WITH the generous support of Hyundai Motor Company of Australia, Let's Drive It got back on track at the Queensland Hillclimb Championship, competing in the latest version of the i30N sedan.
Powered by the familiar 2-litre turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine, delivering 206kW and 392Nm, the i30N Premium sedan featured the optional 6-speed manual transmission, sunroof, dual zone climate control and leather-appointed sports seats.
Importantly for a weekend of high-speed race track action at the Mt Cotton hillclimb circuit, the i30N sits on revised 19" rims allowing plenty of airflow to the four-wheel ventilated disc brakes, shod in Michelin Pilot 4S tyres.
When weather reports suggested a weekend of initially rain, clearing to showers, the Let's Drive It team of Gary Worrall and multiple Queensland Short Circuit Touring Car Champion Cec Morgan were looking forward to deploying the auto windscreen wipers, heated front seats and auto demister to keep them warm and dry.
More importantly, the prospect of a wet track slowing down other competitors was welcomed by the opportunity to demonstrate the i30N's driver-adjustable, electronically-controlled, suspension, along with the car's track-tuned stability control and ABS brakes.
While the promised rain stayed away, Worrall and Morgan were able to trim their times thanks to the suite of dynamic driving aids, coupled with Cec Morgan's driver coaching, with both drivers recording a series of Personal Best times throughout the weekend, reducing their elapsed times on every run.
The ABS brakes, which automatically trigger the hazard lights when deployed, kept the spectators enthralled as the huge discs repeatedly pulled the Performance Blue sedan up flawlessly through the hairpin bends of the 'double tulip' shaped track.
While the straights were too short to fully exploit the i30N's top-end speed, the engine's tractability was demonstrated on each run, acclerating the car to 120km/h in just over 100 metres, before the next major brake application took the agile sedan back to just 30km/h through the 150 degree corners.
Sitting in the line-up waiting for their next track appearance, with the power windows down and the Bose premium audio system, pumping, surrounding pit crews were kept entertained between runs.
On a damp and slippery track, the i30N felt composed the whole time, with superb balance, allowing Worrall and Morgan to exploit the full power, driving the car right to the redline each time they faced the start lights.
The Mt Cotton circuit is renowned for being a challenge to drivers, with numerous bumps and dips in the road surface, as well as the ever-present granite walls on the outside of the two main loops, and straight drops on the inside of the corners.
With the suspension set to full soft, giving more grip from the road tyres, the i30N was able to deal with the bumps, and was recording more than 120km/h on the 150 metre straights down into the challenging hairpin.
This was one area where the i30N excelled, with both drivers able to use the ABS brakes to drive the car into the hairpins, while the softer suspension settings allowed the drivers to rotate the car through the apex before launching back up the hill.
The effectiveness of the Hyundai ABS system was proven when driver Gary Worrall missed a brake marker, but was still able to not only slow the car and avoid the pit of macadamia nut shells at the appropriately named 'Nut Corner', but despite putting three wheels onto the grass, the i30N still turned into the corner and continued on, losing just three seconds from the prevous lap time.
The taut chassis meant getting the power to the road without suffering wheelspin, as the suspension rolled the wheels over the bumps on the corner exit with no loss of traction, where more stiffly sprung cars were 'jumping' over the undulations.
That is not to say there was no wheelspin, it took both drivers a number of practice runs to find the best launch, and easing the car off the line with just over 2,000rpm on the tacho allowed the i30N to deliver the power progressively in the short straight before a tightening right hander that launched the car up the hill proper.
The gearshift is short, sharp and accurate, so short in fact, a couple of upshifts were missed because both drivers were expecting a longer, less focused, shift, allowing for minimal loss of forward momentum when pushing for a new fastest lap.
Having previously competed in an i30N DriveN with the lightning fast paddleshift Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), the manual is marginally slower to change, but still delivers a superb driving experience, and after just a few runs both drivers reported being completely comfortable with the driveline.
While the team did not come away with a Queensland title to their credit, many competitors and spectators were astounded at the 'off the shelf' speed of the i30N, especially once it was explained the car was only collected from Hyundai the day before the event.
This gave enough time for the compulsory fire extinguisher to be fitted, along with the standard front and rear tow hooks and safety stickers, while the decision was made to reduce tyre pressures to 26psi, to compensate for the cool and slippery track conditions.
In every other respect, the car was exactly as if it was delivered from a Hyundai showroom, and underlining this point, by Monday lunchtime the car was back in Hyundai's care, ready to be loaned out to the next journalist.
Every other car in the event had undergone varying levels of competition preparation, most noticeably suspension modifications and the removal of interiors for lighter weight and better on-track performance.
With a full suite of creature comforts, the i30N could be driven to and from the track with no need for modification plates, or loss of amenity, and could be loaded with esky, table, chairs, kit bags and other necessities for a weekend at the track, making use of the voluminous boot on sedan.
So, and this is something of an easy question!, would I have one?
Absolutely!
I would probably, especially for regular competitive driving, choose the DCT for faster shifts on track, but the six-speed manual was just as easy to use on the road, even when sitting in peak hour traffic driving to and from Hyundai's office.
I also struggled a little with the sunroof support bracket reducing the headroom - not a problem when driving on the road, but even with the power-adjustable driver's seat in the lowest position, when on track and wearing a helmet I was polishing the top of my helmet on the roof lining.
But, for the amount of fun we were having, I certainly won't complain, and if a model with a sunroof was all that was available, it would be travelling home with me every day of the week!
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