Exclusive Tire Supplier for WRC: A South Korean Company Growing Its Global Presence

[Anchor]

The World Rally Championship (WRC), considered one of the world's top three motorsport events, is a car race that takes place in extreme driving conditions. As vehicles with hundreds of horsepower race through mountain roads, snowy paths, and unpaved tracks, the role of tires is crucial. A South Korean tire company is expanding its presence in the global market by supplying tires for all vehicles in the WRC.

TJB reporter Lee Ho-jin visited the rally site in Japan.

[Reporter]

A vehicle racing on a wet road surface navigates a corner with a breathtaking drift.

The rally course features narrow mountain roads, rough surfaces, and sharp changes in elevation.

Even in these extreme environments, the vehicles race on without faltering.

Every vehicle participating in the rally is equipped with tires from the same manufacturer.

This is to ensure that the outcome is decided by the driver's skill and team strategy rather than vehicle performance.

In particular, because the WRC requires driving on paved roads as well as gravel, snow, and ice, high durability and grip are essential.

Since even the slightest difference in performance can affect race results and safety, the criteria for selecting a supplier are rigorous.

[Kim Chan-hee / Researcher at Hankook Tire & Technology: I believe we were able to supply tires for the WRC, which takes place in various extreme environments, because our tires were already prepared, sold, and their performance had been verified.]

The WRC is a top-tier rally competition held across 14 countries around the world.

The industry views being selected as the official tire supplier for this stage as proof that the company's technological prowess and quality have been recognized.

[Simon Larkin / WRC Event Director: We want to build a new, long-term partnership. Hankook Tire was selected as the exclusive supplier due to its strengths in research and development, as well as the technological capabilities and passion proven in competitions like Formula E and DTM.]

In fact, Hankook Tire has been proving its technological capabilities on the motorsport stage by sponsoring teams and exclusively supplying racing tires for over 70 competitions worldwide, including the world's premier electric vehicle racing series, 'Formula E,' and one of Europe's top three touring car competitions, 'DTM.'

With the three-year exclusive supply deal for the WRC, the company expects its brand competitiveness in the global market to be further enhanced.

Starting with this exclusive supply contract, Hankook Tire expects to secure a stronger position in the global motorsport market and increase its market share in Europe and Japan.

(Video by Seong Nak-joong, TJB)

Reported by Lee Ho-jin, TJB
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.