Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Hankook and the DTM celebrate the series finale in Hockenheim: Title number three for René Rast, or a first championship for Nico Müller?
novembre 05, 2020 - Hankook Motorsport

Hankook and the DTM celebrate the series finale in Hockenheim: Title number three for René Rast, or a first championship for Nico Müller?

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Premium tyre maker #hankook and the DTM are at the Hockenheimring this weekend for the final round of the season. The stage is set for a showdown between Audi drivers #renerast and #nicomuller. Two-time DTM champion Rast goes into the final two races of the season with a 19-point lead over his fellow Audi racer from Switzerland. With a maximum 56 points still up for grabs, and given the strength of the competition, the race for the title in the popular international touring car series is still wide open. Even third-placed Robin Frijns (Audi) still has a mathematical chance of winning the championship. The Dutchman starts the weekend 41 points behind Rast. In the new #dtmtrophy, Tim Heinemann from Fichtenberg (Germany) has already been crowned the inaugural champion before the final round. The biggest challenge for the teams and drivers in both series will be getting the race tyres provided by exclusive partner #hankook up to the right temperature in cool conditions at the iconic circuit near Heidelberg. 

Neu-Isenburg, Germany, 5th November 2020 – Unlike in previous years, the Hockenheimring hosts just one DTM #event this season. In the past, the iconic circuit has been the venue for both the season-opener and the finale in the popular international touring car series. As such, the teams and drivers know the 4.574-kilometre strip of asphalt like the back of their hand. For the #hankook race tyre, the high-speed track in the German state of Baden-Württemberg is one of the biggest challenges on the DTM calendar. However, it is a challenge that the premium tyre maker’s Ventus Race has always mastered impressively and reliably. 

The construction of the #hankook race tyre, in particular, is heavily burdened at the Hockenheimring, with its fast cambered corners and high, sharp-edged kerbs. “You need a balanced set-up at the varied, high-speed circuit, with which you can hit top speed in the fast passages and still use the good traction provided by the Ventus Race to accelerate well out of slower sections. Furthermore, the drivers should not drive over the high kerbs at speed too often, otherwise they risk premature tyre wear,” says Thomas Baltes, the #hankook race engineer responsible for the DTM. 

The most important task this weekend will be getting enough heat into the #hankook race tyre to quickly bring it up to the optimal temperature range of 90 to 110 degrees. This year, the DTM finale in #hockenheim is taking place roughly one month later than in previous seasons. As a result, lower, single-figure temperatures are expected. Thomas Baltes: “The car set-up plays a key role in getting the Ventus Race working quickly. The drivers have to be very cautious after the mandatory tyre change, in order not to risk skidding off on the cold tyres, which cannot be pre-heated. They need to show skill and patience, as it might take a while for the Ventus Race to reach its optimal grip level on the cold asphalt.” 

In the #dtmtrophy, which exclusive tyre partner #hankook also supplies with the Ventus Race, the title race was decided three weeks ago at the penultimate round in Zolder. Mercedes-Benz driver Tim Heinemann lines up at the finale in #hockenheim as the first champion in the new series. Behind the German, three drivers – Jan Kisiel (Mercedes-Benz) of Poland, and Brits Ben Green and Ben Tuck (both BMW) – still have a realistic chance of finishing second or third in the championship.