Daniel Juncadella claims his maiden DTM win as the series returns to Brands Hatch

The return of the DTM and exclusive tyre partner Hankook to Brands Hatch was a happy one for Daniel Juncadella. The Mercedes-Benz driver won Saturday’s race at the iconic English circuit, which this year returned to the calendar in arguably the most popular international touring car series after a five-year absence. This was the first win of the Spaniard’s DTM career. Fellow Mercedes-Benz racer Gary Paffett came home sixth to extend his lead in the championship. The race tyre supplied by premium tyre maker Hankook delivered its usual outstanding performance, offering plenty of grip and a high degree of consistency for 41 laps of the undulating track in Kent.

Brands Hatch/England, 11th August 2018 – The first DTM race at Brands Hatch for five years got underway in summery temperatures on Saturday. While the last race at the iconic English circuit was held on the 1.973-kilometre Indy layout, the field this time took on the 3.908-kilometre Grand Prix Circuit. Daniel Juncadella impressed in qualifying and started the eleventh race of the 2018 DTM season from pole position.

The Mercedes-Benz driver initially dropped two places at the start. However, he was simply unstoppable after coming in for his mandatory tyre change on lap seven. After 41 extremely consistent and fast laps, the Spaniard crossed the finish line in first place, with a 7.896-second lead, to claim his maiden victory in his 67^th DTM race. Augusto Farfus (BMW) took second place. Third place went to Lucas Auer (Mercedes-Benz), who climbs into third place in the Drivers’ Championship behind fellow Mercedes-Benz men Gary Paffett (P6 in the race) and Paul Di Resta, who finished outside the points. The fastest Audi driver was reigning DTM champion René Rast in fourth place.

Hankook Motorsport Director Manfred Sandbichler: “The return to Brands Hatch produced a great race. The spectators witnessed some thrilling motorsport at this fantastic circuit, including a three-way battle between Glock, Green and Rockenfeller who were three abreast for a long time. As always, the Hankook race tyre impressed with a lot of grip and a high level of consistency, supporting all the drivers perfectly at this undulating track.”

Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes-Benz): “My first win in the DTM – that is a great feeling. I came in early for my pit stop, then did 34 long laps of this tough circuit on one set of tyres. Despite the high strain it was under, the Hankook race tyre showed hardly any wear, worked perfectly right through to the finish and, as in qualifying, was very good.”

Augusto Farfus (BMW): “We did not know exactly what to expect from the return to Brands Hatch, as we had little time to test on this longer layout. Thanks to the Hankook race tyre, we were able to manage everything perfectly and had absolutely no problems with the slick on any section of this difficult circuit. The Hankook tyres did a great job again.”

Lucas Auer (Mercedes-Benz): “The Hankook tyre was extremely consistent and very easy to manage. It was quick right through to the finish, which made it a mega race for me.”

René Rast (Audi): “I came into the pits on the opening lap and did practically the entire race on this difficult track at Brands Hatch on one set of tyres. That speaks volumes for the good Hankook tyres.”

Om Hankook Tire

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Företaget investerar löpande i forskning och utveckling för att alltid kunna erbjuda kunderna högsta kvalitet i kombination med den senaste teknologin. Vid företagets fem utvecklingscentra och åtta fabriker världen över utvecklas och produceras däcklösningar, som är speciellt anpassade för de regionala marknadernas krav och behov. I Europa sker däckutvecklingen för lokala marknader samt leverans av originalutrustning till ledande europeiska fordonstillverkare vid Hankooks teknikcentrum i Hannover, Tyskland. Tillverkning sker bland annat i den toppmoderna Europa-fabriken i Rácalmás, Ungern, som invigdes år 2007 och som byggs ut löpande.

Hankooks Europa- och Tysklands-säte ligger i Neu-Isenburg i närheten av Frankfurt am Main. Tillverkaren har ytterligare filialer i flera europeiska länder och säljer sina produkter genom regionala distributörer på andra lokala marknader. Idag har företaget cirka 20 000 anställda och levererar sina produkter till drygt 160 länder. Företaget har valts ut som teknologisk partner och exklusiv däckleverantör till Generation 3 för FIA ABB Formula E World Championship, med start år 2023. Ledande fordonstillverkare förlitar sig på Hankook som originalutrustningsleverantör av däck. Runt 38 % av den globala omsättningen hänför sig till Europa. Hankook Tire uppmärksammades av Dow Jones Sustainability Korea Index (DJSI) redan år 2011 och har sedan år 2016 representerats i Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World).

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