Stories
The Story of Sep, 2024
30 Sep 2024
Felipe Baptista takes the lead in the Stock Car Pro Series at Velopark
From 6th to 8th September, fans watched two exciting races at round eight of this year’s Stock Car Pro Series at Velopark in southern Brazil. The Hankook Ventus Race consistently provided the drivers with optimal grip at all times on the 2.278-kilometre track. Brazilian driver Rafael Suzuki took full advantage of the excellent grip to secure pole position in qualifying. The 30-minute sprint race saw Brazil’s Gianluca Petecof take the chequered flag first, followed by his compatriot Felipe Baptista from Crown Racing. Sunday’s main race was won by Baptista, ahead of his brother Vitor from Scuderia Chiarelli. That success was enough to lift Felipe Baptista to the top of the table on 675 points. The next event takes place from 4th to 6th October in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Sprint highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN0Ms5sr7aU
Main race highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f28QrvlzxJg
TCR Italy impresses spectators in Imola and Vallelunga with awesome touring car action
Fans were treated to a feast of touring car racing when Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola hosted TCR Italy from 6th to 8th September. 25 drivers, all on Hankook tyres, went head to head in ideal conditions at the challenging 4.909-kilometre circuit. Victory in the opening race went to Honda driver Ruben Volt from Estonia, before Italy’s Nicola Baldan won race two in an Audi RS3 LMS.
Just 14 days later, the next TCR Italy race took place at the 4.085-kilometre Autodromo Vallelunga to the north of Rome. Canadian driver Nicolas Taylor made great use of the high grip level provided by the Hankook tyre, securing pole position before winning the opening race of the weekend. Hungarian Levente Losonczy then left the opposition in his wake in race two, taking victory and some valuable points. Baldan leads the overall standings with 319 points, followed by Ruben Volt on 301. Next up is the Royal Park in Monza from 25th to 27th October.
Full replay of race one in Imola: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdI6vZYeRbY
Full replay of race two in Imola: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or9mAPdwikw&t=25s
Full replay of race one in Vallelunga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqgn-kNAfqE
Full replay of race two in Vallelunga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDtNwHqCSCU
Thailand Super Series: Audi and Honda triumph in Sepang
From 6th to 8th September, the Thailand Super Series was at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. The 5.543-kilometre track posed some real challenges to the 24 drivers and their cars in the GT3, GT4 and GTM classes. Despite unsettled weather in Saturday evening’s race and a dry race on Sunday, the Hankook Ventus Race still consistently provided the drivers with a very high level of grip. Malaysian driver Akash Nandy and Eshan Pieris from Sri Lanka, at the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo2, came out on top in the battle for pole position in qualifying. The fellow Audi pairing of Huang Ruohan and Lin Hao from China started the race from third place, but took full advantage of the Hankook tyre’s performance in the dry and when the rain started to fall, climbing two places to claim victory. Race two saw the Thai duo of Piti Bhirombhakdi and Kantasak Kusiri take a commanding lights-to-flag victory in a Honda NSX GT3 for Singha Motorsport Team Thailand. The season finale takes place from 13th to 15th December at Chang International Circuit in Thailand.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_CtP3NsAUE
Nielsen makes a big statement in the NXT Gen Cup at the Sachsenring
He was the driver of the weekend in Saxony – Denmark’s Victor Nielsen enjoyed a virtually perfect round of the NXT Gen Cup at the Sachsenring from 6th to 8th September, winning three of four races. Only Dutchman Calvin de Groot was able to prevent him from completing a full house, denying Nielsen with victory in race three at the 3.645-kilometre circuit. What made Nielsen’s success particularly remarkable was the way he fought back to clinch victory in each of the races he won, having started from third, eighth and seventh on the grid. Aided by the strong performance of the Hankook tyre, which provided him with the grip required to pull off his overtaking manoeuvres, Nielsen clawed back place after place on his way to victory. Success at the Sachsenring means the Dane now lies second in the overall standings with 275 points, just 24 behind championship leader de Groot. The Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg will host the season finale from 18th to 20th October. The final two races will decide who is crowned champion of the 2024 NXT Gen Cup.
Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICJWuQxLZdw
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzQJLX5dA2Y
Full replay of race 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBfeMDz08cM
Full replay of race 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-0L3sPSyaw&t=713s
Title race heats up in the GR Cup Spain in Valencia
Round three of the GR Cup Spain took place on 14th and 15th September at the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste, Spain. The winner of the opening qualifying session on Saturday was Spaniard Adrián Ferrer. The pole-sitter was supported by the outstanding performance of the Hankook tyre on his flying lap. However, it was his rival Iván Riera from Spain who took full advantage of the strength of the Hankook tyre in the early stages of race one, passing Ferrer to take the lead. Riera showed no signs of weakness as the race progressed and went on to take a commanding victory.
On the Sunday, it was once again the battle between Ferrer and Riera in race two that kept the spectators on the edge of their seats. The lead changed hands between these two drivers on several occasions. This time, however, Ferrer emerged triumphant. Ferrer now leads the championship with an eight-point advantage over his compatriot Félix Aparicio. The GR Cup Spain drivers next travel to Jerez on 5th and 6th October.
