Superrace Championship

Superrace Championship[1] is a motorsports competition in Korea hosted and organized by the Superrace Co., Ltd. It is a championship series recognized by the Korea Automobile Racing Association (KARA) that hosts races throughout the year. The race will take place on major circuits in Korea (Korea International Circuit, Everland Speedway, and Inje Speedium), as well as in neighboring countries such as Japan and China. The Super 6000 class, the Superrace Championship's top-tier series, is Asia's only stock car race that has been recognized by the International Automobile Federation (FIA). It features a number of race sequences, including the Super 6000 class and GT (Grand Touring) class.

Outside of South Korea, series battles are frequently held in Japan and China. The history of the event in Japan is as follows.

• Autopolis – 2010,[2] 2014[3]
• Suzuka Circuit – 2013[4]
• Fuji Speedway – 2015[5]、2016[6]

The Superrace Championship[7] first took place in 2007. The predecessor was the Korea GT Championship (KGTC), which began in 2006 and has continued to the present in 2021 after the changing the name to the Superrace Championship in 2007. The competition's official name has been changing depending on the title sponsor, and so far, CJ O Shopping, TVing, and CJ Hello Vision have all joined as sponsors. From 2016 to the present, CJ Logistics has always been a title sponsor and the event is known as the 'CJ Logistics Superrace Championship.' It had the 100th Superrace Championship in the first round of the 2020 season which recorded a total of 107 matches by 2020.

The race for the top class, the Super 6000, started from the third round with the introduction of the stock car in 2008. At the beginning, 5 teams and 8 drivers participated but the race has constantly expanded to a competition with more than 20 drivers. Unlike mass-produced regular automobiles, stock cars are designed specifically for races. Depending on the cowl, the vehicle's design can look similar but its mechanical characteristics are totally different. It is known as the top-level race in Korea as only the racers with International C or higher license can participate. The cowl of Super 6000 has been using Toyota GR Supra since 2020 after going through Spira (2008), Cadillac CTS (2009), Hyundai Genesis (2012), Cadillac ATS-V (2016). There have been 96 races by the 2020 season, and the 100th race will be held in the 4th round of the 2021 season.

The Superrace Championship was the first to hold a night race in 2012. Aside from the various night races, it was the first to adopt the idea of ‘Motortainment,' which mixes motorsport and entertainment. It is credited with helping to popularize motorsport by trying to relay broadcasting via terrestrial TV.

From 2013, Asian tours have been conducted in Korea as well as in Japan and China. They began to have successful interactions by promoting Korean races to neighboring countries. The effort led to Korea-China Motor Sports Festival (2014), the Korea-China-Japan Motor Sports Festival (2015), the Korea-China-Japan Motor Sports Carnival (2016), the Asian Motor Sports Carnival launched in 2017, and the Gangwon World Motor Festival started in 2018. It has been developed and is still being continued to this day.

The Superrace Championship reopened in 2016, when Everland Speedway reconstruction was completed after an eight-year hiatus, and it has significantly increased the popularity of domestic motor sports. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) accepted the Super 6000 class as an international series in 2016, and modifications were made, such as changing the cowl to the Cadillac ATS-V. As CJ Logistics participated as the competition's title sponsor, and CJ Racing, a prestigious team, were divided into CJ Logistics, CheilJedang, and E&M. The overall race was enhanced for both quantity and quality.

As the reopening of circuits in the Seoul metropolitan area combined with various changes, the number of visitors steadily increased. More than 20,000 audiences gathered at Everland Speedway for the 2018 season opening which showed a different atmosphere than before. More than 40,000 people visited the same location at the final show in 2019, breaking the record for the most visits ever. In 2019, the average number of on-site visitors to the Superrace Championship was 22,000, for a total of about 180,000 visitors. Despite the fact that there is a gap in the overall number of games played in the season, the Superrace Championship has the largest number of games played among professional sports in Korea that year.

In 2020 due to COVID-19, which pushed the world into chaos, the race couldn’t open as planned. The first game, which was supposed to take place in April, was postponed twice and finally took place in June. The season was cut from 8 games (9 rounds) to 5 games (8 rounds), with the final game played in late November, one month later than in the previous years. It was recorded as the latest race in history. Although all 2020 season matches were played behind closed doors, there were no COVID-19 cases on the tournament field.

The Superrace Championship has a unique concept for each round to add to the audience’s fun of watching.

1. Night Race The Superrace Championship Night Race was first introduced in 2012. It was the very race to be held at night, which attracted a lot of attention. Eui-soo Kim won the first Night Race which was held on the Taebaek racing park in the city of Taebaek, Gangwon Province. The Night Race, held once every season, was held in Taebaek until 2014. It changed location to the Inje Speedium in Inje, Gangwon in 2015 and is being held there ever since. With the DJ’s music and spectacular lighting in Inje Speedium, the Night Race takes place in a club-like atmosphere. The event did not take place in 2020 due to COVID-19.
2. Asian Motorsports Carnival The Asian Motorsports Carnival began in 2017 and is held in the Korean International Circuit (KIC) in Youngam, Jeollanam-do. It is an event that has attracted a lot of attention every year by inviting various overseas race series based in Asia, as a support race to the Superrace Championship to showcase new races which are difficult to see in Korea. So far, various races including the ‘Audi R8 LMS Cup,’ ‘Touring Car Series in Asia (TCSA),’ ‘Super Formula Junior,’ Asia Drifting Cup,’ ‘BlancPain GT World Challenge Asia,’ ‘Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia’ have been held through the Asian Motorsports Carnival. Due to travel restrictions between nations arising from COVID -19, the races were unable to be held in 2020.
3. Gangwon International Motor Festa This is an event held in Inje Speedium since 2018, featuring not only races but also a variety of motorsports genres spanning drifts, gymkhanas, echo rallies, etc. On top of the motorsports competition, a concert hosting famous singers have also been held to house an event that the audience, crew and even the locals could enjoy together. In 2019, this concert was broadcast on the general programming channel ‘Channel A,’ which normally broadcasts the Superrace Championship in real time. The very use of ‘Festa’ in its title reveals that this is an event that aims to become a genuine festival, promoting the countless attractions of motorsports.

