21-year-old racer Lee Chan-jun wins 2023 Super Race Championship

Racing driver Lee Chan-jun, 21, became the youngest-ever season champion in the Super 6000 category in the 2023 Super Race Championship, which ended on Nov 5. The previous age record was made by Kim Jong-gyeom in 2019, who won the season championship at the age of 27.

The Super Race Championship, Korea's largest motorsports league, is mainly divided into Super 6000(top class) and GT (Grand Touring) class (lower level). Generally, drivers spend training in the GT class and five more years in the Super 6000 to become top-class. This is why many say it will be difficult to break Lee’s record.

Your reporter met with Lee at his team camp in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. “It’s been a long-standing dream to win the season title, and I’m thrilled to be the youngest player,” Lee said. “I’ve won in many competitions, but winning the season title is particularly special because your performance should be consistently strong throughout the season.”

When he was six, Lee became acquainted with car racing in 2008. He went with his father, a car enthusiast, to ride a racing cart and fell in love with driving. In 2009, he entered the junior division of the Korea Kart Championship for the first time and won first place. Participants aged seven or higher can enter the competition. Lee won the title throughout 2018 except for 2013. In 2019, he studied abroad in Japan and attended the Super Formula Junior (S-FJ) competition.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com