ExcelR8 to run new Hyundai engine for 2022
EXCELR8 Motorsport will run a new Hyundai-based engine for the 2022 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship season.The Suffolk-based team announced last summer that it was to carry out a Research and Development programme to explore the feasibility of a new bespoke power plant for the four i30 Fastback Ns it currently runs in the series.The programme has taken place in conjunction with Swindon Powertrain, which provided the spec TOCA unit that the team has run for the last three years.Encouraging results from the feasibility study resulted in the decision to give the Hyundai engine programme the green light, with a key part of the R&D study having been an investigation into the best way to integrate the BTCC’s new hybrid system into the Hyundai package.Following the conclusion of the study, the all-new engine was given its track debut this week during two days of running at Snetterton.Despite being the first time that the new engine had been run in anger, the new Hyundai unit performed faultlessly across the duration of test, enabling both the team and Swindon Powertrain to collect valuable data that will now be examined as part of the ongoing development process."We’re delighted to confirm that we will be running the new Hyundai engine this season," said ExcelR8's Justina Williams.
"A huge amount of work has gone in behind the scenes in recent months to get to this stage, and to see the new engine run without issues straight out of the box is credit to everyone involved."The decision to push ahead with a project such as this is a major indication of our drive to reach the pinnacle of the British Touring Car Championship.Raphaël Caillé, managing director of Swindon Powertrain Ltd, added: "After the development work that has been ongoing in recent months, the first test on track was a key milestone for the Hyundai engine programme. The engineers at EXCELR8 have done a superb job in integrating the new engine into the car as there were no issues at all and from our perspective, the test went exceptionally well."From here, the next milestone will be to get the new engine fitted to the remaining cars so that we can continue with the testing programme and prepare for the start of the new season at Donington Park. We’re all looking forward to it."