Hyundai Motorsport will give its new Hyundai Veloster N ETCR car a high-speed demonstration run at the Daytona International Speedway next weekend, ahead of the Rolex 24 Hours race.
Development driver Augusto Farfus will be behind the wheel for the first public showcase of the new car.
The run-out will be held ahead of the first race of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season on Friday 29 January.
Brazilian racer Farfus will showcase the car’s peak power output of 500 kw (670 hp) and impressive acceleration.
Hyundai has been busy developing the car for the new-for-2021 all-electric ETCR series, with development on the car having started back in late 2018, before the car hit the track for the first time in September 2019.
The event will also see the race début of Hyundai’s latest touring car, the Elantra N TCR, which will be campaigned by Bryan Herta Autosport.
“The demonstration run at Daytona International Speedway is a great opportunity for those behind the ETCR regulations and for us at to show the excellent performance the Veloster N ETCR is capable of,” said Hyundai Motorsport Team Principal Andrea Adamo.
“The Daytona track is one of the most famous in the world and the 24 Hours there is one of the biggest racing weekends of the year, so we’re honoured to have been invited to showcase the car in front of the fans and race teams who will be there.
“The sight of the Veloster N ETCR at pace on the circuit is sure to build interest in the category, and in electric racing in general in a very important automotive and motorsport market.
“The whole Daytona event will be very important to Hyundai Motorsport. As well as the ETCR demo, our customers Bryan Herta Autosport will also give a race debut to the Elantra N TCR as defending champions after a very successful 2020 season, and Hyundai America will be celebrating the Elantra’s recent US Car of the Year win.
“On top of all of this we will have other customers racing with the Veloster N TCR in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race, where Hyundai Motorsport-built cars make up a majority of the TCR class.”
Farfus emphasised that whilst the car may be able to showcase impressive performance next weekend, a lot more can potentially be extracted from the car as development continues.
“Being invited to run a demonstration at Daytona International Speedway is a big opportunity to show the Veloster N ETCR to the world,” said Farfus.
“Through the testing we have already completed we know it is very capable of putting on a good display, and the track at Daytona should let us show both the superb acceleration and the top speed.
“I think being able to see the car will create some great interest in the car, and the category, at a big event for motorsport in the US, and internationally.
“Of course, if what we can do at Daytona impresses the fans, they have to remember that there is a still a lot more development work to do, and even more performance possible before the first competitive events.”