Stories
The Story of Mar, 2024
28 Mar 2024
Felipe Massa is the new championship leader in the Stock Car Pro Series
28 drivers kicked off the second season of the Stock Car Pro Series with Hankook as official tyre partner with two exciting events in March. Brazilians Rafael Suzuki and Felipe Baptista emerged victorious at the opening round of the Brazilian championship at Autódromo de Goiânia from 1st to 3rd March. The second race weekend, from 22nd to 24th March at Autódromo Velocitta, was particularly successful for former Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa. The Brazilian started Saturday’s sprint race from ninth on the grid and, with the help of Hankook’s premium tyre, had stormed into third place within just a few laps. The two remaining cars ahead of him were also powerless to stop Massa’s charge, as he went on to take victory and climb into first place in the table. Persistent heavy rain forced the cancellation of the main race on the Sunday. The series organisers are currently looking into a new date for the fourth race of the season.
Highlights of race 1 in Goiânia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIZYdN6807k
Highlights of race 2 in Goiânia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kenLsqZJGoE
Highlights of race 1 in Velocitta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHzihU6GGg8
Family battle at the opening round of this season’s Radical Cup North America
This season’s Radical Cup North America opened with a father vs son battle at Sebring International Raceway from 1st to 3rd March. Clint Field and his father Jon benefited all weekend from the optimal grip level and strong performance of the Hankook Ventus Race. The result was three one-twos for the ONE Motorsports team. Clint took victory ahead of his dad in the first and third races. The same pair crossed the finish line in reverse order in race two. Following the season-opener in Florida, Clint Field tops the table with 147 points. His father is hot on his heels with 144 points.
Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSyjkpx1F3M
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcQ9mpvcAf4
Full replay of race 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnNdEmmIibU
At the double in Barcelona: Griffin Peebles wins the championship
Griffin Peebles celebrated the title in the Formula Winter Series after a perfect final weekend on 9th and 10th March at Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya in Spain. The Australian arrived at the Catalonian racetrack as the championship leader and underlined his favourite billing with two race wins. With support from the commanding performance of the Hankook tyre, he left the opposition in his wake in the junior series. During the 2024 season, roughly 50 drivers put their faith in the optimal grip provided by the Hankook race tyre.
Highlights of Barcelona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHodRES1CZI
Big field for the opening round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America
Sebring International Raceway hosted the season-opener in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America from 13th to 15th March. No fewer than 37 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 took to the track on Hankook’s premium tyre. Nico Jamin (France) and his Brazilian team-mate Kiko Porto came through from third place on the grid to take victory in the opening race. Giano Taurino (South Africa) and Ernie Francis (USA) took the chequered flag on the Hankook Ventus Race in race two, having previously finished runner-up. As such, the South African/American duo travels to the next race weekend at Laguna Seca as championship leaders.
Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bf0H1J4ImiA
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KaKfrIj_y4
Fiery samba spectacle for Hankook at the São Paulo E-Prix in Brazil
Britain’s Sam Bird won race four of this season’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on the Hankook iON Race in scorching conditions in the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo on 16th March. Despite thermometers showing 35 degrees and track temperatures around 60 degrees Celsius, the 37-year-old driver from the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team kept a cool head to take the chequered flag at the high-speed, 2.933-kilometre circuit around the Anhembi Sambadrome. He was followed home in second and third place by Mitch Evans (New Zealand) and Oliver Rowland (Great Britain). Ten thousand passionate fans in the grandstands made the Formula E event in South America a colourful samba spectacle, cheering on the 22 drivers as they produced a feast of racing action with many overtaking manoeuvres and duels.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efq9LKuelIo
Team GP Elite wins the Hankook 12H Mugello
Back racing at last: Team GP Elite produced an impressive performance to win the opening round of this season’s 24h Series powered by Hankook in Mugello (22nd to 24th March). The Dutch team dropped to the back of the field after an unscheduled pit stop at the start of the race. However, the quartet of Lucas Groeneveld, Jesse van Kuijk, Daan van Kuijk and Max van Splunteren (all Netherlands) then produced a stunning fightback, taking full advantage of the performance of the Hankook Ventus Race. By the end of the first hour, their Porsche 911 GT3 R was already closing in on the top ten. The team from the province of North Holland then moved to the front of the field in hour four. The Porsche team continued to enjoy the optimal grip level of the Hankook Ventus Race until the end of the race, and retained the upper hand in the rainy closing stages before crossing the finish line in first place after 327 laps. A total of 36 cars started on Hankook race tyres in various classes at the Hankook 12H Mugello.
Full replay of Mugello, part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG3T526XIOs&t=5552s
Full replay of Mugello, part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zx3j4T100I&t=22887s
Three different winners at the season-opener in the Brazilian Formula 4 Championship
The opening round of this season’s Brazilian Formula 4 Championship took place in a mix of sunshine and rain at Autódromo Velocitta from 22nd to 24th March. The Hankook slick provided the drivers with perfect grip in the first two races of the season. The winner of race one was Brazilian Álvaro Cho. Belgium’s Ethan Nobels then held off strong opposition in the junior championship to take victory in race two. The wet tyre came into play in the third and final race of the weekend, which was won by Mattheus Comparatto. Cho leads the championship with 40 points, ahead of Comparatto with 38. Hot on their heels is Rafaela Ferreira (Brazil), who twice finished on the podium at the weekend and currently has 35 points to her name.
Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7wFLYXkCSg
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsPjkSQyeYU
Full replay of race 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8olJ3-gadM
Fun Cup powered by Hankook kicks off the new season in Mettet
The drivers in the Fun Cup powered by Hankook travelled to Circuit Jules Tacheny in Mettet (Belgium) for the opening round of the season (22nd to 24th March). The 31-car field contested two 240-minute races at the 2.280-kilometre circuit. Race one was won by Milo Sens’ (Belgium) team with the number 280 car. After fifth place in the opening race, the Michaël Mazuin Sport (#541) team then claimed victory in the second four-hour race. As a result, the Belgian outfit also moved to the top of the table.
Behind-the-scenes clips: https://www.instagram.com/p/C43IQlotWmp/
https://www.instagram.com/p/C42q3JjN9tJ/