Hankook served as the exclusive supplier for the new BMW M4 GT4 at the ADAC Zurich 24h Race

• - Hankook served as the exclusive tyre partner of the TCR and GT4 classes at the 45th ADAC Zurich 24h Race at the Nürburgring. The premium tyre maker equipped the two promising vehicle classes with Ventus Race tyres in all the necessary dimensions, all available in a slick and wet version, at the 24-hour classic in the Eifel region of Germany. BMW also unveiled its new customer racing car, the new M4 GT4, in its motorsport livery for the first time. The Munich-based manufacturer also launched global sales of the new car over the past weekend. Initially limited to 80 cars, the new model is, like the racing car in action at the Nürburgring, equipped exclusively with the Hankook Ventus Race tyre.

Neu-Isenburg/Germany, 29.05.2017 – When the drivers competed for places on the legendary Nordschleife from 25th - 28th May, Hankook was in the thick of it. As the exclusive supplier, tyre maker Hankook provided the new TCR and GT4 classes with premium-quality slicks and wet-weather tyres. The GT4 and TCR classes competing in this season’s VLN Endurance Championship Nürburgring, which got underway with the first of nine races on 25th March, have also been fitted exclusively with Hankook racing tyres. One of the highlights over the past weekend at the Nürburgring was the race debut of the new BMW M4 GT4, also exclusively equipped with Hankook racing tyres. In addition, the customer racing version of the new car also began to be on sale for the first time – again, exclusively equipped with premium Hankook racing tyres. Hankook is thus consistently expanding its commitment to international motor racing.

Over the past few months, the BMW M4 GT4 has been tested by a host of BMW works, Junior and customer racing drivers on different circuits and under a wide range of different conditions. The purpose of this testing was to adapt all the technical applications, such as the DSC stability system and ABS, to meet the demands of motor racing in as much detail as possible. The car has already proven its reliability and performance in races on the Nordschleife and at the 24 Hours of Dubai.

The outing at Nürburgring 24 Hours was another tough test in the development of the BMW M4 GT4. Dirk Adorf, BMW Motorsport Junior Ricky Collard and Jörg Weidinger, test and development engineer at BMW M GmbH, used the endurance classic to gain more valuable knowledge about the new car. They raced at the Nürburgring 24 Hours alongside British motorsport journalist Jethro Bovingdon in the BMW M4 GT4 media car, which ran on Hankook tyres.

‘The start of the sales phase represents the achievement of a further milestone with the BMW M4 GT4,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. ‘We look forward to seeing the vehicle racing successfully in the hands of our customer racing teams in 2018. We are relying on Hankook performance and expertise here, too. We are offering our customers a sophisticated and reliable GT4 car, which incorporates all of BMW Motorsport’s expertise, coupled with the strong basis provided by the BMW M4 Coupé. The development of the BMW M4 GT4 focussed on mileage, cost efficiency and ease of maintenance.”

‘The cooperation between BMW Motorsport and Hankook, in the form of the exclusive supply our Ventus Race tyre for the BMW M4 GT4 at the ADAC Zurich 24h Race with our Ventus Race tyre is a further milestone for us in international motor racing,” explained Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe. ‘In addition, we are pleased that our cooperation with BMW Motorsport is not restricted to the DTM alone, but that the new BMW M4 GT4 project has allowed us to join the world of BMW customer racing as well.”