Hankook secures 'multi-year' race tire deal with Formula Renault Eurocup

NEU-ISENBURG, Germany — Renault Sport Racing has selected Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. as the exclusive race tire supplier for the Formula Renault Eurocup, a European racing series for single-seat, open-wheel racers that's considered a "stepping-stone" path to road-racing's pinnacle, Formula 1.

The contract with Hankook is for "multiple" years and replaces one Renault Sport Racing had with Michelin Motorsport for several years.

The 2019 season will comprise 10 two-race weekend events at 10 renowned road-race circuits, starting April 12-14 at Autodromo Monza in Monza, Italy, and concluding in October at a site and date yet to be announced.

The series has approved 10 teams to campaign a pair of cars each. The series will debut a new chassis — the Tatuus F.3 T-318 chassis, powered by a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine — in 2019. The engine, derived from the Renault Mégane R.S. motor, will deliver up to 300 horsepower.

Hankook Motorsport Director Manfred Sandbichler noted that this "long-term co-operation" with Renault Sport Racing expands the South Korean tire maker's European motorsport commitment, which already includes supplying the DTM German Touring Car and FIA Formula 3 European championships.

"We are proud to partner with a car maker that shares the same philosophy of promoting aspiring motorsport talents," Mr. Sandbichler said.

The championship winning driver will join the Renault Sport Academy, a program designed to nurture talented young drivers within the Renault Sport Racing environment and help them advance to more advanced racing series.

Hankook's contract with Renault Sport Racing will include sponsoring the Hankook Trophy for the series' top rookie driver.

Renault Sport Racing also oversees two companion series — FormulaNEC in Europe and Formula Renault Asia — but their tire supply situation hasn't been clarified for 2019. Michelin and Giti Tire, respectively, were those series' suppliers last year.