Filming for Hankook Motorsport’s latest project – featuring laps in the Gen3Evo Formula E car alongside the Hyundai World Rally Cross (WRC) car – took place on Friday afternoon at ExCeL London.
The concept included DS Penske driver Maximilian Günther swap his Gen3Evo for the Hyundai WRC hybrid, and Hyundai Motorsport factory driver and 2023 British Rally Cross Champion Adrien Fourmaux stepped into the all-electric Formula E machinery for a special promotional shoot with Hankook Tyre.
Hankook Director of Motorsport, Manfred Sandbichler said that “This is just to show our product that we are able to produce tyres for Formula E cars and also for WRC cars. This is the main idea.”
“Because everyone likes the project, the idea, to bring this together, because this is like fire and ice. These two cars, bring them together in a really, let me say, crazy track. And the ExCeL is something outstanding.” Sandbichler concluded.
The project showcased the contrast and versatility of Hankook’s performance across multiple arenas, whilst also ‘celebrating the spirit of motorsport’. The participation of Günther actually driving the WRC car was uncertain at first, due to filming taking place during a race weekend.
Hankook had to obtain special permission from the FIA, who granted permission for Günther to contribute a maximum of five laps in the Hyundai WRC car around the ExCeL track.
Günther explained the complexities of the Gen3Evo car, a conversation he also had with Fourmaux prior to swapping cars, “The Formula E car is something fully different to the WRC car, because it’s a lot stiffer, you sit much lower and the corner speeds are a lot faster.
“But it’s the same for him (Fourmaux) as the four-wheel drive, because since he’s here he’s got the four-wheel drive on our car, so in this sense he has a good idea of what to expect, but what is important for us is really to get this good feeling on the corner entry, on the brakes.
“With all the regen systems that we have, it’s very difficult to feel the brake, because the car doesn’t move, it’s very stiff. And the braking system, you have to get your head around it. This is why the Formula E car is the most difficult one, probably in all racing.”
Günther went on to praise the idea that saw him drive a WRC car for the first time. He said “With this car it’s going to be super special. Hankook is the same tyre partner for both championships, for WRC and for Formula E, so to have this sort of crossover of experience is going to be amazing and an experience for me that I will always keep for the rest of my racing driver career.”
On the topic of the converse tyre conditions in the two championships, Fourmaux told FEN that, “I think it’s two different challenges. For him, in Formula E, it’s really to get the best tyre, the best compound for this type of track. With the conditions that they’ve got today, with the temperature, with the weather, when they go outside, but also going inside on the dry.
“For us, it’s completely different challenges. We need two tyres to do a full event, which can be full of rain and also 35 degrees and full dry. It’s another challenge. We do a lot more mileage on the road section, but also in the stages. There is a risk of damaging things, etc., because it’s rallying. It’s a completely different approach for the tyre manufacturer.”
FEN understands that the full promotional video will be available on Hankook Tyre’s social media channels in the near future.
