Fiery Accident in Hyundai’s Elantra N Spec Race Indicates Poor Brakes. It’s the Drivers.

      Screenshot Hyundai N Festival/YouTube

      Subscribe to The Drive’s daily newsletter for the latest in car news, reviews, and features.

      The Hyundai N Festival is a single-make, spec racing series where various Hyundai N models compete for prestige. The 2025 season kicked off in May at the Yongin Everland Speedway in South Korea and will include five additional rounds before concluding in November. Nonetheless, the season opener was marred by a significant crash involving four cars, with what seemed to be minor injuries to the drivers.

      The series is categorized into three classes, roughly dividing participants by their car models, performance levels, and modifications. The incident in question occurred in the N2 class, which features the popular Hyundai Elantra N with some minor modifications—emphasis on "minor."

      The video linked below is a lengthy archived live stream from the race, running for seven hours. I've provided a time stamp to start just before the crash, but if that doesn’t work, you can skip ahead to 4:40:35.

      Everything seemed to be going smoothly until seven laps into the race. The enthusiastic drone camera operator was closely tracking the contest for fourth place when the feed suddenly cut to the No. 17 Hyundai, which seemed to have veered off at a corner and crashed head-on into a tire barrier. Almost immediately, the No. 17 was hit by a black Elantra adorned with the No. 42. Shortly after, the blue-and-pink No. 76 joined in and collided with the 42, causing the 76 to catch fire briefly. The flames appeared to extinguish quickly, but it’s unclear if they were fully out as the camera pans away and we lose sight of those two cars.

      When we get another glimpse of the initial crashed vehicle, the No. 17, it seems another car, the No. 10, has also gone off beside it, wedging itself at an angle between the 17 and the barrier.

      While the video does not capture the original crash, the following collisions involving the 42 and 76 were quite heavy. It appears they were negotiating a corner when they encountered the stationary vehicles, prompting shocked reactions from the commentators.

      I have watched this footage multiple times and remain uncertain about the precise cause of this multi-car collision. Observing the No. 17 car prior to being hit by the 42, it is evident it already had significant rear-end damage. This suggests that another, unidentified vehicle may have initiated this crash, rather than the 17 itself. The absence of footage of that car is puzzling. I suspect that the 17 was rear-ended by a different competitor, leading it to crash into the tire barrier before being struck by additional cars.

      This aspect becomes complicated. From my standpoint—and to the casual observer—this appears to be a standard racing incident. It’s a spec series featuring lightly modified vehicles and rookie drivers racing closely on a high-speed circuit. Incidents like this are inevitable, and we should appreciate that no one sustained severe injuries. Still, upon examining the YouTube comments along with a detailed discussion thread on Reddit, many individuals are attributing blame to the N2’s brakes, particularly pointing out the lack of upgraded braking systems. Some commenters even suggest that inadequate braking power has been a recurring issue in past races, speculating that this incident might be another example.

      The official N Festival website describes the N2 class as follows: “This category boasts the largest number of participants in races, divided into Masters and Challenges based on qualifying performance. The Avante [the Elantra's name in Korea] N2 Cup car is fitted with safety-focused tuning components, providing a regular road driving experience.”

      Further down, the specs for the N2 Cup Car mention “N Performance 4P Front/1P Rear braking system” under the Brake category and “Floating type Front N performance hybrid disc / Rear 314mm disc” under the Brake Disc specification.

      In the United States, the Elantra N is equipped with factory-installed ventilated rotors measuring 13.6 inches in the front and 12.4 inches in the rear, along with single-piston calipers in both the front and rear. This appears to be true for the Korean version as well, though four-piston calipers are reportedly available as an upgrade. I contacted Hyundai to determine if the specs differ for the current model-year Avante in the Korean market and whether they align with those of the N2 cup cars.

      A Hyundai spokesperson from the U.S. reached out to their Korean colleagues, who confirmed my inquiry. They clarified that both the American and Korean Elantra N models are equipped with the same braking system, including single-piston calipers. Additionally, they noted that all vehicles competing in the N2 class have upgraded, race-prepared brakes.

      “The Elantra N sold in the U.S. and the Elantra N sold in Korea