Nexen Tire Driver and Team Claim Titles in Hyundai N Festival eN1 Class

Kim Youngchan leads the overall standings on points

N'FERA racing slicks prove their performance

Targeting the market with electrification technology

Nexen Tire demonstrated its electrification tire technology by leading its sponsored driver and team to overall championship titles at a high-performance electric vehicle racing competition.

2026 Hyundai N Festival eN1 Class Round 5 Awards Ceremony. Nexen Tire

Nexen Tire said on November 2 that Kim Youngchan of DCT Racing, competing on its tires, won the season-long Drivers' Championship, while DCT Racing won the Racing Team Championship in the Gran Turismo eN1 Class of the 2026 Hyundai N Festival, where Nexen Tire serves as the official tire supplier.

Kim Youngchan finished the season finale, held on October 31 and November 1 at Everland Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, with 267 points to take first place in the drivers' standings. DCT Racing finished first in the racing team standings with 300 points.

Drivers using Nexen Tire tires also performed strongly at the finale. In Round 5, Kim Gyumin of DCT Racing took pole position after topping qualifying and went on to win the race. Oh Hansol of MIK Racing and Kim Youngchan finished second and third, respectively, giving Nexen Tire a triple podium. In Round 6, held amid heavy rain, Kim Youngchan won the race to secure the season championship.

The eN1 Class is an electric vehicle racing series featuring IONIQ 5 N Cup Cars. It launched in 2024 with racing-specific slick tires. The high-performance electric race cars, which produce up to 650 horsepower, repeatedly subject their tires to heavy loads and friction due to their high torque and vehicle weight.

This season, Nexen Tire supplied its partner teams, including DCT Racing, MIK Racing, and BMP Performance, with N'FERA SS01 racing slick tires for dry conditions and N'FERA SW01 tires for wet conditions. These are the same products it supplies to internal combustion engine racing series, demonstrating Nexen Tire's "One-Tire" strategy of delivering consistent high performance in both internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles.

This achievement demonstrates the competitiveness of Nexen Tire's EV ROOT technology system for addressing electrification needs under the extreme conditions of racing. EV ROOT encompasses the company's technological approach to meeting the complex requirements of electric vehicles, including their high weight, instant torque, quietness, driving stability, and efficiency. The company applies data accumulated through motorsports to the development of high-performance tires.

This technological expertise is also reflected in its original equipment (OE) tire supply. Nexen Tire supplies OE tires for various models from global brands, including Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi. It also supplies tires for Hyundai Motor's IONIQ 6, Kia's electric vehicle lineup from the EV3 through the EV9, and global electric vehicle manufacturer BYD.

A Nexen Tire representative said, "Winning the Drivers' Championship and Racing Team Championship alongside a triple podium finish demonstrates our technological capabilities, represented by EV ROOT. Building on technology validated under extreme racing conditions, we will further strengthen our product competitiveness in the high-performance electric vehicle market."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.