The DTM travels from the North Sea to the foothills of the Alps, where Spielberg in Austria plays host to the second round of the series outside Germany. Race two of the double-header weekend on the Red Bull Ring marks the start of the second half of the season for the most popular international touring car series. For the race tyres supplied by the exclusive DTM partner Hankook, the demands at Spielberg are not quite as high as those three weeks ago at Zandvoort in the Netherlands. 

Spielberg/Austria, 30 July 2015 – The picturesque 4.326 kilometre circuit in the Styria region of Austria is nestled perfectly into the landscape and is considered one of the most beautiful circuits on the calendar. To perform well in the face of fierce competition in the DTM, contenders need to find a perfect vehicle setup to handle the high-speed straights, the hairpin bends and the tight infield. “The Red Bull Ring requires a careful balance of mechanical and aerodynamic grip. While a lot of traction is needed, especially exiting the hairpins, the aerodynamics plays an important role in sectors two and three,” explains Hankook’s DTM race engineer Thomas Baltes.  

The smooth asphalt surface alters in Spielberg: along the finish line it is dark, in other passages light. Subsequently, with the lighter segments reflecting more sunlight than the darker patches, track temperatures vary. Thomas Baltes: “First and foremost it’s important to find the correct air pressure for the Hankook Ventus Race tyres and to get them up to temperature on the smooth track surface. Due to the different asphalt temperatures, the grip level, in particular, changes at high speed. Drivers have to adjust to this.”

Another feature of the Red Bull Ring is its extreme undulations. The vehicles must cope with up to a twelve percent incline, and a maximum descent of 9.3 percent. But despite the possible bottoming out in the dips, the structure of the Ventus Race tyre is not put under undue stress. “Generally, with low air pressure and high camber there’s a big risk that the race tyre will quickly fade. However, this hasn’t happened to our tyres at Spielberg by now. Because of the slippery asphalt here, the tread is put under more stress than the construction,” said Hankook’s DTM race engineer.  

With its undulating passages, transitions between slower and faster sections, as well as the constantly changing track temperatures, the Red Bull Ring is one of the most demanding DTM circuits for drivers, cars and race tyres. Nevertheless, the Ventus Race rubber from Hankook has mastered these challenges superbly over the last years. Thomas Baltes identifies two criteria for success at Spielberg: “Driving style plays a vital role here so that the wear and tear under constant braking and accelerating is kept to a minimum. A critical passage is turn one. Here, the pilots need to stick to the ideal racing line for the uphill passage yet carry as much momentum as possible to maintain maximum speed.”