Hankook supports young drivers in NXT Gen Cup

A new generation of young racing drivers is gearing up to prove their worth in an all-electric series called the NXT Gen Cup.

Eighteen rising stars aged between 15 and 25 years old will compete in the series using specially built MINI Cooper EV race cars.

The identical LRT NXT1 MINIs come with a 230hp electric motor and are stripped to the bare bones for racing, so performance is rapid. By using the same cars in the six-race series, which runs alongside the Swedish Touring Car Championship from July to October, the focus is firmly on driver talent.

All of the cars are also equipped with the same Hankook Ventus TD performance tyre.

It’s a semi-slick, road legal tyre aimed at those who want to get the best from their car on track days, so it’s the ideal choice for the NXT Gen Cup. Fast reaction to steering and brake inputs mix with high cornering grip with the Ventus TD, which was originally developed as the tyre for the MINI John Cooper Works GP.

The connection between MINI and Hankook means the Ventus TD was the natural choice, and it works perfectly with the all-electric race car in dry or wet conditions. With a top speed of 125mph, the racing is guaranteed to be fast and close. The winner of the NXT Gen Cup will be crowned the Swedish Junior Champion and receive help to race in the 2024 Swedish Touring Car Championship.

At the core of this EV racing series is the goal to offer sustainable motorsport. It’s a dream that has been realised by Fredrik Lestrup and his Lestrup Racing Team, who have won the Swedish Endurance Racing championship and the GT4 Scandinavia title, as well as the 2020 Swedish Touring Car Championship. As you can tell, this is a team used to winning and developing the best race cars.

Complementing the new MINI Cooper SE with its water-cooled electric motor, race suspension and brakes, and effective aerodynamics, are the Hankook Ventus TD tyres. Just like the MINI, they take the finest elements of road and race car design to deliver the best of both worlds. It also means drivers of hot hatches and performance cars can experience the same levels of precision and performance as the drivers in the NXT Gen Cup.

In the race series, Hankook provides all of the drivers with support and advice at the race track, just the same as drivers in Touring Cars or Formula 1, to help them get the peak performance from the car and themselves.

With this level of help to hand, the impressive abilities of the Lestrup Racing Team MINI Cooper SE EV, and the Hankook Ventus TD, every one of these young drivers has the perfect start to their career in motorsport.

The first round of the NXT Gen Cup is at Falkenberg, Sweden’s fastest race track, on 8-9 July.