New Hankook Ventus Race tyre makes successful debut in 24H Series in Barcelona

(Photo: Racingpixels – 24H Barcelona 2023)

Hankook’s newest Ventus Race tyre, the C54 H, a slightly lighter model than its predecessor, made its debut at the Hankook 24H Barcelona. The European finale of the 24H Series powered by Hankook proved a fitting challenge for the new tyre, subjecting it to high levels of stress on the coarse asphalt and unique kerbs of the Formula 1 hosting circuit in Catalonia. Hankook says the new Ventus Race passed these tests with flying colours, helping the overall winner to set a new record distance of 725 laps.

Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook motorsport director Europe, said: “The new race tyre did exactly what it was supposed to. Everything went to plan, even at a circuit like Barcelona, which is challenging for the tyres. The teams obviously first had to familiarise themselves and gain experience with the new Ventus Race C54 H, and to adapt their cars accordingly. Our team supported them perfectly in this regard. When introducing this new product, the trusting partnership that has existed between Hankook and the promoter Creventic for many years really paid dividends. The spectators witnessed a 24-hour race that went right down to the wire and once again boasted everything that makes endurance racing so special.”

A captivating three-way battle developed at the head of the field in the endurance race, with pole-sitter IMSA LS Group Performance, the Haas RT team and Herberth Motorsport battling for the lead. In the night, the IMSA LS Group Performance team, making its first appearance since 2017 in the 24H Series powered by Hankook, was able to pull clear at the front. The race ended with exciting scenes when the Haas RT Audi closed in on the leader – but the fightback came too late. After 725 laps of racing it was IMSA LS Group Performance with Julien Andlauer, Grégory Guilvert, Simon Tirman and Laurent Hurgon in the #76 Porsche 911 GT3 R who took the chequered flag. After the race, Hurgon praised the new Hankook tyre: “You could really push for several laps during a stint on the new Hankook tyre. It did degrade a bit after that but continued to perform well. It is precisely the right tyre for endurance racing.”

Several driver gave their reactions to the new Ventus Race. Alfred Renauer (Herberth Motorsport) said: “The new tyre consistently maintained its air pressure, making it very predictable. The rear tyres, in particular, were better than their predecessor. Only at the end of the race did they start to wear a little. We didn’t have a single puncture.”

Sergiu Nicolae of Willi Motorsport by Ebimotors added: “I really enjoyed driving on the new Hankook tyres. They were even better than the previous version. We had a few issues with understeer at times, but on the whole the tyre was very stable.”

Charles Espenlaub (CP Racing) concluded: “I am very impressed by the consistency of the new tyre. As far as the peak is concerned, it is not quite as good as the old version – but it does maintain a high level of performance for a long time. We were able to implement our strategy on the tyres and had no problems.”