The 2021 CJ Logistics Superrace Championship hosts a total of 5 classes – Super 6000, KUMHO GT, M Class, Cadillac CT4 and the Radical Cup Korea.

1. Super 6000 The Super 6000 Class is the top tier class of the Superrace Championship, with the very best drivers both domestic and international, participating ever since it began in 2008. Stock cars are designed solely for racing, with only the necessary devices and driver safety equipment inside and nothing else. Every stock car participating in the race is equipped with the identical 6,200cc V8 engine from General Motors with 460 horsepower. The appearance of stock cars differs depending on the body sponsor company. Since 2020, a design based on the Toyota GR Supra has been adopted. The minimum weight of the car is 1,270 kg and although it is possible for the car to get heavier due to the handicap regulations, it is prohibited from becoming any lighter. Every participant car is able to choose a tire manufacturer of their liking. However, a very prudent strategy is warranted because only a limited number of tires are to be used all the way from the warm up, practice run, qualifying matches to the finals. In each round, Championship Points are granted according to the finishing ranks. The driver or team with the highest sum of Championship points becomes the season’s champion.
2. KUMHO GT The participants of the KUMHO GT class are cars based on production vehicles, tuned within the set regulations for racing purposes. Based on the 2021 revision of the race regulations, only vehicles which have gone through a comprehensive approval process involving engine type, capacity and other factors approved by the standing organization committee may participate. According to these criteria, the race is further divided into the GT1 and GT2 classes. The GT racing class is particularly interesting due to the numerous variables which are present; the change in vehicle performance from the tuning, the individual capability of the drivers, and especially the simultaneous track usage of the GT1 and GT2 races make it a something you can’t take your eyes off.
3. M Class The M Class was newly established as one of the official classes of the Superrace Championship in 2018. It is a one-make racing series featuring the M4(F82) Coupe model, BMW’s high-performance sports car lineup. BMW’s M4 Coupe can reach up to 450 horsepower with its straight 6, 3.0L twin power turbo engines. A M4 Coupe one-make racing series was held for the first time in the world at the Superrace Championship, and to this date is the only one of its kind. As there is minimal tuning done to the vehicle other than for driver safety measures, the racing class showcases the true performance and potential of the M4 Coupe model for the audience. The race is a semi-pro class, in which drivers with the Korean Automobile Racing Association (KARA) Level B license are allowed to participate.
4. Cadillac CT4 Class The Cadillac CT4 Class is a newly introduced racing class in the 2021 season. It is a one-make racing series featuring the 2020 Cadillac sports sedan CT4 model. Participation is allowed with minimum R-tuning, and the race is to be carried out in a time-trial manner. KARA Level C License ownership is required for participation. The Cadillac CT4 has a 2,000 cc straight 4 engine with approximately 240 horsepower.
5. Radical Cup Korea The Radical Race Series was first held in England, the birthplace of motorsports. The series has spread worldwide and is being held in North America, the Middle East and Australia among others. The Radical Race vehicles resemble the Formula cars in that the driver is exposed to the outside, but the wheels are covered by the vehicle’s body, which tells them apart. The Radical Cup Korea in the Superrace Championship is further divided into the SR1 and SR3 classes depending on the vehicle models. The SR1 has a 1,340 cc four-cylinder engine with up to 182 horsepower. Because the vehicle weighs only 490 kilograms, it does 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds with a maximum velocity of 222 kilometers per hour. The SR3 may choose either a 1,340 cc or 1,500 cc engine. The maximum horsepower for the two models is 195 and 226, respectively. The vehicle weighs 615 kilograms. Performance-wise the vehicles are as competent as a supercar, and with a powerful downforce and aerodynamic design increasing grip and reducing drag, they boast a robust and rapid movement.

The races consist largely of practice runs, qualifiers and finals.

The Superrace Championship Super 6000 Class Final match will be broadcast live on Channel A, Channel A Plus and XtvN, while the KUMHO GT1 and 2 Finals will be broadcast live on Channel A Plus. All 5 classes can be viewed on Superrace's official website, YouTube, Facebook, Kakao TV and Naver TV.

A new point system will be introduced in 2021 to recognize drivers who achieve fast lap times. CJ Logistics, the Superrace’s title sponsor from 2016 to 2021, owns the right to award. Points are awarded to the driver who placed first to third in the Super 6000 Class Finals record from each round, and the scores of all eight rounds are accumulated and awarded once a year (at the Final Round).

• Official website