The Story of Nov, 2023

Cecília Rabelo becomes the first woman to take pole position in the Brazilian Formula 4 Championship

Cecília Rabelo produced a stroke of genius at the penultimate round of this season’s Brazilian Formula 4 Championship (3^rd to 5^th November). In front of 267,000 spectators at the circuit for the São Paulo GP, the Brazilian was the only driver to take to the track for qualifying on wet tyres. Thanks to the high level of grip provided by the Hankook tyres, Rabelo was still able to demonstrate her potential in the difficult conditions. Her time of 1:48.064 minutes was the fastest lap of the entire session. This was something that no female racing driver had ever managed before, making Rabelo the first woman ever to secure pole position in the Brazilian Formula 4 Championship.

Video of Cecília Rabelo’s pole position: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8HInewzPXY

Champions on wet tyres: Joel Meili and Fabian Tillmann claim the RCN title

The finale of the Circuit Challenge Nürburgring (RCN) took place on 28^th October in persistent rain and with temperatures around ten degrees Celsius. A total of 160 starters faced difficult conditions at the iconic racetrack in Germany. The strong performance of the Hankook Ventus Race helped favourites Joel Meili (Switzerland) and Fabian Tillmann (Germany) stay error-free in the three-hour race. Second place in the RS 4 class was enough to see them clinch the title. The winning car will be the main attraction at the RCN stand at the Essen Motor Show (Germany) from 1^st to 10^th December.

Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj5iMdDwbWk&t=161s

Franco Girolami is the new TCR Italy champion

All season the competitors in TCR Italy were embroiled in a thrilling battle for the title on Hankook tyres. Spectators at the finale in Imola (Italy) from 27^th to 29^th October were again treated to a top-class show. Argentinean Franco Girolami finished runner-up in the penultimate race of the season to wrap up the title in the Italian championship. Second place gave the South American touring car specialist an unassailable lead going into the final race. Next year, TCR Italy will again feature six events at various circuits throughout Italy.

Race 1 replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvf-7fdX6rQ&t=4279s
Race 2 replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXTm1Nkh6cE&t=1166s

Hat-trick of wins for Christian Ho – Theophile Naël celebrates winning the title

France’s Theophile Naël took a 65-point lead into the final event of this season’s Formula 4 Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Saintéloc Racing driver wasted little time in converting his first ‘match point’, coming home third in the opening race to wrap up the title. Christian Ho from Singapore enjoyed a perfect weekend on his way to finishing runner-up in the championship. The Hankook tyre supported the Asian driver with an excellent level of performance, helping Ho to take victory in three races. The hat-trick of wins saw Ho close to within 23 points of the champion. The series announced its calendar for the 2024 season before the finale. Next year, the Spanish talent factory will line up at seven different racetracks in France, Portugal and Spain.

Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpPqnihbHRY
Champion interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kahBcWgSIFQ

Esteban Masson is crowned the first Eurocup-3 champion

The final race weekend of the Eurocup-3 season at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (11^th to 12^th November) promised to deliver a thrilling battle for the title, as Frenchman Esteban Masson arrived at the circuit in the Catalonia region of Spain with a slender one-point lead over Mari Boya (Spain). However, the showdown failed to materialise, as Masson dominated every session of the event on the Hankook Ventus Race. With two pole positions, victory in both races and two fastest laps, the Campos Racing driver not only enjoyed his most successful event of the season, but also clinched the Eurocup-3 title in emphatic style. The series plans to stage eight events at six European racetracks in 2024.

Summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUTZ99PFdfI
Champion interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=subZ2jpniwU

Down to the wire: Brendon Leitch is the new champion in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe

Autodromo Vallelunga, to the north of the Italian capital Rome, hosted the final event of this season’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe from 15^th to 17^th November. 50 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 – all fitted with Hankook tyres – provided some thrilling moments for the 10,000 fans at the circuit. Excitement levels were particularly high after the eleventh race of the season, when Mattia Michelotto (Italy) and Gilles Stadsbader (Belgium) took the chequered flag to move to the top of the table. However, New Zealand’s Brendon Leitch was still firmly in the title race, trailing the championship leaders by just 1.5 points with one race remaining. Third place in the final race of the season was sufficient for the Leipert Motorsport driver to reclaim top spot at the decisive moment and clinch the title.

Replay of event 6, race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckfyvm52RPU
Replay of event 6, race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pexZUHwfKTI&t=4176s

Hankook Best Livery Award for Oregon Team

Oregon Team were delighted to receive a special accolade at the Lamborghini Super Trofeo presentation ceremony in Vallelunga (18^th November). A vote on the Hankook Motorsport Instagram channel saw users select the winner of the Hankook Best Livery Award. The Italian racing team’s traditional pink, yellow and green design proved most popular. Sanghoon Lee, President and COO of Hankook Tire Europe, presented the trophy to Marzio Moretti (Italy), who this year won two races in the winning livery alongside Sebastian Balthasar (Germany).

Amaury Bonduel wins the tenth edition of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals

The Lamborghini Super Trofeo World Finals, in the Italian municipality of Vallelunga from 16^th to 19^th November, were the culmination of an extremely successful first season for Hankook as official tyre partner. No fewer than 82 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 started the highlight of the 2023 season on the Hankook Ventus Race. The protagonists, in their 600-hp sports cars, thrilled the 10,000 spectators with some captivating motorsport action. Victory in the opening race and third place in race two, thanks in part to the strong performance of the Hankook tyre, made it a perfect end to the season for France’s Amaury Bonduel. The driver from the BDR Competition by Grupo Prom team (Belgian) was crowned the new World Final champion with 27 points. Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe: “That was a fantastic end to our first season as official tyre partner of Lamborghini Super Trofeo. I would like to thank all the competitors for an exciting season with a very high standard of motorsport, and obviously to congratulate the winners on their success. The Hankook Ventus Race and the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 are a good team. The drivers are able to pull off their manoeuvres on the track, thanks to the impressive performance and high grip level.”

Highlight video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6pqsOSGGVo

FIA Formula E receives the Net Zero Award

FIA Formula E, in which Hankook has been involved since last season as official technical partner and tyre supplier, received the award for the best Net Zero Strategy at the Net Zero Awards in London (15^th November). The fully-electric world championship has been CO₂-free since it was launched in 2014 and achieved more than half of its sustainability goals for 2030 within the last three years. Premium tyre maker Hankook also made a vital contribution to the future strategy: the high-performance tyres supplied are made from roughly 30 percent sustainable material. The new season of the flagship championship gets underway on 13^th January in Mexico City.

FIA Formula E completes its calendar for Season 10

Arrivederci Rome, Ciao Misano! The fully-electric FIA Formula E World Championship is changing its venue in Italy for Season 10. After three back-to-back ePrix in Rome, the series is moving to the Adriatic Coast. The next permanent racetrack to join the calendar is the 4.2-kilometre Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The event will take place as a double-header from 13^th to 14^th April. A further two circuits will make their debut in the 2024 season, in the form of Tokyo and Shanghai.