The Story of Oct, 2024

Hankook honoured by the FIA for environmental and sustainability strategy

Hankook was awarded the FIA Three Star Environmental Accreditation – the highest level of recognition from the International Automobile Federation (FIA) – for its outstanding environmental and sustainability management. The certification honours the company’s efforts to reduce energy consumption, increase the efficiency of its logistical operations, and introduce a circular economy along the entire tyre supply chain in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Hankook monitors the environmental balance and consistently adheres to new CO₂ standards in all phases of production – from the procurement of raw materials to recycling. In 2021, the plant in Geumsan (South Korea) became the first in the tyre industry to receive the ISCC PLUS certification. This was followed by the Hungarian production plant in October 2023. Hankook is also the first Korean tyre company, whose greenhouse gas reduction targets have been confirmed by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) – another step on the road to “Net Zero by 2050”.

Formula E provides exclusive test for talented young female drivers

On 7^th November, a number of young female racing drivers will be given a unique opportunity at Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia: at the first exclusive Formula E test for women, selected drivers will drive the brand-new GEN3 Evo, the current model from Season 11. The objective of the test is to give female drivers a stage, on which to prove themselves in the fully-electric racing series. Hankook is supporting this important event as exclusive tyre partner of Formula E, and will provide the participants with the innovative Hankook Gen3 iON Race, which has been specially adapted for the new generation of car and developed for maximum performance and efficiency. The test day is a key step towards gender equality in motorsport. The event will be accompanied by an extensive FIA Girls on Track programme. This gives girls and young women the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of motorsport and gain valuable insights.

Ho and Del Pino take centre stage at the Eurocup-3 event in Jerez

Round seven of Eurocup-3, which took place from 4^th to 6^th October at the 4.423-kilometre Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto, produced two impressive lights-to-flag victories. Christian Ho from Singapore dominated Saturday’s opening race from pole position, while Bruno Del Pino from Spain triumphed in race two on the Sunday. Both drivers benefitted from the excellent grip and precision of the Hankook Ventus Race, which helped them to fully exploit their potential. Javier Sagrera, the championship leader from Spain, showed great consistency to finish runner-up in both races and defend his lead at the top of the table. Del Pino follows in second place, while Ho remains third. All three youngsters are still in with a shout of winning the title in the junior Formula series. The champion will be decided at the finale, at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 8^th to 10^th November, where a maximum 56 points are still up for grabs.

Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjzHJyqpOGc
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir_uO_SVvf0

Riera enjoys an impressive weekend in Jerez in the Toyota GR Cup Spain

The Toyota GR Cup Spain produced an exciting weekend of thrilling race at Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto from 4^th to 6^th October. Spaniard Iván Riera was in excellent form and, having already secured two pole positions, took victory in both races. His success was partly down to the reliable grip provided by the Hankook tyre. Behind Riera, spectators were treated to a feast of top-class battles for the remaining podium positions in both races. The remarkable penultimate event took the GR Cup Spain one step closer to the season finale, which takes place from 8^th to 10^th November at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where the title will also be decided.

Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nO9cpZYmRw
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCMOatUWd0Q

Zolder hosts dramatic season finale in the Fun Cup

The finale of this season’s European Fun Cup, from 4^th to 6^th October at Circuit Zolder in Belgium, was packed with excitement and drama. The 3.977-kilometre circuit hosted a remarkable endurance race, in which Clubsport Racing (#415) claimed victory after an impressive team performance. In contrast, the title contenders from Michael Mazuin Sport (#541) were forced to retire with technical issues. The beneficiary was the Milo Racing team (#480), for whom sixth place in the race was sufficient to clinch the title. They were spectacularly crowned champions by just one point at the end of a thrilling season. The Hankook tyre played an instrumental role throughout the entire race and helped the drivers produce their very best at the demanding circuit.

Söderström and Ali battle for top spot in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe in Barcelona

Fans of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe were treated to a triple dose of racing from 11^th to 13^th October at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Frenchman Amaury Bonduel, in particular, benefitted from the high grip level of the Hankook Ventus Race, securing two pole positions. However, it was the Italian duo of Mattia Michelotto and Alex Frassinetti who celebrated victory in the opening race of the weekend, while Bonduel failed to finish. The Frenchman bounced back with a lights-to-flag win in race nine of the season. The third race started in dramatic fashion for Bonduel. He was involved in a collision on the opening lap, which resulted in damage to his car and another setback in the title race. Kazakh Egor Orudzhev won the final race. Sweden’s Oliver Söderström and his Danish team-mate Largim Ali enjoyed a profitable weekend, making three appearances on the podium thanks to two runner-up finishes and a third place. The two Scandinavians consequently moved ahead of Bonduel at the top of the table. The 2024 champion will be decided between these two cars from 14^th to 15^th November in Jerez, Spain.

Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84W1GuH-E4w&t=4482s
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmYk6QxNkx4
Full replay of race 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peZINJnd1jw

Carlberg claims his maiden FIA Junior ERC victory in Poland

This season’s FIA Junior ERC drew to a close with the Rally Silesia in Poland from 11^th to 13^th October. Sweden’s Calle Carlberg claimed his first victory of the year on the demanding stages, finishing 27.5 seconds ahead of Briton Max McRae. While Carlberg basked in the glory of his first win, the series and Hankook also had cause for celebration. After two successful years as exclusive tyre supplier of FIA Junior ERC, Hankook will now continue its partnership with the junior rally championship in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. This was announced during the meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Paris. The news means that youngsters in the European talent factory can continue to enjoy reliable grip on various different surfaces for the next two years. John Archer, motorsport engineer in the Hankook Tire Europe Team: “We are proud to be official tyre supplier of Junior ERC and to help shape the stars of tomorrow.”

Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f1YKLKOpbk

De Groot wins the NXT Gen Cup title in Hockenheim

The youngsters in the fully-electric NXT Gen Cup served up two spectacular final races in front of an impressive backdrop at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg. The young drivers produced some excellent touring car action in both races, impressing the fans in the grandstands with many fiercely-contested battles for position. Thanks to the high grip level of the Hankook tyre, the drivers were able to push their cars to the limit during the demanding scraps. Sunday morning’s opening race was decided by Denmark’s Victor Nielsen in a thrilling photo finish against Enzo Hallman from Sweden. In the final race of the season on the Sunday afternoon, Calvin De Groot from the Netherlands took victory and was consequently crowned champion. However, all eyes were on Nielsen, Hallman and Dutchman Lukas Stiefelhagen on the final lap. The trio were embroiled in a breathtaking three-way battle for second place, which went right down to the wire. Nielsen eventually came home second, followed by Hallman and Stiefelhagen.

Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D64PX4gHv1s
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-4eZ0USjtk

Taylor wins title thriller in TCR Italy in Monza

The final round of this season’s TCR Italy transformed the “Royal Park of Monza” into a stage for thrilling touring car racing and the title decider from 26^th to 27^th October. Nicolas Taylor from Canada started the weekend with an impressive lights-to-flag victory in the opening race and thus established an important advantage in the title race. His closest rival, Ruben Volt from Estonia, came home fourth to increase the anticipation ahead of the deciding race. While Frenchman Teddy Clairet triumphed in the final race of the season, the tense title race between Taylor and Volt kept all the fans on the edge of their seat. Thanks in part to the outstanding performance of the Hankook Ventus Race tyre, Taylor was able to finish seventh. That put the Canadian level on points with the Estonian. Both drivers ended the season with 352 points and two victories to their name, but Taylor’s second place in an earlier race tipped the balance in his favour and he was consequently crowned champion – a captivating finale with drama right down to the final second.

Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpxAeL6Bb_M
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9nMZR0_0wU

TT Circuit Assen: Commanding double victory for van Dijk and Dam in the Supercar Challenge

Motorsport fans enjoyed an entertaining finale at the final event of the 2024 Supercar Challenge, which took place from 25^th to 27^th October at TT Circuit Assen in the Netherlands. 20 GT and touring cars equipped with the tried-and-tested Hankook Ventus Race produced some exciting and hard-fought battles at the 4.555-kilometre track. The Dutch pairing of Mitchell van Dijk and Melvin van Dam showed their class in a Radical SR3 in both races, claiming a brace of commanding victories. The Hankook Ventus Race supported both drivers with a consistently high level of grip and reliable performance, which played an important role on the demanding track in Assen. Champions elect Jordin Poland and Mex Jansen from the Netherlands also performed strongly in their BMW M4 GT4 and finished second and third in the two races.

Ostermann and Deissler celebrate RCN championship at the Nürburgring

The final event of this year’s Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring (Circuit Challenge Nürburgring, RCN) took place on 26^th October. As the final three-hour race is the only conventional race of the season, alongside the seven regularity tests, it is regarded as one of the highlights of the year. A total of 159 cars took part in the event, which was held on a combination of the Grand Prix circuit at the Nürburgring and the Nordschleife. The Hankook Ventus Race played a big role by providing the drivers with a consistent and reliable performance on the infamous track. Victory went to German drivers Julian Reeh and Sascha Steinhardt in a Porsche 997 GT3. Eleventh place overall was good enough for their compatriots Daniel Ostermann and Nick Deissler from Adrenalin Motorsport to claim the RCN title. The 2025 calendar has already been confirmed. The new season gets underway on 29^th March 2025 at the Nürburgring.

Uruguay debut sets up exciting title race in the Stock Car Pro Series

Round ten of the Stock Car Pro Series was a special event for the spectators, as they were able to enjoy a race in the top Brazilian series at Victor Borrat Fabini Autodrom in El Pinar (Uruguay) for the first time from 24^th to 26^th October. During the first event in Uruguay, fans witnessed exciting racing, made possible in part by the reliability of the standard Hankook Ventus Race tyre. Brazilian Enzo Elias was first across the finish line in the sprint race, while his compatriot Felipe Fraga triumphed in the main race. This was already Fraga’s 20^th victory in the series – a big milestone in his career. With two events still to come, the title race looks like being a five-way battle. It continues when the series returns to Brazil from 22^nd to 24^th November when the protagonists in the Stock Car Pro Series will visit Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiânia. Favourite to win the title is former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa, who is currently the championship leader. Last year’s champion Gabriel Casagrande is another title contender. He has consistently been in the points of late and now trails Casagrande by just eleven points.

Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVsHwRf4Ur8
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WbCV9Q5PPU