▲ Hwang Jin-woo celebrating his victory
Veteran driver Hwang Jin-woo (43, Jun-itted Racing) overcame the setback of starting from the 12th grid to secure his first win of the season with a dramatic comeback in the final of Round 5 of the 2026 O-NE SuperRace Championship.
Hwang crossed the finish line first to claim the highest spot on the podium in the final of the Toyota Gazoo Racing 6000 class for Round 5 of the SuperRace Championship, held as a night race today at the Yongin Ever랜드 Speedway (2.538 km, 36 laps).
With this victory, Hwang halted Lee Chang-wook's (Kumho SLM) bid for five consecutive opening wins, tasting the joy of his first victory of the season.
After finishing 5th in Round 1, taking consecutive 3rd-place finishes in Rounds 2 and 3, and rising to 2nd in Round 4, Hwang finally quenched his thirst for a win in Round 5.
Above all, Hwang's joy was doubled as he pulled off a stunning overtaking show from the lower-tier 12th grid in the final to claim a comeback victory.
In today's final, Jung Yi-chul (O-NE Racing) secured the pole position (1st grid), while Jang Hyun-jin (Seohan GP) and Hyoo Ryoma (O-NE Racing) were positioned on the 2nd and 3rd grids, respectively. Lee Chang-wook, eyeing his fifth straight opening win, started from the 5th grid.
Right after the start of the final, Lee Chang-wook caught up with Jung Yi-chul on the 4th lap to take the lead, raising expectations for five consecutive opening wins.
However, Hwang Jin-woo, starting from the 12th grid, overtook Ryoma and Jung Yi-chul successively on laps 5 and 6, instantly climbing to 2nd place and turning the tide.
Starting from lap 13, Hwang closed the gap to within 0.5 seconds of Lee Chang-wook, and finally bypassed Lee on lap 15 to take the lead, taking the checkered flag to complete his comeback drama.
Lee Chang-wook finished 2nd, while Kim Mu-jin of the newly joined rookie team WaterQ E-Rain Racing climbed onto the podium in 3rd place.
Round 6 of the 2026 O-NE SuperRace Championship will take place as the Jeonnam-Gwangju GT from September 12 to 13 at the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, Jeollanam-do.
(Photo courtesy of SuperRace, Yonhap News)
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