WRC
Hankook holds the rope to supply the tires for the WRC
The tires should be supplied by Hankook in the WRC. Photo DPPI /
With which tires will the Rally1s compete in the stages of the World Rally Championship (WRC) between 2025 and 2027? The formalization should take place on the sidelines of the FIA World Council in Baku, but according to information gleaned by AUTOhebdo, it seems that the choice is made. And it is surprising.
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Indeed, the International Automobile Federation had launched a call for tenders to choose an exclusive supplier of tires for the WRC in July 2023. Chosen to occupy this position between 2021 and 2024, Pirelli surprised everyone by refusing to continue its involvement. To justify their decision, the Italian firm assured that they achieved their objectives without necessarily explaining what this corresponded to. A time envisaged in the fall, the return did not take place.
Two other candidates were in the running: Michelin and Hankook. On the one hand, the reference in tires, a French company whose DNA is strongly linked to motor racing: 347 victories since the creation of the World Rally Championship in 1973, more than 7 special stages won with 500 different drivers, more than 58 podiums, 1 Manufacturers' world championship titles with 000 different brands, 30 Drivers' world championship titles.
On the other, a South Korean actor specializing in circuit racing: DTM until the end of 2020, the deceased F3 Europe in the 2010s, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo and since 2023 the Formula E. Their experience in the world of rallying concerns the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) in the early 2010s with Toni Gardemeister and Patrik Florin. In 2013, Hankook won an exclusive contract for Junior WRC tires on Ford Fiesta R2s, a contract which lasted only one season. In 2016, the FIA had authorized Hankook to supply tires in the WRC, at the same time as Michelin, Pirelli or D-Mack, but no team entered for the year had preferred the said manufacturer. However, it is Hankook which would have been chosen by the FIA!
The reasons for the FIA's decision are not yet clear. We will have more information very soon.
Medhi Casaurang
Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!
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