Hankook Tire-sponsored car team wins Nurburgring race

SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) -- Hankook Tire Co., South Korea's top tiremaker, said Tuesday that the racing team it sponsors has won the prestigious Nurburgring 24-hour endurance event, proving the high quality of its tires.
The Farnbacher racing team, who drove cars installed with Hankook-made tires, came in first among the 202 participants in the two-day-long "sp8 class" race that took place at the 22.835-kilometer-long Nurburgring circuit in Germany over the weekend, the company said.
Nurburgring is one of the top three endurance races in the world along with the 24-hour races in Spa, Belgium and Le Mans, France.
The team made up of Dominik Farnbacher, Allan Simonsen and Lehman McGrath Keen drove the latest Ferrari F458 GT to victory in a race that is determined by the driver's skill and the quality of the vehicle and its tires, Hankook Tire said.
"Of the cars that took part in this year's race, only 135 crossed the finish line, pointing to the level of pressure placed on drivers and vehicles alike," the tire maker said. "The win shows the high standard of our products and technological innovations."
Hankook Tire said that the victory will help raise the brand value of Hankook since an average of 250,000 spectators show up to watch the event every year.
The company, meanwhile, said its sponsored racing teams have also won several Super GT races in Japan and the Le Mans race.
yonngong@yna.co.kr