High-flying René Rast wins in Spielberg on Hankook race tyres to make it four DTM victories in a row

René Rast’s spectacular run continues. The 31-year-old won race two of the penultimate round of the 2018 DTM season at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg on Sunday. His latest success comes on the back of victory on Saturday and a brace of wins at the Nürburgring, making the Audi racer only the fourth driver in arguably the most popular international touring car series to take his place on the top step of the podium after four races in a row. The race tyre provided by exclusive DTM partner Hankook produced a strong and balanced performance all weekend at the circuit in the Austrian Alps. The tyre’s high level of consistency allowed all the drivers to adopt individual pit stop strategies.

Spielberg/Austria, 24th September 2018 – René Rast started Sunday’s race on a dry track in Spielberg from seventh on the grid. However, a flying start allowed him to climb straight into fourth place. The Audi driver was the first of the leading group to come in for a fresh set of the Hankook race tyre on lap 16. Shortly thereafter he was able to pass Gary Paffett and Paul Di Resta (both Mercedes-Benz), who were running second and third and made their mandatory pit stops on lap 17 and 18.

Rast then overtook race leader and fellow Audi driver Nico Müller, before going on to cross the finish line first with a lead of 0.421 seconds after 40 laps of racing. Paffett and Di Resta came home third and fourth behind Müller. The best-placed BMW driver was Joel Eriksson in fifth. Rast remains third overall after his fourth DTM win in a row. However, he now lies just 30 points behind championship leader Di Resta (Mercedes-Benz), who leads fellow Mercedes-Benz driver Paffett by just four points.

Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “René Rast is on an incredible run – four wins in a row is sensational, given the strength of depth in the DTM. However, Mercedes-Benz drivers Di Resta and Paffett also produced great performances at the Red Bull Ring. The same goes for the Hankook race tyre, which worked perfectly in a wide range of conditions, whether it be hot, cold, dry or wet. I am looking forward to the exciting finale in Hockenheim, where Paul Di Resta, Gary Paffett and René Rast will do battle for the title.”

Audi Sport Team Phoenix produced the fastest pit stop of the race weekend at the Red Bull Ring, in a time of 34.874 seconds. Their effort was rewarded with 25 points towards the Hankook Best Pit Stop Award.

René Rast (Audi): “I am on a huge run at the moment and am delighted with my fourth DTM win in a row. Everything worked perfectly today. I had a great car and great Hankook tyres. I am looking forward to the finale in Hockenheim.”

Nico Müller (Audi): “The track was dry from the start, so you had to manage the Hankook race tyre well and keep an eye on tyre wear. I did that better in my second stint than the first and got through the laps well on the Hankook tyre.”

Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz): “Third place from pole is not ideal but, on the whole, it has been a good Sunday race for me. The Hankook race tyre worked really well in cool temperatures in qualifying, and it was incredibly consistent in the race. We will have to improve our pace a little at the finale in Hockenheim.”

Joel Eriksson (BMW): “I drove on Hankook tyres in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship and only ever had very good experiences on them. That has also been the case in the DTM. They were very quick and incredibly consistent again today, which allowed me to defend fifth place right through to the finish."

À propos d’Hankook Tire

Hankook Tire fabrique à l’échelle mondiale des pneumatiques radiaux premium et innovants – dont plusieurs ont été primés – destinés aux véhicules de tourisme, 4X4/SUV, utilitaires, poids lourds, autobus ainsi qu’aux véhicules de sports automobiles (courses sur circuit, circuits urbains, rallyes).

Afin d'offrir à ses clients une qualité optimale associée à l'excellence technologique et au confort de conduite, Hankook investit en permanence dans la recherche et le développement. L'entreprise élabore et produit des solutions de pneumatiques sur mesure, parfaitement adaptées aux exigences et aux demandes des marchés régionaux dans cinq centres de développement internationaux et huit grandes usines. En Europe, le développement des pneumatiques ainsi que la production des équipements de première monte sont effectués dans le Centre technique d'Hankook à Hanovre en Allemagne selon les critères des plus grands constructeurs automobiles européens. Les pneumatiques sont produits au sein de l'usine européenne ultra moderne de Rácalmás en Hongrie, qui a été inaugurée en 2007 et ne cesse d'être agrandie depuis.

Le siège européen du manufacturier de pneumatiques est situé à Neu-Isenburg, près de Francfort-sur-le-Main en Allemagne. Le manufacturier possède des filiales dans plusieurs pays européens et vend ses produits par l'intermédiaire de distributeurs régionaux sur d'autres marchés locaux. Hankook emploie environ 20 000 salariés dans le monde entier et commercialise ses produits dans plus de 160 pays. L’entreprise a été choisie comme partenaire technique et fournisseur exclusif de pneumatiques de la Génération 3 pour le championnat du monde de Formule E de la FIA ABB, à partir de 2023. Pour leurs équipements de première monte, les plus grands constructeurs automobiles font confiance aux pneumatiques fabriqués par Hankook. L'Europe représente environ 38 % du chiffre d'affaires global de l'entreprise.

Pour obtenir plus d’informations, veuillez consulter www.hankooktire-mediacenter.com ou www.hankooktire.com

Hankook Tire Europe GmbH | Marketing Communications Europe | Siemensstr. 14, 63263 Neu-Isenburg | Germany