Kumho Tire swept the entire podium at South Korea's top motorsport event, with its sponsored teams dominating a rain-soaked night race to demonstrate the performance of its racing tires.
Kumho Tire announced Monday that its sponsored Kumho SL Motorsport team and Junpitted Racing team claimed all three podium positions in Round 4 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing 6000 Class at the 2026 O-NE Super Race Championship, held Saturday at Inje Speedium in Gangwon Province.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing 6000 Class is the top-tier category of the O-NE Super Race Championship. It is the country's premier racing class for high-powered stock cars, where tire grip, durability and driver control are considered the decisive factors.
Lee Chang-wook of the Kumho SL Motorsport team took the victory in Round 4, with Hwang Jin-woo of the Junpitted Racing team finishing second and Lee Jeong-woo of the Kumho SL Motorsport team third, giving Kumho Tire's sponsored teams a clean sweep of the podium.
Lee secured pole position in qualifying and crossed the finish line first in the race, completing a pole-to-win. It was his fourth consecutive pole-to-win since the season opener. He led from start to finish even in the season's first night race.
Lee also set the fastest lap time in Round 4, as he had in Rounds 1 through 3, claiming the fastest lap title for the fourth time running. Hwang, meanwhile, recorded his best personal result of the season with his second-place finish.
Tire performance played a significant role in the outcome. The race was run on a track soaked by heavy rain, and Kumho-equipped cars used the Ecsta W701 wet tire. They swept positions one through four in qualifying and took all six top spots in the final.
Wet-track racing demands drainage performance, grip and high-speed cornering stability all at once. Night races add further variables — reduced visibility and lower track temperatures — making vehicle setup and tire selection even more critical. Kumho Tire said the result confirmed the performance of its racing tires under extreme conditions.
A broader trend has been taking hold in the tire industry: motorsport is increasingly used not merely as a sponsorship platform but as a proving ground for high-performance product development and brand technology. Data gathered in races also feeds into the development of ultra-high-performance and mass-production tires.
"It was the season's first night race and the heavy rain made conditions far from easy, but Kumho Tire's outstanding grip and stable performance gave me the confidence to push hard all the way to the end," Lee said after his fourth consecutive pole-to-win. "I'm grateful to the team and Kumho Tire for their support in achieving four straight pole-to-wins, and I'll keep delivering strong performances for the rest of the season to live up to our fans' expectations."
Meanwhile, Kumho Tire is reinforcing its image as a performance tire brand through motorsport activities at home and abroad, expanding its role as official tire supplier at events including the KUMHO FIA TCR World Tour to showcase its high-performance tire technology.
kwater@heraldcorp.com
