Tire manufacturer Hankook and DTM have successfully extended their official supply partnership ahead of schedule. The world-renowned Europe-based touring car racing series will continue to race on the Hankook Ventus line of motorsport tires until at least 2016, relying on Hankook Tire’s superior tire technology.
"Good, stable regulations, professionalism, and an experienced, reliable management have always been the basis for successful motorsport series," says Mr. Hyun Bum Cho, President & Chief Marketing Officer/Chief Corporate Management Officer at Hankook Tire. "The DTM is one of the most popular and well organized racing series around the world and as such has provided an ideal platform to demonstrate Hankook’s advanced and futuristic race tire technology from the very beginning of our engagement. The early extension of our engagement as the exclusive tire supplier to the DTM therefore was never questioned.”
"The cooperation with Hankook during the first two years of our partnership has absolutely convinced us of the high level of performance they deliver. This is why we wanted to continue our successful cooperation beyond 2013. The early extension of the contract is a logical consequence," says Hans Werner Aufrecht, Chairman of the Board of the DTM rights holder and promoter ITR e.V.
In addition to the tire line-up supplied to the DTM in the past, from 2013 onwards Hankook Tire will also bring option tires to the race tracks. The new regulation is expected to add further excitement to DTM’s new season. DTM pilots will be driving on Hankook’s extremely reliable and renown ‘Ventus’ base line of motorsports tires, as well as on the all new and ultra-grip ‘Ventus’ option tires during each race thus allowing for an additional variety in the race strategy for a more thrilling and exciting race to unfold.
"With our new DTM exclusive option tire we can once more demonstrate the performance of our advanced products in a unique environment - fitted on the vehicles of DTM participating premium manufacturers Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz,” Cho added.
“We are excited to see how the new option tires will perform this season. By bringing two different tire compounds into action during the races we surely will see more action on the track and more possibilities for overtaking. A big ‘Thank You’ to the Hankook engineers who have perfectly met the challenging task to develop a tire according to our wishes – a tire that allows for faster lap times over a limited period and then deteriorates quickly." Aufrecht stated.
DTM is one of the the most popular high-class motorsport events worldwide, attracting many hundreds of thousands of viewers on-site every year and being broadcasted in more than 175 countries around the world. Taking on the momentum of this partnership extension, Hankook Tire will be able to solidify its brand value as a premium tire maker in the global automotive market. The company entered the global motorsport arena and began to take an active part in top-class motorsport events in 1992. Based on the technological know-how accumulated over the past decade, Hankook Tire is continuously building a premium tire brand image through participating in various motorsport championships in addition to the DTM, such as the Formula Drift Series in the United States, Italian born-and-bread Superstars Series, the Swedish TTA Racing Elite League, the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, the Le Mans and Nuerburgring 24-hour endurance races and FIA Junior WRC.
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