Unlike circuit racing, WRC competition takes place on closed public roads, where drivers encounter changing surfaces, temperatures and weather conditions.

Marc de Jong, head of business development for WRC Promoter GmbH, said that variety makes rally racing a particularly demanding environment for tire development.

"First of all, rally is all about real cars on real roads," de Jong said.

Hankook develops seven different competition tires for conditions ranging from snow and ice in Sweden to hot pavement in Saudi Arabia and gravel roads in Chile. The ability to adapt to those environments is essential to competing in the championship.

"The key to it is that versatility, being able to deal with anything that comes your way," de Jong said.

Each competitor has approximately 30 to 36 tires available during a rally, depending on the length of the stages. Drivers must select between harder and softer compounds based on road surfaces, weather forecasts and anticipated driving conditions, making tire selection an important part of race strategy.

The tires also contain radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that allow broadcasters to show viewers which tires competitors have mounted, according to de Jong. That gives spectators a way to follow the tire choices drivers make as conditions change throughout the event.

For a field of 40 to 50 cars, de Jong estimated that Hankook could bring 2,000 to 2,500 tires to an event to account for changing conditions and competitors' tire choices.

Williams said Hankook's motorsports engineers work closely with WRC teams and drivers, collaborating with the company's research and development operations in Korea to develop tires capable of meeting the championship's varied demands.

De Jong said that collaboration also gives Hankook access to feedback from some of the world's best rally drivers and the engineers, creating opportunities to evaluate tire performance under demanding conditions.

Although the competition tires are purpose-built for rally racing and aren't sold through Hankook's consumer tire dealers, the engineering lessons extend beyond motorsports.

Hankook says it uses driving data gathered through its involvement in more than 70 motorsports competitions worldwide to support research and development of high-performance tire technology.

De Jong also described how a Hankook representative had presented findings about tire wear patterns and compounds gathered through rally competition that were being incorporated into the development of next-generation Dynapro tires to improve durability.

"I think that's how motorsport's development contributes to everyday safety and performance," de Jong said.

Hankook Rally US will mark the WRC's first U.S. appearance in 39 years, following the 1988 Olympus Rally in Washington State. Knoxville, Tenn., will serve as the event's headquarters and a ceremonial start planned for Nashville.

The competition will cover gravel roads across more than 15 counties in Tennessee and Kentucky, including routes through the Appalachian Mountains and Cumberland Plateau.

Matt Crews, president and CEO of Rally US, said the region's combination of automotive manufacturing, road networks and tourism infrastructure made it a strong candidate for the championship's U.S. return.

Tennessee also provides a direct connection to Hankook, which maintains its U.S. headquarters in Nashville and operates a tire manufacturing plant in Clarksville.

Crews said preparations for the event are already underway, with engineers evaluating roads and driving surfaces in eastern Tennessee and Kentucky.

For WRC Promoter, the U.S. event also represents an opportunity to expand the championship's reach through its automotive manufacturing partners and international fan base. De Jong said working with manufacturers and sponsors such as Hankook will be important to the championship's success in the American market.

Hankook is using the 2026 SEMA Show to connect its WRC involvement with its consumer tire portfolio.

At booth No. 80021 in the Las Vegas Convention Center's Silver Lot, the company is displaying a WRC rally car equipped with Dynapro R213 gravel competition tires.

The tire is engineered for demanding unpaved rally conditions, with an emphasis on grip, handling stability and durability.

Hankook is also showcasing four consumer Dynapro tires: the mud-terrain Dynapro MT2, rugged-terrain Dynapro XT, all-terrain Dynapro AT2 Xtreme and highway-terrain Dynapro HT2.

The display includes a TRAILFINDER Nissan Xterra equipped with Dynapro AT2 Xtreme tires and a Donut Media Baja Bug fitted with Dynapro MT2 tires, highlighting different applications within Hankook's SUV and light truck tire portfolio.

For Hankook, the combination of rally competition and consumer tire displays reinforces a broader effort to demonstrate its engineering capabilities to North American dealers and consumers.

With the WRC returning to the United States in 2027, the tiremaker will have another opportunity to make that connection on American roads.