ATLANTA — Master Class of Racing (MCoR), a newly formed sanctioning entity focused on grassroots road racing, has selected Hankook Tire America Corp. as its spec race-tire supplier for the inaugural 2023 season and beyond.
Hankook will supply MCoR with its F200 slick and Z207 wet tires for MCoR's various classes.
Hankook has agreed to provide on-site services as part of the supply agreement.
- This article appears in the Jan. 16 print edition of Tire Business.
"MCoR is providing a platform for racers who like endurance and want to take the next step up from the currently available endurance programs," Danny van Dongen, CEO of Hankook Motorsports, said.
"This is a perfect fit for us because we already have a strong hold in the endurance segment in the U.S. with our 200 treadwear RS4 tires, but we have been looking for an endurance series here that is competitive enough for our F200 slick tires."
Hankook has been the designated tire supplier for the global 24 Hour Series since 2014, where the company has gained valuable experience in endurance racing, van Dongen said.
As part of the supply agreement, Hankook will offer competitors contingency payments as well as opportunities to win sets of tires at each event.
In its mission statement, MCoR said it sees itself as a development ground for drivers and teams wishing to graduate to the pro level without the cost of competing at a pro level
MCoR events will encompass a range of internationally recognized sports car and sedan classes, including but not limited to GT3, GT4, TCR, LMP3, TCA and NP01, grouped into six classes.
The series will include both qualifying sprint races and endurance races up to four hours, MCoR said. Teams will have to have at least two drivers per car.
The series' inaugural season comprises six racing weekends, starting Feb. 17-19 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Braselton, Ga., and finishing up (tentatively) Nov. 3-5 at Sonoma Raceway in California.
Series founder James Marcellana, an information technology entrepreneur, said the championship was conceived as a pro/am series with accessibility and sustainability at the forefront. The series will provide a platform for hundreds of competitors who have relatively new race cars that may no longer be eligible for or competitive in professional series.
