Hyundai, Toyota to co-host motorsport festival in S. Korea this month

SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Motor Co. said Tuesday it will host a unique motorsport event in partnership with Toyota Motor Co. later this month in South Korea featuring high-performance models and racing vehicles from both companies.

The Hyundai N x Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival will be held at Everland Speedway in Yongin, 42 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 27 to provide motor fans with opportunities to experience various motorsport activities.

Euisun Chung, Hyundai Motor Group executive chair, will attend the event and will be joined by Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor.

The companies will host a track day event where visitors can immerse themselves in high-performance culture and witness Hyundai N and Toyota GR vehicles in action.

The highlight of the event will be a thrilling demo drive, reminiscent of an actual rally, featuring racing cars and professional drivers from each company's World Rally Team.

Visitors can also experience the performance of these competition vehicles firsthand through a unique test ride, Hyundai said.

Hyundai N will showcase rally cars from its successful World Rally Championship (WRC) program, including the i20 N Rally 1 Hybrid and i20 N Rally 2, driven by Hyundai Motorsport WRC drivers Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo and Andreas Mikkelsen.

Toyota will present its GR Yaris Rally 1 Hybrid, GR Yaris Rally 2, GR Supra and GR86, as well as other rally cars and high-performance models.

"This event will emphasize the fierce competition and friendship that coexist in motorsport and is an opportunity to demonstrate the pure passion for cars shared by both Hyundai and Toyota, as well as our commitment to further expand motorsport culture in the future," Lee Yeong-ho, executive vice president of Hyundai's global operations division, said.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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