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Rollercoaster at Brands Hatch challenging for DTM drivers and the Hankook racing tyres

Brands Hatch is set to host races eleven and twelve of the DTM this weekend. The legendary track in the English county of Kent returned to the tour calendar in 2018. Since then, the DTM races have been held on the 3.908-kilometre Grand Prix track and not on the 1.973-kilometre Indy version as in previous years. The final international stop of the 2019 DTM season, around 30 kilometres south east of London, is another endurance test for the racing tyres of premium maker Hankook, with similarly high levels of strain as in Assen, the Netherlands, three weeks ago.
Rollercoaster at Brands Hatch challenging for DTM drivers and the Hankook racing tyres

Neu-Isenburg/Germany, 6th August 2019 – The 3.908-kilometre demanding track surrounded by nature at Brands Hatch leads through woodland, has six right turns and three left turns, as well as narrow, angular sections. The track surface has a medium level of grip. “Unlike on the smooth, closed asphalt in Assen, the tyres interlock with the track surface at Brands Hatch much better. This means that there is not as much strain on the tread. However, the powerful turbo engines mean that the tyres are put under great strain when accelerating out of the slower sections,” explained Hankook’s DTM race engineer Thomas Baltes.

Another feature of the iconic English track is the great differences in altitude. From the highest point on the start-finish straight, the cars go through the ultrafast Paddock Hill Bend turn into a dip. This is followed by an uphill section and the subsequent Druids hairpin bend, the slowest section of the track. Thomas Baltes: “Like on the Nordschleife at the Nürburgring, there are many uphill and downhill sections at Brands Hatch, which are driven through at great speed. The arising compression increases the strain, which already affects the construction of the Ventus Race through the aerodynamics. The turns that are very fast in places and the high kerbs, which are driven over at top speed, also increase the stress level for the Hankook racing tyres.”

When tuning the car, the asymmetric track layout at Brands Hatch needs to be considered and a compromise found that enables high top speed while maintaining maximum traction. “We have twice as many right-hand turns as left-hand turns, which puts more strain on the front left tyre. This one-sided strain can be reduced with the appropriate car set-up. The long straights mean that the tuning also needs to be aiming for top speed, while also enabling a lot of traction in the narrow sections. Which is why Brands Hatch will be a real challenge for teams, drivers and the Hankook racing tyres once again,” said the Hankook DTM race engineer.

As part of the supporting programme of the DTM, the season finale of the W Series will also be held at Brands Hatch, which is also supplied with racing tyres exclusively by premium maker Hankook.

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

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Rollercoaster at Brands Hatch challenging for DTM drivers and the Hankook racing tyres

Brands Hatch: DTM Brands Hatch 2018 on August, 11, 2018, (Photo by Hoch Zwei) Start Lucas Auer ( AUT, Mercedes HWA AG )

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Rollercoaster at Brands Hatch challenging for DTM drivers and the Hankook racing tyres

Assen: DTM Assen 2019 on July, 21, 2019, (Photo by Hoch Zwei)

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Rollercoaster at Brands Hatch challenging for DTM drivers and the Hankook racing tyres

Brands Hatch: DTM Brands Hatch 2018 on August, 11, 2018, (Photo by Hoch Zwei) Robin Frijns ( NED, Audi Sport Team Abt )

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Rollercoaster at Brands Hatch challenging for DTM drivers and the Hankook racing tyres

Start *** Local Caption *** +++ www.hoch-zwei.net +++ copyright: HOCH ZWEI +++

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