Kumho Tire sole tyre supplier to TCR World Tour

Already the official tyre supplier to the TCR touring car competition on four continents, Kumho Tire recently signed a deal to become the title sponsor and exclusive tyre provider to the related TCR World Tour. All cars participating in the 2023 Kumho TCR World Tour (KTWT) will thus race on the Kumho Ecsta S700 racing tyre or, in wet conditions, the Ecsta W701.

Those involved in the signing ceremony included: Gangseung (Tony) Lee, executive vice president of sales-Europe, Kumho Tire; Janghyuk (John) Yoon, senior vice president of global marketing, Kumho Tire; Marcello Lotti, president of organising company, World Sporting Consulting (WSC); Nunzia Corvino, WSC chief operating officer.

9 events broadcast around the world

WSC has selected nine events to comprise this year’s KTWT. The season will commence in Europe in May with races in Portugal, Belgium, Italy and Hungary before moving to South America, Australia and then Asia. Among the tracks included in the schedule are Belgium’s notoriously uncompromising Spa Grand Prix circuit; Bathurst, the home of Australia’s world-renowned Bathurst 1000 touring car event; and Macau, the venue of the incomparable Macau Grand Prix that dates from 1954 and has been won by such luminaries of the sport as Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and David Coulthard.

KTWT will be broadcast in no less than 53 countries by stations such as Eurosport, Fox Sports and Bilibili.

Expanding horizon

Commenting on Kumho’s appointment to the Tour, Marcello Lotti said: “Kumho has been recognised for its quality and technological excellence by providing official tyres for TCR Europe and other major events. I am certain that the inaugural KTWT will be an exciting series of races.”

Janghyuk (John) Yoon added: “Building on years of technological expertise in motorsport, Kumho is expanding its horizon as a partner of the TCR World Tour. In this way we will continue to strengthen our position as a high-performance tyre brand.”

Kumho’s involvement with the TCR franchise began in 2022 with sponsorship of the TCR Europe, TCR Spain, TCR Denmark and TCR Eastern Europe series, since when its considerable commitment has increased to embrace a pair of regional competitions – TCR South America, TCR Middle East, and three national ones – TCR Australia, TCR Brazil and TCR Finland.