Extreme weather stops the Hankook FFF Racing Team at its first 24h race

After the Hankook FFF Racing Team had made a perfect start to the 49th edition of the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring by securing first place in the second qualifying session on Friday, the weather prevented the team from mounting an attack on the lead as the race progressed. Strong winds that threatened to reach hurricane strength and heavy rainfall contributed to a not-at-fault collision involving the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO in the opening phase, and the car had to pit for some lengthy repairs. After remaining at a standstill for more than two hours, the team decided to use the remaining time for some intensive testing under racing conditions.

Nürburg, Germany, 06.06.2021 – The Hankook FFF Racing Team could hardly have made a better start to the legendary 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. Under cloudy skies, Marco Mapelli took his seat in the cockpit of the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO in low temperatures. The Italian driver began the 24-hour marathon at exactly 15:30 on the high-end slick Hankook Ventus Race tyres. Mapelli made a very good start, using the optimum potential of the tyres and moving up from 19th on the grid to fifth position inside just 20 minutes, despite the difficult track conditions.

However, the advent of heavy rain on many sections of the 25.378-kilometre circuit in the Eifel put a stop to this fantastic chasing performance. Mapelli had to head for the pits to switch to the wet-weather variant of the Hankook Ventus Race. The increasingly heavy downpour and standing water on the track caused some chaotic scenes throughout the field. Cars were sliding off the circuit, spinning out and colliding. The Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO from the Hankook FFF Racing Team did not emerge unscathed from these events and the pit stop required to repair the damage lasted more than two hours. As so much time had been lost, the team decided not to mount a risky charge during the remainder of the race. Instead, they chose to use the time left to concentrate on intensive set-up testing with the four drivers, Marco Mapelli, Franck Perera, Mirko Bortolotti and Giacomo Altoè.

Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “That is racing. Everyone on the grid at this classic event knows that plenty can happen during a 24-hour race – especially in the Eifel. Starting the race with Marco Mapelli moving up to fifth after that unbelievable chasing performance was just superb. The car and tyres worked perfectly. Unfortunately, the weather scotched all that. It was absolutely the right decision to use the remainder of the race for testing after spending such a long time in the pits. We were able to make the best out of the situation.”

Mirko Bortolotti had already made his mark during Friday’s night-time qualifying session with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO. The Lamborghini works driver completed a lap of the combination of Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit in 8:18.575 minutes to secure the best time of the day.

Sobre Hankook Tire

Hankook Tire es uno de los principales fabricantes de neumáticos con mayor volumen de producción de todo el mundo de innovadores neumáticos radiales y de altas prestaciones en el segmento Premium para turismos, SUVs, todoterrenos, vehículos comerciales, autocaravanas, camiones, autobuses y vehículos de competición (pruebas en circuitos y carreras callejeras/rallies).

Con el fin de ofrecer a sus clientes la máxima calidad combinada con la excelencia tecnológica, Hankook invierte continuamente en investigación y desarrollo manteniendo sus cinco centros de I+D y ocho grandes fábricas en todo el mundo. La compañía desarrolla y produce soluciones de neumáticos especialmente adaptadas a las exigencias y requerimientos de los mercados regionales.

Además, en el Centro Técnico Europeo de Hankook situado en Hannover (Alemania) se desarrollan neumáticos de Equipo Original de acuerdo con los requerimientos de los fabricantes de vehículos líderes en este continente. La producción para la región europea se desarrolla principalmente en la fábrica ultra moderna de la compañía en Rácalmás (Hungría), inaugurada en 2007 y en proceso de expansión continua.

La Oficina Central Europea del fabricante de neumáticos está situada en Neu-Isenburg, cerca de Frankfurt del Meno en Alemania. El fabricante opera en la mayoría de países europeos y vende sus productos a través de distribuidores regionales en otros mercados locales. La compañía cuenta con 20.000 trabajadores en todo el mundo y sus productos se distribuyen en más de 160 países. La empresa ha sido seleccionada como socio técnico y proveedor exclusivo de neumáticos de la Generación 3 para el Campeonato Mundial de Fórmula E ABB de la FIA, a partir de 2023. Los fabricantes de vehículos líderes confían en los neumáticos de Equipo Original de Hankook. Aproximadamente, el 34 por ciento de las ventas globales de la compañía se generan en Europa y la región CIS.

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