- Hyundai will now allow rival performance cars to join its exclusive N Festival in Australia.
- Entry requires a referral from a Hyundai N owner and a suitable road-legal performance car.
- Only 60 non-Hyundai performance vehicles will be accepted to join the Victoria track event.
Hyundai may still be a relatively fresh face in the performance car scene, yet its N division has managed to carve out an enthusiastic community in a short time. In Australia, gatherings of Hyundai N owners often take the shape of track days and special festivals, giving fans a chance to celebrate their cars together.
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This year, that celebration is stretching beyond Hyundai owners, opening the door to drivers of rival performance models, but only if they meet a few conditions.
The new initiative, called “Nvy Track Sessions,” is aimed at friends or family of Hyundai owners who have been itching to join in. To qualify, they’ll need to show up with a road-registered performance car that fits the bill. In other words, if you’ve been watching the N Festival from the sidelines with envy, this might be your way in.
Inviting the Competition
The announcement was shared on the official Facebook page of Hyundai N Australia, featuring a photo of the Honda Civic Type R. This is one of the competitors of the i30 N, alongside the VW Golf GTI/R and Toyota GR Corolla. Of course, entrance is not limited to hot hatches, meaning you could bring your Mitsubishi Evo, Subaru WRX, Ford Mustang, Nissan Z, or Toyota GR Supra to the party.
The only requirement is to have a personal referral from a current Hyundai N owner that will attend the brand’s headline event. This year, the N Festival will take place on the Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria, between November 21 and 23.
The company will allow the participation of 60 non-Hyundai owners. These will be splitted in three groups of 20 that will enter the track on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday respectively. As with their Hyundai N buddies, they will have access to one-on-one sessions with track instructors and other fun activities.
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Those interested should send a message to the Hyundai N Australia page on Facebook. The application should include a photo of the Hyundai N and the “Nvious mate’s car” together with its make, model, and year.
Divided Opinions
Not everyone is thrilled about the idea of letting in the competition. Many fans question why rival brands should be welcomed into an event dedicated to Hyundai N owners.
“The main reason for me to attend this event is to get some track time and it’s the reason I haven’t attend The Bend , Sydney and Morgan Park as I couldn’t get track time. If this is the case I won’t bother going to Winton either. N Australia poor decision here. If you want other vehicle owners to attend let them have rides in N products,” one user wrote.
Another comment read, “Umm, should really stick with N only for N festival 😌 Don’t ruin this exclusive event…”
However, some like the idea of bringing friends along for the ride.
“Whys everyone getting so salty? It’s not that exclusive… it’s a public track event that anyone can come and watch, imagine being someone looking to buy an N and they see all the N owners getting salty over 1 day after the last 5years… there i30Ns not 992 GT3RS wake up,” another user argued.
A Wider Audience
Either way, the move feels like a smart way for Hyundai to showcase its culture to a broader group of performance enthusiasts who might be curious about making the switch.
Below, you can see photos from previous Hyundai N Festivals and owner meetings in Australia. The majority of attendees drive the i30 N in hatchback, fastback, or sedan (Elantra) guises, but there are also a few examples of the discontinued Kona N and the fully electric Ioniq 5 N. It will be interesting to see which non-Hyundai models will take part in this year’s event.
Photos: Hyundai N Australia / Facebook
