On September 19, the Grand Finals of the Hyundai N x Racing Master Cup took place at Game Esports Seoul (GES), held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. South Korea's 'Myeonap' Kim Woo-jin defeated Taiwan's 'Songchiq' 7-6 in the finals to take the championship title.
Played on NetEase Games' Racing Master, this tournament featured eight players who advanced through roughly two months of qualifiers held across four Asian regions: South Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan. Representing South Korea were 'Myeonap' Kim Woo-jin and 'Ryosuke' Jeong Gyeong-hun.
Based on the preliminary round results, the Quarterfinals were divided into Group A and Group B. The Quarterfinals were played over a total of seven rounds. In Group A, Malaysia's 'afiqbymx21' took an early lead by finishing first in two consecutive rounds. 'afiqbymx21' secured a spot in the Semifinals early on, leaving a fierce battle for second place, which was won by Hong Kong's 'Tszma', who also advanced to the Semifinals.
Group B of the Quarterfinals featured South Korean players 'Myeonap' Kim Woo-jin and 'Ryosuke' Jeong Gyeong-hun. In Round 1, 'Myeonap' started off in first place while 'Ryosuke' finished fourth. Taiwan's 'Songchiq' put up strong races, threatening 'Myeonap''s lead. However, 'Myeonap' ultimately took first place with 55 points and 'Songchiq' took second with 48 points, both advancing to the Semifinals. South Korea's 'Ryosuke' Jeong Gyeong-hun finished fourth with 34 points and was eliminated in the Quarterfinals.
In the first Semifinal match, Malaysia's 'afiqbymx21' and Taiwan's 'Songchiq' faced off in a 1v1 duel, with 'Songchiq' winning 3-1 to advance to the Grand Finals. In the second Semifinal match, South Korea's 'Myeonap' faced Hong Kong's 'Tszma'. Tournament favorite 'Myeonap' Kim Woo-jin scored a clean 3-0 victory to reach the Grand Finals and set up a showdown with 'Songchiq' for the championship.
Under the rules for the 3rd–4th place match and the Grand Finals, a player must reach 4 wins first and lead by at least 2 wins for the match to end. If the score reaches 6-6, the winner is decided in a 13th round.
In the 3rd–4th place match preceding the Grand Finals, 'Tszma' took Round 1 first, but 'afiqbymx21' claimed Sets 2 and 3 to reverse the lead to 2-1. In the off-road battle on Whispering Persian Sea in Set 4, 'afiqbymx21' took an early lead and comfortably maintained it to win, making it 3-1. Facing elimination, 'Tszma' won Round 4 to begin his pursuit at 2-3. In Round 6, which could have been the final round, 'afiqbymx21' ran a stable race, whereas 'Tszma'—facing defeat—repeatedly made mistakes by crashing into walls. This widened the gap significantly, allowing 'afiqbymx21' to defeat 'Tszma' 4-2 and secure 3rd place.
In the highly anticipated Grand Finals, 'Songchiq' won the priority selection match prior to the main battle, giving him the right to choose the map or vehicle. However, momentum favored 'Myeonap' once the main match began. Delivering clean drives in both Sets 1 and 2, he took an early 2-0 lead. Yet 'Songchiq' was not one to go down easily, and after a neck-and-neck contest, 'Myeonap' held a narrow 3-2 lead at the end of Round 5. In Round 6, 'Songchiq' surged ahead into the lead, and despite 'Myeonap' attempting overtaking maneuvers at every corner, 'Songchiq' defended well to tie the score at 3-3. True to a Grand Final, the fierce competition continued unabated.
With the match locked at 5-5, Round 11 took place on Alpine Pasture, where a composed 'Myeonap' took the victory to reach match point at 6-5. However, 'Songchiq' struck back to tie it up 6-6, taking the match to a final deciding round on Alpine Mountain Circuit. 'Myeonap' broke away early and maintained the lead from the start. From the second lap onward, 'Songchiq' pushed hard at every corner to close the gap, but 'Myeonap' stayed calm. Pulling ahead with a substantial lead, 'Myeonap' avoided any major mistakes to secure a 7-6 victory, becoming the champion of the Hyundai N x Racing Master Cup.
The champion, 'Myeonap', earns $1,000 in prize money, with runner-up 'Songchiq' receiving $800, 3rd–4th place taking $600, and 5th–8th place receiving $500.
