Stories
The Story of May, 2024
31 May 2024
Hankook tyres master challenging conditions at the Rally Islas Canarias
From 2nd to 4th May, the Spanish volcanic island of Gran Canaria hosted round two of this season’s FIA Junior ERC – the Rally Islas Canarias. Hankook’s premium tyre impressed with its excellent performance, providing the young drivers with optimal grip on the demanding asphalt stages. Victory went to the Swedish pairing of Mille Johansson and Johan Grönvall in an Opel Corsa Rally4. Sweden’s Calle Carlberg and his Norwegian co-driver Jorgen Eriksen finished second, 35.5 seconds back. The German crew of Timo Schulz and Michael Wenzel completed the podium in third place. Next up for the European talent factory is the Royal Rally of Scandinavia from 13th to 15th June, when the season reaches the halfway point.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHnpXpaQ1_8
Sights set on the title: Last year’s champion wins again with a new team-mate
New Zealanders Marco Giltrap and Clay Osborne enjoyed a brilliant double success at the opening round (3rd to 5th May) of this season’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia in Sepang, Malaysia. They produced two commanding drives to guide their Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo2 to a brace of wins at the 5.543-kilometre Sepang International Circuit. Together with his new team-mate Osborne, reigning champion Giltrap followed on where he left off last season and put himself in pole position to successfully defend his title. Round two of the championship sees the drivers travel to The Bend Motorsport Park in Australia, where they will again be able to depend on the reliable performance of the Hankook race tyres.
Race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei0sIHqYkyA&t=3763s
Race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrXCkwMsOCA&t=415s
Thailand Super Series: Victory for Singha Motorsport Team Thailand and Team AAI at season-opener
The Thailand Super Series kicked off the 2024 season on 4th and 5th May with two action-packed races at Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand. The races at the 4.554-kilometre racetrack treated spectators in the stands to some extremely exciting racing. The opening race was won by Singha Motorsport Team Thailand with its drivers Piti Bhirombhakdi and Kantasak Kusiri (both Thailand) in a Honda NSX GT3. The Hankook Ventus Race performed strongly all weekend and was a key factor in the battle for victory. TEAM AAI, with Chen Chun Hua from Taiwan and Finland’s Jesse Krohn at the wheel, won race two of the season in their BMW M4 GT3. Hankook’s premium tyres again provided optimal grip and allowed the drivers to push hard until the very end of the race.
Sunshine and heated battles: Bonduel bags an impressive brace
The second event of this season’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, from 9th to 11th May at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, produced some breathtaking action. 88,000 spectators in the grandstands lining the 7.004-kilometre track were treated to some exciting battles in glorious summery conditions. Right from the word go, the large field of 52 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 cars were at their thrilling best. Friday’s opening race saw Frenchman Amaury Bonduel embroiled in a dramatic duel with race leader Benedetto Strignano from Italy. On the final lap, Bonduel took full advantage of the high grip level of the Hankook Ventus Race to pass his Italian rival and take the victory. The Frenchman was again unbeatable in race two, showing an abundance of grip and speed to take the chequered flag ahead of the competition on the Saturday morning.
Race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xITvSfqAf7c&t=4608s
Race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJl3asMUF3c&t=2863s
Rookies impress at season-opener: Fluxá and Strauven triumph at Circuito de Madrid Jarama
From 10th to 12th May, the new season got underway in the Spanish Formula 4 championship with three races at Circuito de Madrid Jarama in Spain. The 35 drivers were able to depend on the quality tyre provided by premium manufacturer Hankook. The first and third races of the season were won by Spanish rookie Lucas Fluxá from MP Motorsport, while Thomas Strauven from Belgium was first across the finish line for Rodin Motorsport in race two. Fluxá leads the championship with 52 points after the opening event. The venue for round two is the Algarve coast in Portugal, where the young drivers will contest the next races on the Hankook Ventus Race from 7th to 9th June.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXU7DpgdiiA
Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America: Porto and Jamin dominate at Laguna Seca on the Hankook Ventus Race
Brazilian Kiko Porto and France’s Nico Jamin claimed two brilliant victories at round two of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America from 10th to 12th May. They emerged triumphant out of a field of 40 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 at the 3.6-kilometre Laguna Seca track. Victory on the Sunday was the pair’s third success of the season, in which Hankook’s premium tyre is again proving to be a reliable partner. The next round takes place from 21st to 23rd June at Watkins Glen in the US state of New York.
Race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpIWQvcUxcI
Race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79FGRh0aaVY
Double success for Herberth Motorsport at the Hankook 24H Portimão
German team Herberth Motorsport claimed a dominant one-two at the Hankook 24H Portimão. The race took place from 10th to 12th May at the 4.652-kilometre Autodromo Internacional Algarve for the sixth time. The number 92 Porsche 911 GT3 R, driven by Max Moritz, Ralf Bohn, Vincent Kolb, Robert Renauer (all Germany) and Felix Neuhofer (Austria), took the chequered flag after 743 laps. The Hankook Ventus Race performed excellently throughout the entire race and was instrumental in the team’s success. The second Herberth Motorsport car, the number 91 with Scott Noble, Jason Hart (both USA), Ralf Bohn and Ian Loggie (both Great Britain) at the wheel, came home second, two laps behind the winners. Having featured in both cars, Bohn remarkably finished both first and second overall.
