Baron Motorsport show no signs of weakness to win the Hankook 6H Abu Dhabi with the Ferrari 488 GT3

The Hankook 6H Abu Dhabi ended on Saturday with a commanding victory for Austrian team Baron Motorsport. The quintet of Ernst Kirchmayr, Philipp Baron, Roman Ziemian, Axcil Jefferies and Mikkel Mac dominated proceedings throughout the entire race in the #86 Ferrari 488 GT3. After 166 laps of racing, Axcil Jefferies took the chequered flag with a lead of 5:43.100 minutes. Having also won last week’s Hankook 24H Dubai, this was the second victory in a week in the 24H Series powered by Hankook for the driver from Zimbabwe. The Ventus Race tyre provided by premium tyre maker and title sponsor Hankook offered the drivers and teams optimal support with its impressive performance and high degree of consistency in both qualifying and the race.

Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 22 January 2022 – The Hankook 6H Abu Dhabi saw 31 cars from nine manufacturers line up at the partially modified Yas Marina Circuit on Saturday morning. The race took part within the framework of the 24H Series powered by Hankook, but does not count towards the standings in the renowned endurance series, which is organised by Creventic. As the fastest car in qualifying, pole-sitters Baron Motorsport were able to defend their lead at the start. Their fiercest rival in the opening stages of the race was the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 (#88) of the LP Racing team. However, the Italian crew then had to retire with a technical issue just two hours into the race.

As the race progressed, the Ferrari 488 GT3 (#86) controlled the field with some flawless stints and perfect tactics. Taking pit stops into consideration, they almost always led the race. After the fifth and final stop, Axcil Jefferies took the wheel and brought the car home unchallenged to claim victory at the 5.28-kilometre Yas Marina Circuit. He was followed home, with a one lap deficit, by the JR Motorsport team from the Netherlands. Drivers Ted van Vliet and Max Weering had started the race from seventh place in the number 2 BMW M6 GT3, but consistently fought their way through the field and were rewarded with a fine second place. Third place went to the Porsche 911 GT3 R (#48) of Dutch team Saalocin by KoxRacing.

Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “Congratulations to Baron Motorsport on their victory. The team had a great car in the Ferrari 488 GT3 and made perfect use of the Hankook Ventus Race. The BMW M6 GT3 in second place and the Porsche 911 GT3 R in third were also very fast. All the competitors produced outstanding motorsport, and the different pit stop strategies made the race very interesting right down to the finish.”

Axcil Jefferies (Baron Motorsport), #86 Ferrari 488 GT3: “That was a great success, I am proud of the whole team. Everyone did a perfect job. Although we spent a very long time refuelling at the last stop, it was nice and easy for me to bring the victory home in the end.”

Philipp Baron (Baron Motorsport), #86 Ferrari 488 GT3: “I had nothing but fun from start to finish. The team, the car – everything worked perfectly. We were fastest in qualifying, won the race, and set the fastest lap time of 1:53.172 minutes – what more can you ask for?”

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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