Full replay of race 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNnueMSrduc
Full replay of race 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS9jerwBNi8
Jansen and Poland win the Supercar Challenge title in Zandvoort
The champions of the GT division in this year’s Supercar Challenge powered by Hankook are Mex Jansen and Jordin Poland. The two Dutch BMW drivers showed plenty of fighting spirit at their home race weekend in Zandvoort in mid-September. Having finished runner-up behind Dutchmen Daan Meijer and Cor Euser in the opening race, the Koopman Racing duo in a BMW M6 GT3 had to start from the pit lane on the Sunday. What followed was an impressive fightback, much to the delight of the fans. In the end, Jansen and Poland were first across the finish line to take victory and wrap up the title in the GT division with races still to come. The premium tyres provided by partner Hankook played an important role in their success. The Ventus Race gave the champions lots of confidence and grip, allowing them to gradually work their way through to the front of the field. The protagonists will meet up for the championship finale at TT Circuit Assen from 25th to 27th October.
Herberth Motorsport celebrates fourth victory at the Hankook 24H Barcelona
Herberth Motorsport took overall victory for the fourth time at the 25th staging of the Hankook 24H Barcelona. In doing so, they also wrapped up the title in the 24h Series powered by Hankook. Americans Scott Noble, Jason Hart and Dustin Blattner, together with German Ralf Bohn, also raised the distance record for the “GT era” from 725 to 738 laps in a Porsche 992 GT3 R. The Hankook Ventus Race was instrumental in this achievement, thanks to its consistently high grip level. The triumph was a particularly sweet one for Bohn, who became only the second driver to win the endurance race four times. .
Second place went to the Saintéloc Junior Team with Stéphane Tribaudini (France), Michael Doppelmayr (Austria) and Germans Pierre Kaffer, Elia Erhart and Christer Jöns. Poulsen Motorsport battled its way to third place in a BMW M4 GT3. Drivers Kristian Poulsen and Roland Poulsen from Denmark, Alfred Nilsson from Sweden and German Jens Klingmann produced a dazzling display and benefitted from the high grip level of the impressive Hankook tyre in the close battle for the final spot on the podium.
Full replay of 24H Barcelona, part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVnrMhvf3AA
Full replay of 24H Barcelona, part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQFEx9gpguc
Full replay of 24H Barcelona, part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNPp16Ne6ng
Full replay of 24H Barcelona, part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-9Yfo3IIyw
Perfect weekend in Valencia: Hat-trick for Cota in the Spanish Formula 4 Championship
In the Junior competition within the Spanish Formula 4 Championship, Spain’s Juan Cota was on top form at round five of the season, which took place from 13th to 15th September at Circuit Ricardo Tormo. In all three races, the youngster benefitted from the optimal grip level of the Hankook tyre as he claimed emphatic victories. He also set the fastest lap time in two races and secured pole position in the second qualifying session. The junior scored 71 points over the course of the weekend and now lies eighth in the Drivers Championship. Keanu Al Azhari from the United Arab Emirates continues to top the table on 182 points. The drivers now head to Jerez, Spain, for the penultimate round of the season from 4th to 6th October.
Highlights Valencia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlfoKh6_go0
Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America visits Indianapolis
The fifth event of this season’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America took place from 19th to 22nd September at the 3.925-kilometre Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Battling it out for victory were a total of 35 drivers in Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2, all equipped with Hankook’s premium race tyre. In the first qualifying session, American Bryson Morris and France’s Loris Cabirou secured pole position. In the second qualifying, AJ Muss and Joel Miller (both USA) were top of the timings sheet.
In the opening race, Morris and Cabirou benefitted most from the good performance of the premium Hankook tyre and celebrated a comfortable victory. On the Sunday, it was Ernie Francis from the USA and Giano Taurino from South Africa who took full advantage of the optimal grip level of the Hankook tyre, coming through from fourth place on the grid to claim the top spot on the podium. Championship leaders Ernie Francis and Giano Taurino are top of the table with 118 points, followed by Kiko Porto and Nico Jamin with 106, and Danny Formal (Costa Rica) and American Ryan Norman with 105 points. The venue for the grand finale from 15th to 15th November is the circuit in Jerez De La Frontera in Spain.
Full replay of race 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTHNDbtTRYc
Full replay of race 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmYJU9DwYys
Dominik Stříteský wins the title in the 2024 Czech Rally Championship on Hankook tyres
A big success for Hankook and the Czech Republic’s Dominik Stříteský: aided by Hankook’s high-performance tyres, the rally specialist battled his way to the title in the prestigious Czech Rally Championship. He finished runner-up at the Rally Pačejov in Plzeň from 20th to 22nd September. This gave him an unassailable lead in the overall standings. The series is one of the most prestigious rally championships in Europe and demands particularly durable tyres, which are able to cope with the different road conditions.
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kInSTR1t4DU