Hankook Ventus Race paves the way for Jansen and Poland to win twice
From 10th to 12th May, Motorsport Arena Oschersleben (Germany) hosted the second event of this season’s Supercar Challenge. The Dutch pairing of Mex Jansen and Jordin Poland from the Koopman Racing team claimed two impressive victories in a BMW M6 GT3 at the 3.667-kilometre circuit in the Magdeburg Börde region of Germany, thanks in part to the support of the Hankook Ventus Race. Poland set them up beautifully with a perfect start in the opening race of the weekend. Even a safety car phase, which brought the field back together, could not stop him. After the pit stop, Jansen took over the driving duties and brought the BMW safely home in first place. It was a similar story in race two, with Poland and Jansen taking full advantage of the optimal grip provided by the Hankook race tyre to claim a commanding third victory of the season. The brace of wins in Oschersleben saw the Dutch duo extend their lead in the overall standings. The next showdown in the Dutch championship is in Belgium at the famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit from 31st May to 2nd June.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxbm8P-2KRQ&t=228s
Consistent grip helps Suzuki to a podium and the championship lead
From 17th to 19th May, fans of the Stock Car Pro Series were treated to two exciting races at Autódromo Internacional Zilmar Beux de Cascavel. The high-performance Hankook Ventus Race tyre played a big role, allowing for a close race that yielded a seventh different winner in the seventh race of the season. Race one was a case of déjà vu for Dudu Barrichello from Mobil Ale Full Time, who repeated his victory from last year. In the main race, Bruno Baptista from RCM Motorsport was first across the finish line. For a long time, it looked as though pole-sitter Daniel Serra would come out on top. However, a broken drive shaft dashed his hopes of winning. Fifth place in the opening race and third in race two were enough to move Brazil’s Rafael Suzuki to the top of the overall standings. He now leads the championship with 285 points. Suzuki’s consistency and impressive displays have reflected the performance of the Hankook tyre. The next event in the Stock Car Pro Series takes place from 28th to 30th June at the 3.493-kilometre circuit in Velocitta, Brazil.
Highlights of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8cZVrOQA7M
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlpKwZ9y1H8
Exciting race weekend at Road America
The second race weekend of this season’s Formula Regional Americas Championship took place from 16th to 19th May at the 6.5-kilometre Road America circuit. Patrick Woods-Toth from the Crosslink Kiwi Motorsport team won the opening race. The Canadian used the perfect grip provided by the Hankook race tyre to claim a commanding victory and set the fastest lap of the weekend (2:03.981 minutes). He was followed home in second place by his team-mate Titus Sherlock (USA), for whom the second and third races were to prove particularly successful. Sherlock overcame strong opposition to win both races and celebrate his success on the podium. The next race in the Formula Regional Americas Championship takes place from 13th to 16th June, when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosts the junior Formula series.
Successful event for Tangavelou and Del Pino at the Red Bull Ring
Round two of the Eurocup-3, at the Red Bull Ring in Austria from 17th to 19th May, was a successful weekend for the MP Motorsport team. Owen Tangavelou (France/Vietnam) dominated race one from start to finish. Starting from pole position, the Hankook Ventus Race helped him get off to the perfect start, and Tangavelou then successfully held off the rest of the field before taking the chequered flag and a commanding lights-to-flag victory after 22 laps of racing. Race two saw an impressive display from Spain’s Bruno Del Pino, who battled his way into the lead from third on the grid. He held onto that lead until the finish, thanks to the reliable performance of the Hankook race tyre. The youngsters in the Formula series are back in action from 7th to 9th June at Portimão on the Portuguese Algarve coast.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWdznkfLrVM
Stříteský gives Hankook cause for celebration: Perfect grip leads to victory at the Rally Český Krumlov
Racing on Hankook tyres, Dominik Stříteský and co-driver Jiří Hovorka from the Czech Republic took victory at the Rally Český Krumlov, which formed part of the FIA European Rally Trophy from 17th to 18th May. Hankook’s high-performance tyres mastered the challenge with great aplomb, overcoming demanding special stages and changing surfaces. The result: victory on nine of the 15 stages. The third-placed pair in the Czech Rally Championship, Czech driver Filip Mareš and his compatriot Radovan Bucha, also relied on the quality and performance of the Hankook tyre.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skCmUqOYFVc
Thrilling Formula E double header in China
The world’s third largest metropolis Shanghai hosted race eleven and twelve of the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Optimal energy and tyre management were the key to success on the 3.051-kilometre long Shanghai International Circuit.
In cloudy skies and 27 degrees Celsius race eleven was held on Saturday. Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) took the lead towards the end of the race and drove to victory, with the necessary grip of the Hankook iON Race. German Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein finished the race in second place. He was followed by Evans’ team-mate and compatriot Nick Cassidy in third place. Sunday’s race twelve saw cloudy skies and 33 degrees Celsius. It was also predominantly characterised by tactics. Frequent changes of position across the field made for plenty of variety and nail-biting moments down to the wire. Portuguese driver António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) won race twelve of the Formula E World Championship. Second place was Jake Hughes (GB/NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) ahead of Norman Nato (FR/Andretti Formula E) in third place.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4qLBW1dBUM