First Pole Position for Hankook in the Le Mans Series

• Pierre Kaffer drives the Hankook Ferrari to pole position at the Nürburgring
• Great development progress already achieved after only four races
• Team feels well-equipped for the next race at Silverstone

Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 31 August 2009 – On the 40th anniversary of the legendary 1000 Kilometre race last weekend at the Nürburgring, the Hankook Team Farnbacher were able to start celebrating on Saturday. Following some high positions and one place on the podium during the last season, pole position in the GT2 Class in the Le Mans Series was achieved by the Ferrari F 430 GT with the starting number 89, with its Hankook tyres. Pierre Kaffer drove to pole position in the GT2 Class for the team made up of the tyre manufacturer Hankook Tire and Farnbacher Racing. At the race on Sunday, the team just missed another place on the winners’ podium by finishing fourth.

"After starting from pole position, we had hoped for something more from the race", explained Young Su Kim, senior development engineer for racing tyres at Hankook Tire. "We were able to demonstrate our potential during the qualifying race by taking pole position. In the actual race too, our drivers were continually able to turn in equally fast lap times as the second- and third-place cars. But unfortunately we then had several problems with the pit stops. In order to stay ahead in the race, you always need a little of the necessary race luck."

The Hankook Team Farnbacher took part in this year’s European Le Mans Series for the first time, and was able to record some successes even before this race. During the official test days before the start of the season on the Paul Ricard racetrack in southern France, Pierre Kaffer immediately emerged as the fastest driver in the GT2 Class. At the first race of the season, the 1000 Kilometres of Catalonia, the team took third place in its class.

"To start the race from pole position in the GT2 Class in only the fourth race of our debut season is, of course, a great success for Hankook Tire and the whole team", said Michael Eckert, race engineer responsible for the Le Mans Series for Hankook Tire in Europe. "Nevertheless, we are continuing to gain experience in this prestigious series, which is quite new to us. We are fundamentally satisfied with the performance of our racing tyres. We have made significant development progress in a relatively short time, which was amply confirmed by our performance during the qualifying race. All that we have to do in future is convert this good starting position into an equally good race result. It is, however, also clear that it is only in our second year that we will be able to take full advantage of the experience gained in the premier season."

2009 Race Calendar Hankook Team Farnbacher

Le Mans Series

Catalonia (Spain):  3rd-5th April
Spa (Belgium):  8th-10th May
Algarve (Portugal):  31st July - 2nd August
Nürburgring (Germany):  21st-23rd August
Silverstone (Great Britain):  11th -13th September

Asia Le Mans Series

Okayama (Japan):  30th October - 1st November

Le Mans 24 Hours

Le Mans (France):  12th-14th June

Hankook Tire in international motorsport

Hankook Tire has steadily increased its involvement in European racing over recent years. Last season, Hankook’s high-performance tyres were on the starting line in motorsports competitions in Germany, UK, the Netherlands, France, Italy and Spain. Hankook has previously gathered many years of experience in motorsports in Super GT races in Japan, Super races in Korea, championships in China’s CCC and CRC, and ALMS in America. Over the last two years, the company was able to show its racing tyre’s superior performance with Team Alzen Motorsport also in the German endurance championship, achieving the fastest laptimes ever on the famous Nuerburgring Nordschleife. From this year Hankook Tire with the Hankook Team Farnbacher will also be taking part in the European Le Mans Series and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Hankook Tire Motorsport Participation: