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RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe starts Formula D season with Nissan power
by Sam Abuelsamid on Apr 15th 2009 at 7:57PM
RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe - Click above for a high-res image gallery
When Rhys Millen debuted the new Hyundai Genesis Coupe at the season"s first Formula Drift event at Long Beach, not all was what it seemed. When the factory-supported drift program was announced in February at the Chicago Auto Show, it was still in its formative stages. The original press release noted that the car would be powered by a stroked and turbocharged 4.1-liter version of Hyundai"s Lambda V6 cranking out 550 hp. However, Hyundai didn"t give final approval for the drift program with Millen"s team until mid-January, at which point work began in earnest.
The car shown in Chicago and later at the press introductions for the Genesis Coupe was a stock car with modified bodywork to show what the race car would look like. As it turns out, the three month span between program approval and the Long Beach event wasn"t enough time to get a brand new car and powertrain ready. A reader sent us a tip letting us know that the car that ran in California did not, in fact, have a Hyundai engine installed. Read on to find out what happened.
Gallery: Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis Coupe
Gallery: Chicago 2009: RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe racer
Photos copyright ©2009 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc
As the opening event in Long Beach approached, Millen and his team came to the realization that the new engine wouldn"t be ready in time. This is where the Formula D rules came in handy.
Unlike NASCAR, where every car is virtually identical, the rules governing drivetrain modifications in Formula D are far more lax. That"s why you"ll see such oddities as a Lexus IS running a Chevy small-block or a Scion tC with a NASCAR engine under the hood. Drifters mix and match all manner of hardware, although most of the teams are independent and don"t have manufacturer backing. That"s where Millen and his association with Hyundai is different.
It"s not unheard of for race teams or manufacturers having difficulty with performance or the timing of their programs to go elsewhere for help. Perhaps the most recent example was in 2004-05 when Chevrolet, which had been struggling with the performance of its in-house developed IRL engine, decided to scrap it and go with a re-badged Cosworth engine. Cosworth, of course, had long been associated with arch-rival Ford.
Which brings us back to the present. After we got the anonymous tip about the non-Lambda engine, we contacted Hyundai who put us in touch with Millen. Millen told us that when it became obvious to the RMR crew that the new Lambda V6 wouldn"t be ready in time, they opted for Plan B. Instead of delaying the launch of the car, the decision was made to proceed with a different engine until the Lambda was ready. The closest thing they could find in terms of size was a Nissan VQ35.
According to Millen, he made the decision not to inform Hyundai of the change and he takes full responsibility. Millen said that the crew is working full speed to get the Lambda engine ready and expects to have it in the car within the next two to three events. That means it should be racing by either the New Jersey event on June 6 or the Las Vegas round on July 10.
We also talked to Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor about the situation. Trainor told Autoblog that Hyundai is happy to be working with Millen"s team and given the short time frame and limited budget for the program, the decision to launch the car with the Nissan engine was totally understandable. Trainor took some of the responsibility for the delay, as a result of pulling Millen away from his race shop to participate in launch events for the road car.
In spite of not being informed by Millen about the engine change, it doesn"t appear that Hyundai is too upset about the situation. "We look forward to Rhys getting the Hyundai powerplant in the car, Trainor told us, "we"re excited to be running the full drift season, and we"re happy we"ve got one of the top drivers campaigning the new Genesis Coupe."
Tags: rhys millen, rhys millen genesis coupe, rhys millen racing, rhys millen racing hyundai genesis coupe, RhysMillen, RhysMillenGenesisCoupe, RhysMillenRacing, RhysMillenRacingHyundaiGenesisCoupe
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document.getElementById("spherePoweredBy").innerHTML=brand;Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1Aloysius Vampa 8:03PM (4/15/2009)
At least they explained everything. Or mostly everything.
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2freddyb 10:47AM (4/16/2009)
I suppose I don"t need to tell you what they"ll find when they take a closer look at the suspension setup either...
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3Tourian 11:09AM (4/17/2009)
I think they already said they used coilovers designed for a 240SX but modified to work in the Hyundai. It doesn"t mean the rest of the suspension and its hardpoints are Nissan.
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4Aprime 8:11PM (4/15/2009)
HELL YEAH HYUNSSAN
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5Joker 8:23PM (4/15/2009)
Well after 14 years on the "best engines" list, who better than the VQ?
****waits for all the fan boys to come in and start crap with the nissan guys***
But on a side note, if this is NOW a knock off G. Lol
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6Judgeman 8:27PM (4/15/2009)
What in gods name is this sites obsession with drifting? Maybe I"m getting old but drifting is more of an exhibition than racing.
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7larry a 11:47PM (4/15/2009)
You"re right it is an exhibition. They"re judged on line, angle, speed, and excitement. Nothing to do with whose in front of who. Well if its a tandem and the car behind passes the lead car he will most likely win. But I"m with you, I prefer watching racing but I am always down to go to a drift event.. It really is exciting to watch its probably the next big thing...
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8Sopherion 2:21AM (4/16/2009)
It"s drifting season?
Kinda like when the sports page starts talking about football during football season.
Also, drifting is a new, up-and-coming sport, series of exhibitions, or whatever.
It"s exponential growth in popularity is undeniable. And when something"s popular, it"s going to be talked about into oblivion and then some.
Besides, aren"t the pictures sick? :P
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9Kiiks 11:23AM (4/16/2009)
A sports based solely on powerslides and opposite lock. What"s not to like?
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10nismo334 8:38PM (4/15/2009)
As a Nissan Fanatic I can say whole heartedly this makes me very very happy. Good day for me. I actually don"t hate Hyundai and I think they are making HUGE strides to be as good as or better than the Japanese, not there yet, but I really want them to succeed. Either way I"m sticking with my Nissan loving though.
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11jason seto 8:42PM (4/15/2009)
inside line just reported that the powerplant is the hyundai lambda:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=146026?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*#20
↓↑report12Aloysius Vampa 9:07PM (4/15/2009)
So did Autoblog.
The linked article was posted yesterday, actually.
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13USCTrojan4JC 11:34PM (4/15/2009)
Inside Line"s article has been updated.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=146026?flushCache=true
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14MGH 9:02PM (4/15/2009)
Whats so great about drifting, and why does everything read like an advertisement for the hyundai genesis?
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15Kaveh 9:13PM (4/15/2009)
Never go wrong with Nissan power
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16jcar302 9:44PM (4/15/2009)
Hmm, after they run all the drifting commercials for the road going genesis, they can"t even get their own car ready in 3 months.
And by the description AB mentions of the drifting rules, one would assume that their engine would get approved eventually. So the engine should of been ready.
So basically they couldn"t handle a drivetrain swap in 3 months.
That"s got to be, BS.
Kids with hand tools could accomplish an engine swap in 3 months.
I bet the hyundai engine just doesn"t perform.
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17Justin 10:08PM (4/15/2009)
It"s a brand new engine and they have to do R&D for every single part as they go. The Challenger isn"t ready for competition either, and they"ve had the go-ahead from Mopar the entire time. 3 months isn"t a whole lot of time to completely build a brand new motor while creating every part from scratch. It makes sense to use the VQ, it"s a great engine and the parts are readily available. I can"t wait to see how the lambda performs once Rhys is done with it. And for the record, there are tuners in Korea already knocking at the 400whp mark, NA.
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18Willem B 10:17PM (4/15/2009)
@ jcar302:
There"s a big difference between an engine swap and creating a new engine from scratch.
Besides, plan B (VQ Series) would"ve been a lot more work as an "engine swap" then replacing the stock Hyundai engine with the modified engine would"ve been, and they managed to get that done in time.
↓↑report19jcar302 10:19PM (4/15/2009)
Justin, you act like they have only had 3 months to work on the engine.
My point was that they have had the go ahead for 3 months to put the engine physcially in the car.
If they were"nt preparing the engine long before that, they aren"t the sharpest tools in the shed.
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