CHASING DYNAMIC DIVINITY AT THE GREEN HELL
Hyundai established its Nurburgring test centre in 2014, and while Biermann loves the place, he reckons the Green Hell is as integral to vehicle development as a hoist or a tool chest.
“I’m at the Nurburgring four or five times a year; when there are important tuning sessions, I’m there, either driving or sitting alongside the engineers,” he says. “Right now we have 15 European engineers based in Russelsheim at the tech centre. But we also have Korean engineers working with them. We qualified four of our young engineers from Namyang for the Nordschleife permit; two raced in the Nurburgring 24-Hours. It’s important we develop the skills of the Korean guys up to that of the more experienced Euro guys.
“All the N Cars will be tuned at the ’Ring. This is where you make a high-performance car. You can try elsewhere; many companies do. In the end, you come back to the Nurburgring,” he shrugs.