From the Audi Sport TT Cup to the DTM – Fabienne Wohlwend dreams of a career in motorsport

This weekend, the Audi Sport TT Cup visits the Nürburgring for the second time this year. The young drivers are competing in their ninth and tenth races, as part of the DTM, as they move into the final third of the season. Fabienne Wohlwend is one of three women on the grid trying to prevail over their 13 male competitors. The driver from Liechtenstein works for a bank, but motorsport is close to her heart. The 19-year-old is hoping to earn her money in the cockpit of a racing car.

Nürburgring/Germany, 10th September 2017 – Just like many of her male colleagues, Fabienne Wohlwend first experienced motor racing in a kart. “I was seven years old and thought that racing wasn’t for girls. But when my father took me to the kart track for the first time, I was absolutely thrilled when I drove my first laps. It was love at first sight,” says the bank clerk, who chose to pursue her motorsport dreams rather than a skiing career.

In subsequent years, Fabienne Wohlwend won a host of titles as she competed in kart races in Switzerland, Italy and Germany. She entered Formula 4 in 2016, applying for a drive in the Audi Sport TT Cup afterwards. “The selection procedure was tough but it was a great experience working with the coaches from Audi and learning all about motorsport,” says the 19-year-old.

She did not have any problems changing from the rear-wheel drive used in formula sport to the Audi TT’s front-wheel drive, and her male colleagues accepted her right from the start. “Ever since I was a child, I have been competing against boys or men almost all the time, so it was nothing new for me. Men are often more aggressive drivers than women, but that does not make them any faster and can sometimes even be a disadvantage. My colleagues in the Audi Sport TT Cup just view me as a competitor who they have to beat on the track. And when I put that helmet on, I am just a normal racing driver,” explains the young driver.

The race tyres from premium partner Hankook suit the driving style of Fabienne Wohlwend, as she can rely on the strong performance and excellent consistency of the Ventus Race in every phase of the race, allowing her to put strategy perfectly into action. “The tyres from Hankook have a high peak, which is maintained over the full race distance. It is fast and unbelievably reliable, so that I can concentrate fully on the track and on my competitors. However, finding the right tyre pressure to match the circuit and the conditions is important. My engineers really help me with that,” reveals Fabienne Wohlwend.

She is aiming to get into the top ten in her first Audi Sport TT Cup season and she is hoping to secure a seat in a cockpit as a professional racing driver. Fabienne Wohlwend: “I am trying to learn as much as possible and gather some valuable experience, so that I can earn money as a racing driver later on. Driving in the DTM is my dream.”

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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