Hankook Tire has partnered with the Farnbacher Racing Team to take part in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans in Sarthe, France on Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14 for the first time in its 68 year history.
The Farnbacher Racing Team is a leading global racing team that started with the brothers Horst and Herman Farnbacher. Following many victories and championships over the years, they have taken on their most recent victory at the Le Mans Series GT2 Class in Barcelona, Spain where they took on third place amongst 13 competitors, partnered with Hankook.
“Our entry into Le Mans 24-hour is not only to further expose the Hankook brand to motorsports enthusiasts and the general public, but to leverage our involvement in the race as an ideal testing ground for future street tire technologies,” said Global CEO, Seung Hwa Suh. “We consider motor sports as an opportunity to help develop next generation tires that will satisfy the consumer demand. Together with the Farnbacher Team, we believe that this race will be a significant time of discovery for us. We hope to enhance our tire grip and durability in order to further prove our superior technological excellence.”
The Le Mans 24-hour race is known as the world’s oldest and best sports car race in endurance racing. The race has been held annually since 1923 and is commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance. Organized by the Automobile Club de l’Quest (ACO), it is also recognized for its unique circuit which contains closed public roads that are meant to not only test the car and driver’s reflexes, but also to last more than 24 hours.
Hankook Tire has steadily increased its involvement in European racing over recent years. In past seasons, Hankook tires have stood at the starting line of motor sports competitions in Germany, UK, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain. Throughout the years, Hankook Tire has gained experience in various motor sports including the Super GT races in Japan, the CJ Super Race in Korea, the China Circuit Championship (CCC), the China Rally Championship (CRC), and the American Le Mans Series.
With the Le Mans series ranking as the top Hankook Tire motor sports activity, it falls perfectly into alignment with Hankook Tire’s motto, driving emotion. Hankook Tire also plans to maintain its long-term commitment to motor sports, which is the perfect arena to demonstrate the technical competence and high performance of Hankook Tire’s products.
