, no problems – amazing that a sprint racing car can be that reliable on the hardest track in the world in the hardest conditions. A sign of perfect engineering from Hyundai Motorsport.”
Robert Wickens said: “I’m almost sad it’s done. It’s such a cool race, with such a great atmosphere and the Elantra N TCR were running, frankly, so reliably that you almost wanted the race to keep going. It was just such a great team effort, with Hyundai Motorsport producing amazing endurance cars even though that’s not even what they’re designed to do. Both cars did 24 hours with zero reliability concern. I think we kind of stumbled into my stint pattern originally. I wasn’t supposed to get the sunrise but then with the red flag, it pushed everyone down. I didn’t start the race, but I started from the red flag, so I felt like I started the race again, and then got the sunrise stint, the pitch-black darkness at 4:00 AM stint, which was cool – seeing the fireworks and the all the campfire smoke and flares, it was just such a cool experience.”
Jeff Ricca said: “We had such an awesome car. It was so fun to drive. We were working so well together as drivers and with our engineer. All four drivers in our Elantra N1 Cup Car were on the same pace and could bounce ideas back and forth – we were coaching each other, which is a rare find in this scenario but also learning from and teaching our Race Engineer in his first 24 Hour race. That was very special, and we had everything lined up so well. The incident was very clear. We were in a Code 60. I saw the GT3 behind me in my mirrors and planned to stay on the racing line, but he went for a gap. and before I was even able to react, I was already in the wall.”
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoit Nogier said: “This was a very different Nürburgring 24 Hours, but just as tough – or maybe tougher – as any we have seen before with the Elantra N TCR. In the hot conditions our team and car again made the TCR Class of the race their own, and took a superb overall result to match – not a result of luck or favourable conditions, but of driver skill, car reliability and team works between Hyundai Motorsport, Bryan Herta Autosport and Target Competition. Over the last five years, I think we can now say we have taken on every challenge that the Nordschleife can provide, and we have conquered every one of them.”
2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours – Provisional Final Results
TCR Class
#830 Hyundai Elantra N TCR (Basseng/Joens/Lauck) – 130 Laps – 1st in Class – 22nd Overall
#831 Hyundai Elantra N TCR (Filippi/Lewis/Morris/Wickens) – 127 Laps – 2nd in Class – 25th Overall
SP3T Class
#303 Hyundai Elantra N1 Cup Car (G. Kim/Y. Kim/Ricca/Zhang) – 78 Laps – Did Not Finish
