Hankook is now entering the virtual world of motorsport and, together with DTM is to become a founding partner of the DTM Esports Classic Challenge. The newly created race series brings together 15 current and former drivers of the DTM and the DTM Trophy as well as well-known influencers from the virtual racing scene with a further five participants each from the RaceRoom community.
Hankook Entering E-Sports
These challengers will be selected from the top 100 fastest racers, who proved themselves in a qualification round for the first race which started on 27th April. As is customary in international motorsport, the races will be professionally commentated in English.
“For us as a long-standing partner of the DTM, it was only logical for us to drive our joint and successful cooperation forward in these challenging times in the DTM Esports Classic Challenge. As the DTM‘s tyre partner, we also bring the required expertise from the real world to this virtual format as motorsport and the joy of fair competition are not bound to a specific platform. We are therefore delighted to be represented in the Esports Classic Challenge with Hankook as the motorsport brand,” comments Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe.
The Sunday races take place using cars from different DTM eras, from the 1992 season’s classic cars to the more contemporary models of the 2016 season. The one-hour races are divided into two qualifying sessions and races each, which are enriched by interviews and post-race analysis. In the simulation on RaceRoom, every bend, every inch of asphalt and the different lighting conditions have been recreated.
“Since real worldwide racetracks are closed due to the coronavirus, we have seen a tremendous growth in online racing. Now that the world’s top drivers all want to compete and as high-end PCs and affordable simulators narrow the gap between the real and virtual worlds, Esports is already an important part of the motorsport scene,” says Marcel Mohaupt, managing director of ITR.
