’21-year-old driver’ Lee Chan-jun (Xtar Racing) has become the youngest ever champion in the Super 6000 class of the 2023 CJ Logistics Super Race, Korea’s premier motorsport event.
Lee, born in 2002, crossed the finish line in the Super 6000 class final of the eighth round of the Super Race at Everland Speedway in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, on Friday afternoon with a time of 41 minutes, 19.736 seconds to take third place behind Kim Jae-hyun (Nexen-Volgas Motorsports-40 minutes, 58.836 seconds) and Lee Chang-wook (XStar Racing-41 minutes, 03.912 seconds).
Lee, who led the drivers’ standings with 116 points after seven rounds, needed only a third-place finish in the final round to be crowned driver’s champion, regardless of the results of the other drivers.
His third-place finish in the final earned him 16 points in the rankings, giving him a total of 132 points and a three-point lead over his teammate Lee Chang-wook (129 points).
In addition, Lee’s team, XStar Racing (259 points), won the overall Team Championship for the fourth time in its history, ahead of Nexen-Volgas Motorsport (209 points).
Lee, who was crowned ‘Driver’s Champion’ at the age of 21, broke the previous record of the youngest winner in the Super 6000 class (27 years old) set by Jong-Gyeom Kim (AtrasBX Motorsport) when he was crowned champion in 2018.
After qualifying fourth and being allocated the fourth grid spot in the final amidst heavy rain in the morning, Lee put in a steady race, knowing that he only needed a ‘top three’ finish to be crowned champion.
With Kim Jae-hyun and Lee Chang-wook battling for the lead, Lee saw an opportunity in the middle of the field and took the chequered flag after finishing third in the final lap.
After the race, Lee said, “I didn’t expect to be crowned champion this year, but I’d like to thank the team for the good result,” adding, “The record for being the youngest can always be broken. But I don’t think anyone will break this record.”
Lee, who holds the record for the youngest champion, is set to enlist in the army on the 13th.
He originally enlisted on the 6th, but postponed his enlistment by a week for the final round of the Super Race, and will begin his military service as an army driver on the 13th.
“I haven’t thought of a plan yet,” he said, adding, “If the team calls me back after I’m discharged, I’ll race again. If not, I will study,” he laughed.
Meanwhile, in the GT class, Jung Kyung-hoon (BitR&D) was crowned champion for the sixth consecutive year, while in the M class, Kim Min-hyun (V.E.I.T.) took the top spot in the final round to win the overall title.
With the conclusion of this season, the Super Race will kick off the 2024 season with the first round of racing at Everland Speedway on 20 April next year. 먹튀검증