Will Brown Leads Hyundai Charge At Zhuzhou TCR Weekend
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Will Brown made a brief but very noticeable return to TCR competition at Zhuzhou International Circuit in China, stepping in for a teammate and promptly reminding everyone why he is the reigning Supercars champion. In a weekend of close calls and dramatic wet weather mayhem, Brown ended up as the highest scoring Hyundai driver overall, finishing the event with two fourth places and a sixth, and sitting fourth on the weekend points tally. It was the kind of performance that suggests he stepped out of the Supercars paddock and straight into a TCR seat with no fuss and plenty of pace.
A Weekend In Zhuzhou
Brown had not previously piloted the latest Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR, yet he was among the quickest from the get go. Practice saw him slot into fifth on both sessions before moving up to fourth in qualifying. In the first race he dropped a couple of positions on the run to turn one but set about reclaiming ground, fighting wheel to wheel with the championship leader and ultimately finishing fourth after a proper door-banging scrap.
The reverse grid sprint on a soaking track supplied the drama every series dreams of. Rain arrived on the formation lap and the race turned into controlled chaos. Brown made a cautious start, tumbled down the order to around 12th but then carved his way back through the pack, using the restart to pick off rivals and salvage sixth at the flag. In the dry for the final race he again lost places from the line but recovered to challenge for a podium, narrowly missing out and taking another fourth.
MacMillan’s Breakthrough
The team’s rookie showed real promise. In only his third weekend in TCR machinery, Ryan MacMillan improved across each outing and scored his best finish yet by crossing the line sixth in the final race. Saturday’s reverse-grid sprint was particularly wild for him; he climbed well in the wet and came across the line in 10th on track but then received a 10-second penalty for an unsafe re-entry that dropped him down the order. Mechanics worked feverishly to repair his car overnight and in the last race the 18-year-old produced a sensational final-corner move, slicing past several cars to secure sixth and a huge confidence boost heading into the season finale.
The i30 Sedan N TCR Up Close
The Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR is the latest customer racing offering from Hyundai Motorsport and it carries on the practical yet competitive ethos of the road car. Launched as the successor to earlier i30 and Veloster TCR models, it has already enjoyed championship success around the world and remains a potent package in both sprint and endurance formats. The race car keeps front-wheel drive in line with TCR rules and is driven by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four cylinder engine developed by Hyundai Motorsport, closely related to the motor found in the road-going i30 Sedan N.
In terms of physicals, the TCR sedan measures roughly 4.7 metres in length and just under two metres wide, rides on a 2.75 metre wheelbase and tips the scales at about 1,265 kilograms with driver. Power is in the region of 257 kilowatts at high revs, with torque peaking around 450 newton metres in the mid-range. The six-speed sequential gearbox sends drive to the front wheels through a fully adjustable suspension layout, and braking is provided by substantial ventilated discs up front paired with multi piston callipers.
What’s Next
HMO Customer Racing will take the i30 Sedan N TCR to the famous Guia Street Circuit for the season finale in Macau, where the regular driver returns after his GT commitments. For Brown the weekend in China was a neat reminder that he can be competitive in different machinery and conditions, and for the team it was another solid showing against factory outfits. If Zhuzhou is anything to go by, Macau should be worth watching.
Zachary Skinner is the editor of TechDrivePlay.com, where tech, cars and adventure share the fast lane.
A former snowboarding pro and programmer, he brings both creative flair and technical know-how to his reviews. From high-performance cars to clever gadgets, he explores how innovation shapes the way we move, connect and live.
