Springtime for Korean Car Racing Is Finally Here

200,000 people flocked to Sepang International Circuit on April 8 near the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to see a Formula 1 race. On the same day in Korea, another crowd gathered at the “Speedway,” a racing track in Everland, Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Even though the speed of racing cars was only around 200 km/h, which is slower than F1 racing cars(400 km/h) and GT cars, approximately 20,000 racing buffs were excited to see the sleek racing cars screaming round the tracks.

Car racing is getting more popular every year in Korea. Around 1,000 people have gained a license to race, and races (one pro series and three amateur series) will be held in 28 out of a total of 52 weeks this year.

This is a sea change; the number of spectators at all races five years ago was only about 10,000; that number increased seven-fold last year. That number again is expected to be up around 140,000 this year. When combined with the number of spectators attending amateur racing games, it is estimated to go up even higher than 180,000.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the introduction of car racing to Korea. Lifting a variety of related regulations will enable people to enjoy more white-knuckle racing excitement this year. The only professional racing competition, the “CJ Super Race Championship Series” kicked off on April 8 in Everland. This year, a change in rules has allowed non-Korean drivers to participate in the match. None has signed up so far, but KGTCR, the championship’s organizer, strongly believes that will happen this year.

Due to some changes in rules, some of the more affluent professional teams will be banned from making alterations to accelerate the speed of their cars, which will make the driving skills of individual drivers count even more. Since last year, only one, instead of two drivers, is allowed to be behind the wheel all throughout the race. The final will also be changed from 70 laps to two rounds of 20 and 30 laps each day, giving people a chance to enjoy the race more. In the final race on April 8 the drivers who did not do so well in the first round tried to catch up in the second and third rounds, making the race more thrilling.

jeon@donga.com