Nexen Tire-shod cars sweep eN1 class podiums at Hyundai N Festival

Nexen Tire is building early momentum in the electric vehicle racing series Hyundai N Festival's eN1 class. After claiming victory in Round 2, the tiremaker also secured a 1-2 finish in Round 1 following an appeal review that finalized the standings in its favor.

Nexen Tire announced Monday that Kim Young-chan of DCT Racing won Race 2 of the Gran Turismo eN1 class Round 2, held Sunday at Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province.

Round 2 was split across the weekend into Race 1 and Race 2. Kim crossed the finish line first in Race 2 on Nexen Tire's racing-spec Enfera SS01 tires.

The eN1 class pits electric vehicles against one another at the limits of their performance. Tire performance is a particularly critical variable, as the class is the world's first electric vehicle race run on slick racing tires. Cars weigh more than 2 metric tons and produce up to 650 horsepower, subjecting the tires to repeated heavy loads and intense friction.

Nexen Tire currently supplies tires to three teams competing in the eN1 class — DCT Racing, MIK Racing and BMP Motorsport. The company is also contesting the tire manufacturer championship with the dry-weather Enfera SS01 and the wet-weather Enfera SW01.

The season opener results from May 9 were also confirmed in Nexen Tire's favor. In Round 1 Race 1, Lee Chang-wook of Kumho SLM originally crossed the finish line first but received a five-second time penalty for a collision during the race. The Korea Automobile Racing Association's appeal committee subsequently rejected a protest, triggering a final adjustment to the standings.

The final standings for Round 1 Race 1 were confirmed with Han Jae-hee of MIK Racing in first place and Kim Young-chan of DCT Racing in second. Both drivers competed on Nexen Tire-equipped vehicles, giving the company a clean sweep of the top two positions at the season opener.

The results align with Nexen Tire's motorsport strategy spanning both electric vehicle and internal combustion engine racing. The Enfera SS01 supplied to the eN1 class is the same model used in the Toyota Gazoo Racing 6000 class of the One Super Race Championship, one of the top domestic motorsport series. Nexen Tire became the first tire manufacturer to win that championship in three consecutive years, achieving the feat last year.

"The results from the very start of the season reaffirm Nexen Tire's racing tire technology," a company official said. "We will continue to supply products that deliver optimal driving performance in any conditions, whether for electric vehicles or internal combustion engine cars."