Representing Hyundai at N24 a “Huge Deal” for BHA Drivers

Tackling the Nürburgring 24 is “a huge deal” for three-time and reigning IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge TCR champion Michael Lewis, who heads to Germany as part of an all-American driver effort at this year’s major Nordschleife endurance event.

As previously reported by Sportscar365, Lewis will be joined by two-time TCR co-champion Taylor Hagler as well as Bryan Herta Autosport Pilot Challenge teammates Mason Filippi and Harry Gottsacker in an Hyundai Elantra N TCR.

“Representing Hyundai at the Nürburgring, it’s a big deal,” said Lewis. “It’s a bucket-list item and flat-out one of the coolest races out there.

“I’m just lucky enough to be on a team with Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai to let us all go over there. But on a personal level, it’s just such a cool event.”

The team will take on the N24 event on behalf of Hyundai Motorsport GmbH with support from Target Competition.

“The all-American lineup is really cool,” Lewis added. “Seeing the flags on the side of the car when they peel out, it’s pretty special.”

Leading up to the event, all four drivers had to earn their “A Permits” by completing a minimum number of race laps on the Nordschleife, while also finishing in the top 75 percent of their class in order to have the proper credentials to compete in the N24.

As such, the BHA drivers took numerous tips to Germany amid the start of the Pilot Challenge season to compete in several NLS rounds to earn their permits.

“It was definitely a lengthy and kind of technical process,” Gottsacker told Sportscar365. “But we all managed to get through it.”

While earning their ‘A Permits’ and getting up to grips with the 12.94-mile circuit and the various nuances of Nürburgring competition, the team competed in VT2 class Hyundai i30 Ns ahead of stepping up to the TCR car for the N24 Qualifiers earlier this month,

“Definitely running the i30N around there for a couple of weekends in the NLS stuff was quite beneficial,” said Gottsacker.

“Especially before getting into the TCR car. The TCR car around there feels like an absolute rocket ship. The track is mega everywhere and the TCR car is no joke around that place.

“Really kind of learning how other cars race each other out there, the different classes and everything, how the traffic flows and the Code 60s and everything works like that was quite helpful [in the i30N] before getting in the big car.”

For Hagler, her ‘A Permit’ prerequisites marked her first time competing outside of the U.S.

“It’s a lot different because the tracks are a little bit more technical and the competition is a lot more aggressive and advanced,” she explained.

“So, it’s definitely been a learning curve. I’ve had the team to help a lot because I think every other [BHA] driver here has competed outside the U.S.

“They’ve been a lot of help in just getting adjusted and it’s a lot of fun, so I’m hoping to keep going overseas after this.”

Off-Track Preparation and Carrying Momentum to Germany

From time spent in the simulator to watching on-board footage, the four BHA drivers have worked to hone their skills away from the track, to adequately prepare for one of the world’s most grueling endurance races.

“It was a lot honestly,” Hagler said. “I didn’t have a simulator so I just got on Amazon and bought some stuff to put together to do something of getting used to the track virtually.

“And then just a lot of conversations between me and Michael talking about the track and getting everyone situated and sorted and figuring it all out.”

For Filippi, onboard videos have proven useful in his race preparations to supplement his virtual practice in the simulator.

He said he often spent his lengthy transcontinental flights between Pilot Challenge rounds and NLS competitions watching hours of onboard videos from the Nürburgring.

“Michael and I found the onboards and we had a little bit of a debate actually about what onboard we should watch,” said Filippi.

“So, we found the one that was like the one to kind of dial ourselves to and so I had it downloaded and screen recorded on phone and I would just rewatch it and rewatch it.

“There’s just kind of like little tricks I guess that you wouldn’t learn from the sim. The sim doesn’t exactly compare to our car, so you kind of have to learn it in different ways.”

BHA Drivers Carrying Momentum After 1-2 Finish at Laguna Seca

With permits acquired and the N24 Qualifiers completed, BHA enter the Nürburgring 24 race week off the heels of a successful weekend for Hyundai at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where Filippi and Gottsacker were part of a 1-2 class finish for the team in the Pilot Challenge race.

Filippi and Gottsacker currently hold the top two spots in the Pilot Challenge TCR championship with their respective co-drivers.

The team’s preparations in Germany also yielded them a pair of podium finishes in the N24 Qualifying races.

Bolstered by months of preparation, the team aims to carry their current momentum into the twice-around-the-clock German enduro.

“Hyundai has a huge presence [at the Nürburgring]. They prove their cars there,” said Lewis.

“The ‘N’ in the N brand stands for ‘Born in Namyang and honed at the Nürburgring,’ so to bring that to light to a lot of American fans is a big deal and hopefully we can continue their success as they have been doing over there for this years.

“It’s one of those marque events like our team owner told us and we’re doing it and just trying to represent Hyundai and all the IMSA fans and Bryan Herta Autosport as best we can.”