Hankook Team Farnbacher is well prepared for the 24 hours in the legendary ‘green hell’ at the German Nuerburgring - Hankook Team Farnbacher is confident about the upcoming 24-hour-race at the Nuerburgring after its maiden victory in the 3rd VLN race - Hankook Farnbacher Ferrari 458 Italia GT will take to the starting line with the number 2 - Team looks forward to the second highlight of the season, the “ADAC Zurich 24-hour-race 2011”
Neu-Isenburg/Germany, June xxx 2011 – The Hankook Team Farnbacher is well prepared for the upcoming 24-hour-race at the Nuerburgring after its maiden victory at the third race of the international VLN long-distance championship, the 42nd Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy, in Nuernberg. In May, Marco Seefried (GER) and Jamie Melo Junior (BR) brought home the first-ever victory for a Ferrari in the 35-year history of the series and will take the starting line for the Hankook Team Farnbacher this weekend again together with the Hankook works-drivers Dominik Farnbacher (GER) and Allan Simonsen (DK). May’s race was a final test for the upcoming 24-hour-race at the Nuerburgring on the 25th-26th June, to optimise the set-up and tyre specifications of the Hankook Farnbacher Ferrari 458 Italia GT for the exigencies of the legendary Nordschleife. The German 24-hour-race at the Nuerburgring, much like the French endurance classic “24-hours of Le Mans”, is one of the world’s most popular and biggest endurance racing-events. A starting field of more than 220 cars, more than 200.000 spectators and a track length of 25.378 kilometers per lap can be expected.
The Hankook Team Farnbacher is looking forward to the race: “The atmosphere at the 24-hours at the Nuerburgring is amazing, thanks not least of all to the numerous fans cheering along the track. We know that we see an extremely strong starting field this year but we are positive that with a combination of an excellent team, strong car and reliable tyres we are well prepared to successfully deal with the challenges of the Nordschleife.” says Horst Farnbacher, Head of the Hankook-Farnbacher Racing Team. “In the ‘green hell’ drivers, tyres and car alike have to deliver their very best performance. Therefore our first milestone will be to take the starting line from a solid starting position. Experiences with the circuit that we were able to gain over the last yeas have helped a great deal to develop an optimal Ferrari-package for the Nuerburgring. We therefore want to live up to last year’s success when we were able to finish second after starting from a rather unfavourable position 48.”
“After our maiden victory at the third VLN race in May and the podium placings in the LMS in Le Castellet and Spa, where we achieved a third and second place, we are upbeat about the upcoming 24-hour race.” adds Manfred Sandbichler, Director Motorsport Hankook Tire Europe. “The team has done an excellent job and the performance tests for the Ferrari and the Hankook tyres have gone smoothly. With this we feel very well prepared and look forward to an exciting race.”
The Hankook Farnbacher-Ferrari Italia 458 GT in its characteristic Hankook colours of white, orange and black is built-on following a combination of the 2011 FIA GT2 and 24-hour special regulations. Compared to last year’s model (Ferrari Italia F430 GTC) it comes with modified bodywork. The Grand Tourismo will be equipped with Hankook Ventus F200 slicks that have also made successful appearances in the DTM series, and if needed, Ventus Z207 rain tyres or custom-made intermediates for respective use. The size mounted to the front axle are 300/660 R18 and 320/710 R18 on the rear axle, with 12x18 inch rims on the front and 13x18 inch ones at the rear.“Just like last year we will provide the team with tyres that have been developed to meet the specifics of the Nuerburgring and are taking into account the respective track surfaces and operating conditions of the Nordschleife.” explains Hankook’s Chief Engineer Michael Eckert. “We are positive that our tyres will help to harmonise the balance of the Ferrari and that the performance of our tyres can guarantee for constantly fast lap times. Given the latest weather forecast for the weekend we expect that our rain tyres or intermediates will be used. We know that both types perform very well in wet conditions; therefore we are confident about our tyres’ performance in the upcoming race, even in the ever-changing conditions of the Eifel. Our slicks already have successfully come into action many times this season so we are well prepared in this regard as well.”
