Nexen Tire sweeps driver and team titles in Hyundai N Festival eN1 class

Nexen Tire announced Monday that Kim Young-chan of DCT Racing has claimed the overall driver champion title and DCT Racing has taken the team champion crown in the Gran Turismo eN1 class of the 2026 Hyundai N Festival, a racing series in which Nexen Tire serves as the official tire manufacturer.

Kim wrapped up the season finale — Rounds 5 and 6 — held Saturday and Sunday at Everland Speedway in Yongin, finishing atop the driver standings with 267 cumulative points. DCT Racing secured first place in the team standings with 300 points.

Nexen Tire-equipped drivers also dominated the finale. In Round 5, Kim Gyu-min of DCT Racing took pole position after qualifying first, then went on to win the race. Oh Han-sol of MIK Racing and Kim Young-chan finished second and third, respectively, giving Nexen Tire a clean sweep of the podium.

The eN1 class is an electric vehicle race run with Ioniq 5 N cup cars and was launched in 2024 as the world's first racing series to use slick tires designed exclusively for electric race cars. With high-performance machines producing up to 650 horsepower, the combination of strong torque and high vehicle weight subjects tires to repeated heavy loads and intense friction.

Throughout this season, Nexen Tire supplied partner teams — DCT Racing, MIK Racing and BMP Performance — with the Nfera SS01, a dry-condition racing slick, and the Nfera SW01, a wet-condition racing tire.

Nexen Tire supplies original-equipment tires for a range of models from global premium brands including Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi, as well as for Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 6, Kia's EV3 through EV9 electric vehicle lineup, and global electric vehicle manufacturer BYD.

"Sweeping the driver and team champion titles alongside a triple podium is a testament to our technology, represented by our EV route," a Nexen Tire official said. "We will continue to strengthen our product competitiveness in the high-performance electric vehicle market, backed by technology proven in the most demanding racing conditions."

Meanwhile, Nexen Tire's brand characters "Ssaeny and Mobicrew" recently won the grand prize in the new wave and rising category of the industrial sector at the 2nd Korea Character Awards 2026.