IONIQ 5 N dances sideways alongside GR86 - Hyundai N, Toyota Gazoo to co-host race fest this October

In an unexpected but fully welcome collaboration, Hyundai and Toyota have locked fists to announce their first-ever joint motorsport event, the ‘Hyundai N x TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival’ that’s set to take place on October 27, 2024, at the Everland Speedway in Yong-in, South Korea.

The festival is designed to showcase high-performance vehicles and racing cars from both Hyundai N and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, giving motorsport enthusiasts and customers in Korea a rare opportunity to witness the capabilities of these top-tier machines firsthand.

The event will feature a variety of exciting activities, including a ‘Track Day’ where fans can experience the thrill of high-performance driving and observe Hyundai N and Toyota GR vehicles in action.

A major highlight of the day will be an exhilarating demo drive, simulating the atmosphere of an actual rally race. Racing cars and professional drivers from both brands’ World Rally Championship (WRC) teams will take to the track, offering fans a close-up experience of rally racing, and later will be giving attendees the opportunity to participate in test rides, getting a firsthand feel for these competiton-spec thoroughbreds.

Hyundai Motor Group’s Executive Chair, Euisun Chung, and Toyota Motor Corporation’s current Chairman and former President and CEO, Akio Toyoda—who is known for his driving persona ‘Morizo’—are also set to attend the festival.

Hyundai N will present its highly successful WRC cars, including the i20 N Rally 1 Hybrid and i20 N Rally 2, which are now competing against defending champions Toyota in the 2024 season. Fans will get to see these vehicles in action, driven by WRC stars like Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo, and Andreas Mikkelsen. Hyundai’s TCR drivers, Norbert Michelisz and Mikel Azcona, will also showcase the fully electric IONIQ 5 N and ELANTRA N production models.

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, not to be outdone, will also be bringing a lineup of its renowned rally cars, including the GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid and GR86. Toyota WRC driver Takamoto Katsuta and his father, nine-time Japan Rally Champion Norihiko Katsuta, will be among the drivers showcasing the brand’s motorsport prowess.

In a forward-looking gesture, both brands will also exhibit future-oriented prototypes such as Hyundai’s hydrogen-powered N Vision 74 and the record-holding IONIQ 5 N TA Spec, alongside Toyota’s hydrogen-powered AE86 H2 Concept and GR Corolla, highlighting the brands’ multi-pathway approach to electrification.

Zooming out, this motorsport-focused event is likely to herald a broader collaboration or technical exchange between the two brands as they explore new areas of powertrain and mobility, particularly given both brands’ long history around hydrogen, electrification, and fuel cell technology.