Pushing the limits with Hyundai N
6 minute read
For over a decade, Hyundai N has established itself on the racetracks worldwide, gaining a large, global fanbase of passionate enthusiasts. Its performance record is equally remarkable, with numerous racing circuit victories, new automotive benchmarks, and international awards. For one dedicated N driver, these accomplishments have helped pave the way to new heights.
N goes EV
Saying 'high-performance' means staying at the very front of automotive innovation with a passion for excellence, engineering, design, and the latest mobility trends. Since its inception, Hyundai N has continually pushed boundaries, entering top-tier motorsport arenas such as WRC and TCR—long dominated by competitors.
The Hyundai N team is always looking to what's around the corner, which is why it is once again turning heads with a lineup of high-performance EVs that combine outstanding driving capabilities with genuine driving pleasure. This bold trajectory continues to draw high-performance car fans from around the world—one of them being Sungu Cho.
Cho's electric journey
Since childhood, Cho has had a deep passion for cars, even dreaming of becoming a professional racer. His love of motorsports even inspired him to compete as a drift racer in both Korea and Japan.
Another passion that has accompanied Cho since the beginning of his journey is car maintenance and modification. Through this passion, he found ‘Dspec’ – a motorsports team and tuning shop based in Gyeonggi Province, also where Cho and Hyundai N got to know each other better.
Dspec started as a casual gathering with the people I met back then. At first, it felt like a hobby club, but I wanted to share my knowledge of car modification and driving techniques with more people, so it naturally grew into a business. Dspec founder and CEO, Sungu Cho
Challenge accepted
Cho is no stranger to high-performance cars. Throughout his racing career, he has experienced and driven a wide range of vehicles. His vast knowledge means that his expectations of any car, especially those competing in his beloved racing world, are exceptionally high. This is why his first impressions carried such weight. It was a great honor when he chose the Hyundai Elantra N for professional competition.
Among the many features he enjoyed was the extremely high degree of comfort, not always found in high-performance vehicles. But what impressed him the most was how well N balanced everyday usability with track-ready capabilities. Standard, 'built-in' features like the ability to record and analyze lap times or G-force data gave his Elantra N a level of track-readiness that he hadn't seen from a car straight from the factory.
Cho's specially modified Elantra N quickly established a reputation on the Japanese racing scene. Every year, it competed in Attack Tsukuba, one of Japan's most well-known time attack events, held at the Tsukuba Circuit in early spring. Unlike traditional races, this event challenges drivers to set their best lap times individually instead of racing directly against each other. Cho was ready!
Personal best time
To compete in Attack Tsukuba, Cho personally shipped the team's modified Elantra N to Japan, along with everyone who helped make it happen. After some fine-tuning and pre-race inspections, everything was ready to go.
The track at the Attack Tsukuba event is demanding, to say the least. Measuring just over 2 kilometers, its technical layout combines tight low-speed corners with high-speed sections—making it a particularly challenging course to master. Setting a competitive lap time here requires top-level performance from both the car and the driver.
At Tsukuba, one minute is the threshold for a competitive lap. The competing cars come in all shapes and setups, but they all share the same goal—striving to break the one-minute mark. Dspec founder and CEO, Sungu Cho
Cho and the Dspec team's Elantra N performed exceptionally well, setting records above other competing automaker models. After several attempts, the team and their Elantra N almost came in under the one-minute mark, with an excess of just three seconds. With the sub-one-minute barrier now within reach, Dspec turned to another legendary Hyundai N high-performance model—the IONIQ 5 N.
The choice proved to be a winning one, and things at the Attack Tsukuba track got off to a record-breaking start. The IONIQ 5 N soon achieved a recorded lap time of 59.8 seconds, drawing considerable attention from fans and the automotive press.
Getting together – going further
Sungu Cho's passion and dedication to automotive design have been highly valued by Hyundai N, leading to the first direct collaboration projects, such as raising awareness for the global launch of the IONIQ 5 N. The following event, the 'IONIQ 5 N Drift Spec' show car project, achieved this and more by attracting large crowds with bold drifting performances and show-stopping maneuvers.
Always room for another icon
When it comes to Hyundai N, talent runs deep in the family, as seen by the debut of its second high-performance EV model – the IONIQ 6 N Drift Spec. Like the IONIQ 5 N, this custom-designed model soon wowed global viewers with its blend of high performance and breathtaking moves. Once again, Cho was a part of the action, delivering dynamic drift runs in front of fans from around the world in a show car he helped build in collaboration with Hyundai N.
When I heard from Hyundai N that we would be building a Drift Spec for the IONIQ 6 N following the IONIQ 5 N, I was thrilled at the opportunity, and in the end, we created a car that can stand proudly alongside some of the best drift machines in the world. Dspec founder and CEO, Sungu Cho
Cho recalled being genuinely surprised when he encountered IONIQ 6 N for the first time for the drift show car project. The level of control – from handling to suspension was outstanding, and he remembered thinking that the vehicle was 'born to drift'.
Aside from automotive performance, Cho also remarked on the general evolution in perception regarding EVs. He recalled that the crowd's reaction had also changed, with thunderous applause and cheers for the IONIQ 6 N Drift Spec. The atmosphere was incredible, and even after the show, spectators came by to ask questions about the car and share words of support and appreciation. For Cho, it made him realize just how much Hyundai N's global fanbase has grown.
What makes Cho's admiration of EVs even more remarkable is that he wasn’t initially enthusiastic about electric vehicles. In fact, he used to believe that they could never deliver the emotion and driving excitement of internal combustion cars. However, after being behind the wheel of both the IONIQ 5 N and IONIQ 6 N, he is an avid fan and driver of both.
Two paths – one passion
Hyundai N's electrified models fully embrace what makes EVs an exciting choice for all high-performance fans. For Sungu Cho, the drive for new automotive experiences and challenges is what brought him and Hyundai N together. Both share a similar path, fueled by a commitment to delivering thrilling driving experiences and unique value to enthusiasts everywhere.
As Cho reminds us, a true challenge knows no limits. It is this shared spirit of relentless progress that propels both Cho and Hyundai N forward.
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