Hankook Tire drivers Tanner Foust and Ryuji Miki placed first and second, respectively, at this weekend’s Formula Drift event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The one-two finish marked Hankook’s first ever Formula Drift win and the first time two Hankook drivers finished together on the podium.
This weekend’s results put two Hankook drivers within reach of the Formula Drift championship.
“In a highly competitive season, this weekend’s podium finishes mark significant milestones for Hankook Tire’s motorsports efforts in Formula Drift,” said Hankook Tire Motorsports Manager Jason Kim. “Our drivers gave very strong performances despite the difficult racing conditions. We hope to carry this momentum into the next series event in Seattle next month.”
After climbing their way to the final round, Papadakis Racing’s Foust and Dynamic Autosport’s Miki faced each other to battle for the top spot. In the first run, Foust took a superior drifting line with a high entry speed and a lot of smoke. On the second run Miki continued with the consistency that got him to the finals but Foust was right on his bumper for the win.
“The team and I went from zero to hero after failing to qualify for the main competition last event,” said defending Formula Drift champion Foust. “Heat is a tire’s worst enemy. I can’t think of a more extreme test of a tire than to drift it with the 600hp Rockstar/Scion tC -- in Vegas -- in July. Not only did the Hankook RS-3 stand up to these conditions, in the series with more tire manufacturers represented than any other motorsport on the planet, the Hankooks finished first and second -- truly impressive.”
Stephan Papadakis, Team Papadakis owner, said “It is really hard to win a Formula D event. Fortunately, the Rockstar/Scion tC ran flawlessly in the 105+ heat and Tanner was in A+ form all day. Speed was definitely a factor in tandem competition and our Hankook R-S3 tires had the grip to allow Tanner's 88-plus mph entry speeds."
Foust currently sits in the eighth spot in the points standing, with fellow Hankook driver Robbie Nishida from Team Dynamic Autosports residing in seventh.
Hankook’s Formula Drift drivers are racing with the new Ventus R-S3, a successor to the track-proven Ventus R-S2 and compliment to the Ventus Z214 racing tires. The brand has applied its latest motorsports technology to improve dry-grip performance by 30%, further enhancing the tire’s handling capabilities and maximizing the footprint contact patch.
Eddie Kim, Team Dynamic Autosports owner, said “The Hankook RS-3 tire was one of the key contributing factors to the Hankook/Apexi RX-7’s victory this weekend. The ability to maintain its consistency, excellence in traction and stability in extreme heat is always a struggle and the Hankook Tires really stood above the rest.”
For more Hankook race and tire information, visit www.hankooktireusa.com.
