Elantra N TCR secures championship in Macau
Our client Hyundai N Team secured the TCR China driver’s title at the season finale in Macau, where Martin Cao ended his year as he started it β with a winning performance.
Its results have also seen our Elantra N TCR secure the Model Car Championship title in the series, in which our customer drivers have won half of the overall races in 2023.
“The level of competition in TCR China this season has been fantastic,” said Customer Racing Manager Andrea Cisotti. “The races between many manufacturers and drivers were very close and the lead changed hands several times β until the final race.”
A rollercoaster season
Martin turned a second-place start in Race 1 at Macau into his fourth win of the season. That’s exactly how he started his season at the Shanghai International Circuit, where he surged from fourth place to take a lead he would never relinquish.
However, it wasn’t until the third round of the season that they topped the league standings for the first time. Martin took back-to-back wins, starting with a treacherous and grueling Race 2 in Zhejiang and Race 1 at the Zhuzhou International Circuit. He then completed a 1-2-3 finish for the Elantra N TCR in Race 2, but would lose it two laps later when the series returned to the track.
Martin arrived in Macau six points adrift at the top of the standings, but his victory in Race 1 allowed him to retake the lead when it mattered.
“It’s been a great season after a difficult comeback in the points after round five,” Martin said. βThe car was very quick in Macau β the set-up and tires were almost perfect, which gave me so much confidence to push for a better result. Thanks to Hyundai and the Hyundai N Team for putting together the perfect package for us this weekend and all season.β
Ending on a high
There was a strong presence of our customers on the grid, led by multi-car entries from Hyundai N Team and Z Speed. Five Elantra N TCR cars finished in the top ten of the championship, highlighting the performance of our challenger.
Our young driver Max Hart finished sixth overall with a masterful light-to-flag victory in Race 2 in Macau. Martin’s teammates Andy Yan and Rainey He were seventh and ninth respectively, with Z Speed ββdriver Zhang Zhen Dong sharing eighth place.
βTo win in such a competitive championship is a huge achievement, so Martin and the Hyundai N Team can rightly be very proud. The win for Junior Driver Max Hart, after a great drive in the final race of the year, capped off a great TCR China season for Elantra N TCR customers,β concluded Andrea.
TCR China Championship 2023 β Final Driver Ranking
1. M. Cao 178
2. J. Young 159
3. J. Zhang 145
4. M. Xie 111
5. D. Zhu 101
6. M. Hart 91
China TCR Championship 2023 β Final Car Model Classification
1. Hyundai Elantra N TCR 351
2. Lynk & Co 03 TCR 303
3. Honda Civic Type R TCR 253