NEU-ISENBURG, Germany (Feb. 1, 2012) — Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. will be the exclusive race tire supplier to two Italian road racing series, the Superstars International Series and GT Sprint International Series, for the next several years.
The South Korean tire maker said its Ventus F200 racing tires will be used as the slick option and Z207 as rain tires on ultimate sports cars in Italy and abroad within the framework of a long-term partnership with the series, with race tracks visited by the Italian partner racing series including classic circuits such as Monza and Spa. The final race of the season will be held for the first time in Sentul, Indonesia.
The exclusive partnership with FG Group, the organizer of the international racing series is, us “a further endorsement of Hankook's passionate commitment to motor racing," the company said.
"Hankook proved it has the technical skill necessary to equip all the competitors of a racing series with high-quality standard tires of the same high performance class in 2011, during its extremely successful first DTM (German Touring Car Championship) season as the exclusive tire partner to the premium manufacturers Audi and Mercedes.”
Hee-Se Ahn, vice president marketing, Hankook Tire Europe, said the extension of the company's motor racing commitment to Italy “is a logical step for us, following our successful start to the DTM last year. Italy is a country that lives and breathes motor racing, which perfectly matches our motto ‘Driving Emotion'.”
Competing in the Superstars International Series are vehicles made by Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Jaguar, Lexus, Maserati, Mercedes and Porsche. The GT Sprint International series features cars made by Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Porsche and Chevrolet.
“Being able to trust the tires is a key factor in motor racing, particularly on challenging tracks like the ones used in the Superstars International Series and GTSprint International Series,” said Manfred Sandbichler, motor racing director at Hankook Tire Europe.
“In addition, extremely powerful and heavy super sports cars are on the grid here. The weight of these fast cars combined with very powerful V8 engines is particularly challenging for the tires. Our long years of involvement in different European racing series have proved that our racing tires are more than able to cope with these loads, and we are greatly looking forward to our first joint racing season with the FG Group.”
The two series will be shown on free and pay TV in 175 countries worldwide, with live coverage in 36 major markets, according to Hankook Tire Europe, which is based in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt.