SRO TOURING CAR AMERICA AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY | PRESENTED BY R.U.N. | #57 HYUNDAI VELOSTER TURBO TCA/BRYAN HERTA AUTOSPORT WITH CURB AGAJANIAN DRIVER: TYLER GONZALEZ | OCTOBER 17-20, 2019
Race Two: Started: 7th TCA Class Finish: 5th
Less than a week after capturing their second sports car racing championship in the TCR class, Bryan Herta Autosport and Hyundai made a tremendous Touring Car America TCA class debut with the #57 Hyundai Veloster Turbo TCA, finishing in the top-seven in both races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The TCA class is the entry-level racing class in the TC America series, which includes the TCA, TC, and TCR classes.
Fifteen-year-old Florida native Tyler Gonzalez drove the Veloster Turbo TCA car in the debut for BHA and Hyundai. It was also his first time competing in the SRO TC America Championship. 'What an honor to be part of the Bryan Herta Autosport program and work with such an iconic name in motorsports,' explained Gonzalez. 'A huge thank you to Hyundai, Bryan and the team for all of the hard work and allowing me to be the first ever driver behind the wheel of the new Hyundai TCA car. Racing in the TCA class was exciting. The 'roval' at Las Vegas was difficult to pass at, but the Veloster Turbo really shines under braking.'
The #57 Hyundai Veloster Turbo TCA car that competed in this event is part of the new BHA/Hyundai Customer Support Team program. The car and BHA support will follow Tyler Gonzalez to Copeland Motorsports to compete in the SRO TC America Series next season. BHA, the U.S. sales agent and parts support representative of Hyundai TCR and TCA has already received additional orders of the Veloster Turbo TCA car and hope to deliver up to six cars prior to the start of the 2020 TC America season. 'We are finalizing homologation with TC America now and are fully confident the Hyundai Veloster Turbo TCA cars will be extremely competitive in the TCA class' said Herta. Teams competing in 2020 with the Veloster Turbo TCA car in the TC America series will be eligible for Hyundai Motor America's compelling contingency program.
Of Note: Mason Filippi and Harry Gottsacker, drivers of the #21 Hyundai Veloster N TCR car for BHA in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge Series also competed at the SRO event in Las Vegas. Filippi dominated the TCR class, winning both races from the pole position in the Hyundai Veloster N TCR while competing for Copeland Motorsports. Filippi's BHA co-driver, Harry Gottsacker raced in the Sprint X West category for ST Racing. Gottsacker wrapped up the Sprint X West Championship earlier this year and finished third in the first race and won the second race at Las Vegas.
Bryan Herta Autosport
Founded in 2009, Bryan Herta Autosport (BHA) has grown from a single car Indy-Lights team into a 2x Indy 500 and 2x Sports Car championship winning auto racing franchise. Led by IndyCar and Sports Car star Bryan Herta, BHA has won races in every discipline they've entered, including Indy Lights, Indy Car, Global Rally Cross, Pirelli World Challenge and IMSA. BHA rose to prominence after winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dan Wheldon. Five years later, BHA partnered with Andretti Autosport, and defied the odds again, winning their second Indianapolis 500 with rookie driver Alexander Rossi. BHA entered the Global Rallycross Championship in 2015 under the name Bryan Herta Rallysport, scoring multiple podiums and wins.
In 2018, BHA entered the Pirelli World Challenge in partnership with Hyundai and dominated the TCR class, winning seven races with drivers #98 Michael Lewis and #99 Mark Wilkins in the Hyundai i30N TCR, securing the team and manufacturers championships in the process. In 2019, BHA continued its' successful partnership with Andretti Autosport fielding the #98 U.S. Concrete Honda with Curb Agajanian in the IndyCar series for driver Marco Andretti. BHA also made their IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge debut, campaigning the Hyundai Veloster N TCR and swept the 2019 Driver and Team championships. Drivers Mark Wilkins and Michael Lewis finished first in the #98 Hyundai Veloster N TCR and Harry Gottsacker and Mason Filippi finished second in the #21 Hyundai Veloster N TCR. Bryan Herta Autosport is the U.S. sales agent and parts support representative of Hyundai TCR and TCA race cars for customer teams. For more information, visit www.BryanHertaAutosport.com.
About Hyundai Motor America:
At Hyundai Motor America, we believe everyone deserves better. From the way we design and build our cars to the way we treat the people who drive them, making things better is at the heart of everything we do. Hyundai's technology-rich product lineup of cars, SUVs and alternative-powered electric and fuel cell vehicles is backed by Hyundai Assurance—our promise to create a better experience for customers. Hyundai vehicles are sold and serviced through more than 830 dealerships nationwide and nearly half of those sold in the U.S. are built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Company of Korea.
Photo credit: Hyundai
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Race One: Started: 14th TCA Class Finish: 7th
The competitive TCA class featured five different car manufacturers with 14 class entries, competing in two 40-minute races. 'It was a great debut for the Veloster Turbo TCA car in Las Vegas,' said Bryan Herta, co-owner of Bryan Herta Autosport. 'It was a busy weekend with two races in two days, and we fully put the car through its paces. The Veloster Turbo TCA car ran flawlessly. We're extremely encouraged by Tyler's results; he did a great job.'
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