Hankook Best Pit Stop Award 2017 goes to Audi Sport Team Phoenix

Hockenheim/Germany, 17^th October 2017 – That went well for the Audi Sport Team Phoenix. The crew with Mike Rockenfeller behind the wheel performed, on average, the fastest tyre change of the entire DTM season and has been presented with the Best Pit Stop Award 2017 by Hankook. This is the second time that the Audi team has been able to claim the sought-after prize from the exclusive DTM partner.

Premium partner Hankook has presented the Best Pit Stop Award since joining what is probably the most popular touring car series in the world in 2011, rewarding the important work of the men in the pit lane. The DTM tyre partner provides a crystal trophy that the winners get to keep for a year, as well as putting on an event for the victorious team.

“It is difficult to emphasize just how important the work of the team crews is, especially this season. Only eight mechanics are involved in the tyre change and only one wheel gun is available for each side of the car. The DTM is all about tenths of a second so every move must be spot on during a pit stop, or you could lose a number of places. That is why we want to acknowledge the great performance of the teams in the pit lane, without which no driver in the DTM, or in motorsport in general, would have any chance of success,” says Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe.

Approaching the final race weekend, Audi Sport Team Phoenix already had an unassailable lead in the rankings and had been confirmed as the winner of the Best Pit Stop Award. After another first-place finish at the DTM finale in Hockenheim took the successful crew to a total of four wins and 163 points, 73 ahead of the BMW Team RBM with Maxime Martin in second place and the brand team-mates at the Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline with Mattias Ekström in the cockpit, in third position. The best-placed Mercedes-Benz pit crew was the Mercedes-AMG DTM Team HWA, supporting Edoardo Mortara in fifth place.

Ernst Moser, Audi Sport Team Phoenix team principal: “We are very proud of this prize. It is a great reward for our guys, who work amazingly hard on the tyre changes and practice a lot, as everything must be just right in the race. Winning the Best Pit Stop Award from Hankook proves that all the effort is worth it and we are now looking forward to the team event together with Hankook.”

Overall winners of the Hankook Best Pit Stop Award

2017 Audi Sport Team Phoenix

2016 BMW Team MTEK

2015 Audi Sport Team Abt

2014 Mercedes-AMG Team HWA

2013 BMW Team Schnitzer

2012 Audi Sport Team Abt

2011 Audi Sport Team Phoenix

About Hankook Tire

Hankook Tire manufactures globally innovative, award-winning radial tyres of proven superior quality for passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs, RVs, trucks, and buses as well as motorsports (circuit racing/street circuits/rallies).

Aspiring to bring consumers the utmost excellence in product quality, technological excellence and driving satisfaction, Hankook Tire continuously invests in research and development maintaining five R&D centres and eight production facilities around the world. Bespoke tyre solutions for the European markets as well as European Original Equipment according to the requirements of leading premium car manufacturers, are developed in the company’s regional Technical Centre in Hanover/Germany. Production for the European region is taking place in the state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Rácalmás/Hungary which was inaugurated in June 2007 and is continuously being expanded.

Hankook Tire’s European headquarters are located in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt am Main in Germany. The manufacturer operates further branches in several European countries and sells its products through regional distributors in other local markets. Hankook Tire employs approximately 20,000 people worldwide and sells products in over 160 countries. The company has been the technical partner and exclusive tyre supplier of the Generation 3 for the FIA ABB Formula E World Championship since 2023. Internationally leading car manufacturers rely on tyres made by Hankook for their original equipment. Approximately 38 percent of the company's global sales are generated within the European region.

For more information please visit www.hankooktire-mediacenter.com or www.hankooktire.com

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

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