Tough test for the Hankook race tyre at the Ardennes Rollercoaster

12H Spa-Francorchamps is round three of this season’s 24H Series powered by Hankook
Demanding layout puts drivers, cars and race tyres to the test
Unpredictable weather in the Ardennes can be the X factor

Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 21.04.2022 – The 24H Series powered by Hankook enters its third round. The renowned endurance series is in Belgium this weekend for the Hankook 12H Spa-Francorchamps. The race is split over two days. The field of roughly 50 starters contest the first 5.5 hours from 12:25 (CEST) on Saturday, before returning at 11:20 on Sunday for the second 6.5 hours. For the Hankook Ventus Race tyre, the Ardennes Rollercoaster is the biggest challenge on the entire calendar in the 24H Series powered by Hankook.

The 7.004-kilometre Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps winds its way through the Ardennes in an exciting sequence of corners, long straights and undulating sections. Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “The big changes in elevation make for high compression values. Furthermore, the drivers take some of the corners very fast, which generates huge amounts of g-force. This combination puts great strain on the tyre construction. However, the Ventus Race has always mastered this challenge in the past.”

The variations in temperature are particularly treacherous at the Ardennes Rollercoaster, as the track runs through woodland in some places and temperatures can even be below zero at this time of year. “Similar to the Nürburgring, which is less than 100 kilometres away, the race tyre cools down in some sections of the circuit. This makes it difficult for the drivers to maintain the ideal level of grip. For example, the tyre temperature can drop in the downhill section before Eau Rouge, forcing the drivers to adapt when they accelerate out of the corner,” Manfred Sandbichler explains.

The challenging layout lends itself to a conservative, tyre-friendly set-up with reduced camber. However, the X factor in Spa-Francorchamps is always the weather. A race weekend in the Ardennes without a single drop of rain is a genuine rarity. Hankook’s Motorsport Director: “As the circuit is relatively long and very hilly, the drivers must cope with the fact that, should it rain, some sections will be wet, while others are dry. However, it is precisely these uncertainties that add to the special allure of Spa-Francorchamps, which last hosted the 24H Series powered by Hankook in 2019. I am looking forward to an exciting race, which is sure to be spectacular again.”

Photos: Petr Fryba

O kompaniji Hankook Tire

Kompanija Hankook Tire se bavi proizvodnjom globalno inovativnih i nagrađivanih radijalnih pneumatika dokazanog vrhunskog kvaliteta namenjenih putničkim automobilima, lakim kamionima, SUV vozilima, kamperskim vozilima, teretnjacima i autobusima, kao i moto-sportu (kružne i ulične trke/reliji).

Nastojeći da potrošačima pruži izvrstan kvalitet proizvoda, tehnološko preimućstvo i zadovoljstvo vožnje, Hankook Tire neprekidno ulaže u istraživanje i razvoj u svojih pet I&R centara i osam proizvodnih pogona širom sveta. Rešenja za pneumatike napravljena po meri evropskih tržišta, kao i evropska originalna oprema prilagođena zahtevima vodećih vrhunskih proizvođača automobila, razvijena su u regionalnom tehničkom centru kompanije smeštenom u Hanoveru/Nemačka. Proizvodnja za evropski region se obavlja u vrhunski opremljenom industrijskom postrojenju u Racalmašu/Mađarska koje je pušteno u rad juna 2007. i neprekidno se proširuje.

Evropsko sedište kompanije Hankook Tire se nalazi u Noj Izenburgu kod Frankfurta na Majni, Nemačka. Proizvođač pneumatika ima svoja predstavništva u nekoliko evropskih zemalja i prodaje svoje proizvode preko regionalnih distributera na drugim lokalnim tržištima. Hankook Tire zapošljava skoro 20.000 ljudi širom sveta i prodaje svoje proizvode u preko 160 zemalja. Kompanija je izabrana za tehničkog partnera i ekskluzivnog dobavljača pneumatika za generaciju 3 za FIA ABB Svetsko prvenstvo Formule E, počev od 2023. Kada je reč o njihovoj originalnoj opremi, vodeći proizvođači automobila na međunarodnoj sceni pouzdaju se u Hankook pneumatike. Oko 38 procenta globalne prodaje kompanije generiše se u okviru regiona Evrope.

Više informacija potražite na sajtu www.hankooktire-mediacenter.com ili www.hankooktire.com

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