Photo: Hyundai Motorsport

Rival teams “surprised” over BoP for the new Hyundai Elantra N TCR

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Rival teams have expressed surprise at the Balance of Performance handed out to the all-new Hyundai Elantra N TCR, which will make its World Touring Car Cup debut this year.

The technical department of the WSC Group, the rights holder of TCR, issued the BoP for the new Hyundai – and the latest version of the new Audi RS 3 LMS – at the end of April.

The new Hyundai Elantra appears to have been handed a favourable BoP when compared to the Hyundai i30 N TCR that has previously been seen in WTCR, with the new car running 40kg less weight, 2.5% more power and a ride height that is 10mm lower.

Cyan Racing, the team responsible for running the Lynk & Co 03 TCRs in the WTCR, is amongst those now calling for an adjustment of the Elantra’s BoP before the season starts in Germany.

“We are happy to see several new TCR models developed ahead of the 2021 season,” Fredrik Wahlén, CEO of Cyan Racing, said. “In general, WSC/TCR have produced Balance of Performance (BoP) levels that look reasonable, and that will secure a continued level playing field in the WTCR.

“Having said that, we are surprised to see the BoP for the new Hyundai Elantra. This is a sedan shaped car that Norbert Michelisz has confirmed in the media is much better than the older Hyundai i30 hatchback.

“The new model has however received a BoP that is far more advantageous with 40kg lower weight, 10mm lower ride height and an increase of 2.5% in engine power compared to the i30.

“We hope that this is merely a starting point for the Elantra which will be evaluated in detail after the first TCR Europe races – where the new car will race – and then adjusted before the start of the 2021 WTCR season.”

The Hyundai made its TCR Europe debut two weeks ago at the Slovakiaring, with reigning champion Mehdi Bennani scoring a win from the Race 2 reversed grid for Sebastién Loeb Racing.

The BoP level has also raised concern from Comtoyou Racing, which will run the new Audi in the WTCR this season.

“It is quite surprising that the Audi RS 3 LMS received 40kg more ballast than the new Hyundai and that Lynk & Co is the only car in FIA WTCR to be heavier than the Audi,” Jean-Michel Baert, team manager of Comtoyou Racing, stated.

“Bearing in mind that the performance calculation is based on several ways of evaluating each car’s potential, Audi must have done a great development job with the new RS 3 LMS to explain this BoP.

“We would have to conclude that it is looking promising for the future, and we are looking forward to the first race.”

Hyundai Motorsport did not want to comment on the BoP level of the new Elantra N TCR, with Honda team Münnich Motorsport stating that it “expects that the BoP will be fair this season”.