Review: Round 5 - Inje

Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing enjoyed a dream weekend in South Korea with Mikel Azcona taking a pole-to-flag victory double at Inje Speedium, its home event.

Driving a Hyundai Elantra N TCR for BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse, Azcona made the perfect getaway from the line in Race 1 and was never headed, the points scored moving him to the top of the Drivers’ standings for the first time since the season opener at Misano in May.
 
Team-mate Norbert Michelisz, who joined Azcona on the front row of the grid for Saturday’s Race 1 following a dominant qualifying performance from BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse, was on course to make it a 1-2 formation finish for the team. But with the handicap of carrying 30 kilograms of Compensation Weight beginning to tell, Michelisz had to surrender second position but still claimed “the happiest P3” of his career in third.
 
Starting 10th on the partially-reversed Race 2 grid on Sunday morning, Azcona made early progress by moving up to ninth before he gained two places in quick succession to hold seventh place after Michelisz ceded position in line with a pre-race agreement between the pair.
 
Seventh became sixth when he overtook his title rival Santiago Urrutia shortly after half distance and was on course to complete the top six when he moved aside on the final lap to let Michelisz back through.
 
Although he was preparing to hand the place back to his team-mate after he was unable to gain further places, Azcona was ultimately forced to ease off slightly after experiencing a vibration in the closing stages of the race.
 
With his starting position for Race 3 unaffected by allowing Michelisz to pass, Azcona could afford to drop his pace knowing there was a sufficient gap to the chasing pack. The change of positions also allowed Michelisz to move joint level on points with Urrutia, 33 behind Azcona prior to the final race of the Hyundai N Festival.
 
Earning his second pole position of the Inje Speedium event based on the points banked in qualifying and Race 1 and Race 2, Azcona led from start to finish during Sunday afternoon’s deciding race, taking his third win of the season and BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse’s fifth triumph after he resisted intense late pressure from rival Thed Björk. Michelisz started and finished third and is now second in the Drivers’ standings, 41 points behind Azcona.
 
Meanwhile, Junesung Park ensured that there was a Hyundai Elantra N TCR finishing on the podium in all three South Korean Kumho FIA TCR World Tour races by placing third in Race 2 for Solite Indigo Racing.
 
Chengdu Tianfu International Circuit is next on the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour schedule, the China venue hosting the sixth event of the season from October 16-18.
 
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoît Nogier said:

We can put this tremendous result at our home event down to three factors. Firstly, the skill of our drivers Mikel and Norbi is unrivalled. Secondly, the hard work during the summer to be fully prepared for this weekend was without fault. Thirdly, the performance of the Hyundai Elantra N TCR remains very strong, and we are thrilled to have achieved such great results. To leave South Korea with two more wins and the lead of the championship is a great achievement and I congratulate and thank everybody who made this possible. But we still have three events left so we must keep pushing.

Driver Notes: #196 Mikel Azcona (ESP), Hyundai Elantra N TCR 

• From his fourth pole of the year, Azcona claimed his second 2026 victory with first place in Race 1 to regain the lead of the Drivers’ standings
• Starting Race 2 in 10th place, Azcona battled through the pack to finish seventh and secure pole for Race 3, which he won following a period behind the safety car for his third win of the season
• Having arrived in South Korea 10 points off the championship pace, Azcona starts his preparations for the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour double-header in China later this month 41 points in front

Azcona said: “Pole to victory in Race 1 was target achieved after an amazing qualifying and lots of hard work by the team. The car was feeling mega, but it was all about a good launch. I prepared very well with my engineers and I have to say I did a brilliant start. From this point it was all about to control the cars behind and save the front tyres because 19 laps is a long race on a track with low grip and very degradation. Race 2 was a positive one starting P10 on the reverse grid. It was not an easy race because the start was a bit chaotic in front. I had the chance to go for some moves, but I decided not to risk, I wanted to save the car and take the points for Race 3. Race 3 was the most challenging one but the most enjoyable one. I had to push from the beginning and that’s what I did. Zero mistakes and I was nailing every lap, and it was a proper sprint race from the beginning to the end. With the second victory of the weekend, I cannot be more happy, and I am super-proud of the team. To have a double victory in South Korea is amazing with all the Hyundai people, all the team. It’s a brilliant feeling for the next races in China.”

Driver Notes: #105 Norbert Michelisz (HUN), Hyundai Elantra N TCR 

• Despite being saddled with 30 kilograms of Compensation Weight compared to the 10 kilograms carried by team-mate Azcona, Michelisz qualified on the front row for Race 1
• However, the additional success ballast would hold the Hungarian back in the closing stages as he slipped from second to third
• After finishing Race 2 in sixth from ninth on the grid, Michelisz took the Race 3 chequered flag in third to claim second in the standings

Michelisz said: “Third in Race 1 was the happiest P3 finishes of my career. I knew before the race carrying this extra weight would make life very difficult for me in the race. Nevertheless, I tried to do my best with a good start to make a small gap with Mikel, but Thed Björk was just following me very closely. Then from the second part of the race I started to struggle with the front grip like I expected, I did my best not to do any mistakes and to keep Thed behind but his pace was so much better and I couldn’t do anything. The car felt good in the beginning, but you cannot overcome physics by carrying 30 kilograms of ballast. Starting P9 and finishing P6 in Race 2 you have to be happy considering the target we had before the race, which was to collect as many points as possible and stay out of trouble. Like in Race 1 feel like we maximised what we had. It was a fantastic start for me in Race 3, I had a slightly better start than Thed and Mikel but the momentum was not enough to go side by side. I was happy with keeping the position, but I tried to do my best to save the left front and not pick up any damage. It was not an easy race as I needed to push, especially on the second part of the race. But I’m very, very happy with the points, very happy for Mikel and very happy for all the team because it was the right way to come back after a tough race weekend here last year.”