Preparations for the 24 Hours in the “Green Hell“ at the Nürburgring already underwayCommitment to European Le Mans Series continuesSecond season highlight during the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Hankook Tire, currently the seventh largest tyre manufacturer in the world, and among the fastest growing, are further expanding their activities in European motorsports in 2010. This year the Hankook Farnbacher Racing Team will also bring a Ferrari racing car to the long-distance track at the Nürburgring. By doing so, Hankook Tire once again emphasises their clear commitment to motorsport. This is because the Hankook Farnbacher Racing Team’s Ferrari F430 GTC will be the very first racing car from Maranello ever to enter the 24 hours race in the “Green Hell”.
Following a successful first season in 2009, Horst Farnbacher’s team is looking forward to racing in the European Le Mans Series and in the German long-distance championship – and in particular to the two prestigious 24 hours classics in Le Mans and at the Nürburgring, where Ferrari will make its premiere. The Gran Tourismo, which retains the typical Hankook design in black, orange, silver, and white, is built in accordance with the 2010 FIA GT2 regulations and has more power than last year’s model due to a modified air restrictor, changed bodywork, and also a completely new generation of Hankook Ventus racing tyres.
“Hankook Tire and Team Farnbacher share their enthusiasm for this challenging motorsport, which demands everything from the material and driving skills,” said Horst Farnbacher. “We were able to achieve excellent results in 2009 in the Le Mans Series, we won the Asian Le Mans Series, and we have already performed some promising tests in 2010. We look forward to a further season with our partner Hankook. Thus, the two 24 hours races held shortly after each other will certainly be the highlights where our team wants to show their full potential.”
“The reason for our involvement in long-distance racing goes much further than simply raising awareness”, explains Jin-Wook Choi, Executive Vice President and European Head of Hankook Tire. “Le Mans, and particularly the Nürburgring North Loop, are also extended test tracks for us, as our tyres are subject to the most extreme pressure during the race. The knowledge gained here helps us to establish decisive parameters for the next generation of road tyres. How else, for example, can we optimally harmonise grip and rolling resistance – and thereby also the security and efficiency – of a tyre? Through their professionalism and extensive experience, Horst Farnbacher and his team are the ideal partners.”
In recent years Hankook Tire has consistently increased its motorsports activities in European racing. The company’s ultra-high-performance tyres stood, and still stand, at the starting lines throughout Europe – for instance in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Hungary and Spain. The superior quality of their racing tyres endorses the company again and again – also on the long-distance track. Thus, Team Alzen Motorsport, which was equipped with Hankook tyres from 2007 to 2009, is still the record holder of the legendary North Loop with the fastest lap ever achieved in a competition. Before that, Hankook Tire had already gathered many years of experience in motorsports through their involvement in the Super GT Race in Japan, the sports car race in Korea, the American Le Mans Series, and also many other championships around the world.
The efforts for Hankook Tire are correspondingly high: be it a racing weekend or a team test day, an experienced team of engineers is always available and carries out an intensive series of tyre tests. A large part of the success which is seen on the international race tracks is, of course, due to intensive research and development behind the scenes. Hankook Tire invests a good five per cent of their turnover in R&D every year – clearly the leading ratio for the sector. Around six per cent – also the best figure – of all employees work in the company’s research departments around the world. In the context of Hankook Tire’s worldwide R&D network, more than 800 engineers in Korea, Germany, the USA, China, and Japan are involved in the development of complex tyre technology. Be it road or off-road tyres for passenger cars, SUVs, light and heavy commercial vehicles, buses, or professional motorsport, the aim is always to achieve optimum performance.
The 2010 Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari F430 GTC is equipped with Ventus F 200 Hankook slicks, Ventus Z 207 rain tyres and, depending on the particular use, customised intermediates in sizes 310/650 R 18 on the front axle and 320/710 R18 on the rear axle, which are mounted on the BBS rims of sizes 12x18 at the front and 13x18 at the back. For each race the team can choose from different tread compounds which are aligned to the positions of the axles, taking into account the respective track surfaces and operating conditions. To harmonise the balance of the racing car with the tyre performance over a distance, the front axle tyres are set one level softer than the corresponding rear axle tyres. In addition, a softer compound is designed for the VLN races and the 24 hours race at the Nürburgring (Germany), the LMS races in Paul Ricard (France) and Spa (Belgium), and a harder compound for the LMS races at the Algarve (Portugal), Le Mans (France) and Budapest (Hungary).
In total, more than 1,500 tyres will be used during the season. Hankook Tire will keep over 250 tyres for the races ready for the team in the paddock.
Hankook Ventus F 200 Slick- Available tread compounds front axle: medium-soft, medium, medium-hard- Available tread compounds rear axle: medium, medium-hard, hard
Hankook Ventus Intermed (based on F 200 construction)- Available tread compounds for both axles: soft, medium
Hankook Ventus Z 207 Rain Tyres- Available tread compounds for both axles: soft, medium
###Hankook Tire Motorsport Participation (As of March 2010):
Europe• European Le Mans Series Team: Hankook Farnbacher Racing Team, Ferrari F430 GTC (Model 2010)• Intercontinental Rally Championship (IRC) Team: Hankook, Driven by Andreas Mikkelsen, Ford Fiesta Super 2000 Run by M-Sport The official Ford World Rally Team
Germany• VLN-Long Distance Championship Nürburgring Team: Hankook Farnbacher Racing Team, Ferrari F430 GTC (Model 2010)• ADAC 24h-Race Nürburgring Team: Hankook Farnbacher Racing Team, Ferrari F430 GTC (Model 2010)• Touring Car Championship (official tyre supplier)• HJS Diesel Rally Masters (official tyre supplier)
UK:• Hankook MSA Scottish Rally Championship• Hankook Scottish Group N Championship• Hankook Scottish Junior Championship• Hankook Scottish RWD Championship• Hankook MSA Welsh Rally Championship• Hankook Welsh Group N Championship• Hankook Welsh Junior Championship• Hankook Northern Ireland Rally Championship• Hankook Northern Ireland Group N Championship• Hankook Ireland Young Drivers Championship• Hankook 205 Challenge• Hankook BMW RWD Challenge• Hankook Renault Clio Cup
Official Tyre Supplier:• Volkswagen Racing• Mazda MX5 Racing• Brick & Steel Ecosse Challenge• Scottish Tarmack Championship• Prodrift Ireland Drifting Team
France:• 24 Heures du Mans 2010 Team: Hankook Farnbacher Racing Team, Ferrari F430 GTC (Model 2010)• French Tarmac Rally Championship (official tyre supplier)
Spain:• Spanish Rally Championship Team: Pedro Burgo Rally Team• Volante RACC Tarmac Championship• Suzuki Swift Tarmac Rally Championship (official tyre supplier)• Volkswagen Racing Cup (official tyre supplier)
Global:• Korea DDGT Championship (official sponsor and official tyre supplier)• CJ Super Race (Korea - official tyre supplier)• Hankook R1 (Korea – official sponsor and official tyre supplier)
• Japan Super GT Team: Hankook KTR Porsche Team• Japanese Formula 3 Series (official tyre supplier)
• China Rally Championship (CRC) Team: Wanyu Rally Team (2007 Series Champion) Team: Skoda Redbull Team
• Hong Kong Touring Car Championship (official tyre supplier)
