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Cho Hyun-bum, Chairman of Hankook & Company Group. /Hankook Tire

Hankook & Company Group Chairman Hyunbum Cho has made a bold move to revive South Korea's struggling motorsport industry. Hankook Tire will become the exclusive tire supplier for the top class of the O-NE Superrace Championship, the country's premier motorsport competition, starting next year.

In particular, the company has offered an unprecedented deal to provide tires free of charge to every racing team competing in the class.

The decision is seen as reflecting Cho's determination to strengthen the foundations of South Korea's racing industry rather than prioritize immediate sales, while also bringing the technological competitiveness Hankook Tire has built in global motorsports to its home market.

According to information gathered by AsiaToday as of Nov. 13, Superrace has decided to name Hankook Tire & Technology as the sole official tire supplier for its top-tier 6000 Class, which will be renamed Super S1 for the 2027 season. Under the arrangement, Hankook Tire will supply tires to every racing team competing in the class.

Until now, Superrace's top class has operated under a competitive system in which multiple manufacturers, including Kumho Tire and Nexen Tire, supplied tires to individual racing teams. The two companies competed on tire performance again this year, with Kumho Tire claiming the season title after winning all eight rounds.

Hankook Tire will return as an official supplier four years after withdrawing from the 6000 Class at the end of the 2023 season.

The most striking aspect of the agreement is its supply terms. Having been selected as the exclusive supplier, Hankook Tire has reportedly agreed to provide participating teams with the racing tires they need for the season free of charge.

For racing teams, tires are not only essential equipment directly affecting performance but also a significant operating expense. If the free supply arrangement goes ahead, it is expected to reduce teams' operating costs, allowing them to focus more on improving performance and running their seasons reliably.

At the heart of the decision are Cho's commitment to motorsports and his willingness to invest in the industry. Cho has long viewed motorsports not simply as a means of promoting the brand but as a vital platform for testing tire technology and securing future competitiveness.

His view is that achieving globally recognized technological capabilities requires not only competing at the highest levels of racing but also building a strong motorsport ecosystem to support that competition.

Hankook Tire has indeed been expanding its presence in global motorsports. By serving as the exclusive tire supplier for world-class competitions such as the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) World Rally Championship (WRC) and the all-electric Formula E racing series, the company has demonstrated its high-performance tire technology.

It has also established a virtuous cycle in which data and technology accumulated under extreme racing conditions are used to develop mass-produced tires.

Cho's decision to strengthen Hankook Tire's involvement in domestic racing follows the same thinking. The idea is that South Korean motorsports can remain competitive only if the country develops its racing teams and the foundations for organizing competitions, rather than simply gaining international recognition for its technology.

The free tire supply arrangement is particularly meaningful because it represents an investment in the broader domestic motorsport ecosystem while reducing costs for individual teams.

Hankook Tire's return is also expected to reshape competition in the 2027 Superrace season. With a single tire supplier, vehicle setup, driver ability and team management strategies could become more important under identical tire supply conditions, replacing competition between tire manufacturers.

Hankook Tire is also expected to gain more opportunities to collect driving data and validate its technology as the official tire supplier.

An industry official said, "This decision reflects Chairman Hyunbum Cho's commitment to preserving and strengthening the foundations of South Korean motorsports, going beyond simple sponsorship."

"Combined with the class restructuring for the 2027 season, Hankook Tire's full-scale support could help improve Superrace's competitiveness and draw greater interest from spectators," the official added.

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Cho Hyun-bum, Chairman of Hankook & Company Group. /Korea Motorsports Journalists Association

                                                                                                            Nam Hyun-soo

                                                                                                            Kim Jeong-kyu