Kumho Tire finishes second in debut at Nürburgring NLS SP10 class

Kumho Tire announced Wednesday that the Kumho SL Motorsport team it sponsors finished second in the SP10 class at Round 10 of the 2026 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) in Germany.

The team competed Oct. 10 (local time) at the Nürburgring alongside local partner team AV Racing by Black Falcon, fielding a BMW M4 GT4 EVO.

Drivers Lee Chang-wook and Lee Jeong-woo completed 25 laps over four hours, covering 608.95 kilometers with a total time of 4 hours, 1 minute and 34.420 seconds to finish second among 10 entries in the SP10 class. They crossed the line 6.449 seconds behind the race winner.

The pair led their class for about two and a half hours from early in the race. Their best lap of 8 minutes and 38.337 seconds was 1.652 seconds faster than the winning car's best lap of 8 minutes and 39.989 seconds. Kumho Tire noted the significance of the team reaching the podium in its first-ever appearance in the NLS SP10 (GT4) class.

The NLS is a premier European endurance racing series held on a 24.358-kilometer circuit that includes the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The series places a premium on high-speed performance as well as durability and sustained performance over extended running. Several global tire brands also competed in the event.

Kumho Tire supplied its Ecsta S700, designed for grip and handling at high speeds, and the Ecsta W701, which offers wet-weather stability and braking performance.

"It was no easy challenge making our first NLS SP10 class appearance in a GT4 car, but we confirmed our competitiveness by maintaining a front-running pace from the start," Lee Chang-wook said. "The consistent performance of Kumho's racing tires over the long race, combined with the team's and drivers' polished execution, led to this strong result."

Kim Young-jin, executive vice president and head of Kumho Tire's research and development division, said the podium finish in the team's SP10 class debut was a meaningful achievement. "We will continue to actively apply the technology and data accumulated through motorsport to our research and development efforts, further strengthening our technological competitiveness in the global market," he said.

Meanwhile, the Kumho SL Motorsport team also finished third in the VT2 RWD class at NLS Round 2 in March, competing with a BMW 330i. Kumho Tire said it plans to build on the technical expertise gained through motorsport to improve its racing tire performance and reinforce its standing as a performance brand.