Hankook driver Conrad Grunewald placed first in round four of the Formula Drift season this past weekend at Wall Speedway in New Jersey.
The sold out event with more than 8,000 spectators saw Grunewald qualify high in the top five in his Hankook Chevy Camaro, eventually battling Ryan Tuerck in his Gardella Racing Camaro in the top four. The top four Camaro vs. Camaro match-up ended with Tuerck hitting the wall and Grunewald advancing to the finals.
The final battle pitted Grunewald against Formula Drift points leader Justin Pawlak in his Ford Mustang for an American muscle car clash. The race was tight, but Grunewald edged out Pawlak to land a first-place finish.
“I’m really happy for the team,” says Grunewald.
“This speedway requires a lot of tire smoke and vehicle control. My Hankook Ventus R-S3’s provided the edge I needed to win,” he notes.
The R-S3 is an extreme performance summer tire developed for serious sports car, sports coupe and performance sedan enthusiasts looking for race tire-like traction on the street or for use in autocross, drifting or track events, according to motorsports manager Paul Jho.
Grunewald’s win puts him in sixth place with 272 points in the overall Formula Drift standings.
“Formula Drift at Wall Speedway is always a great event for spectators and competitors alike,” says Jho. “The design and technology that Hankook puts into developing the Ventus R-S3 that Conrad uses allows us to develop improved high performance tires. This type of investment isn’t only a win for Conrad and his team; it’s a win for consumers as well.”
This season marks the eighth year for the Formula Drift series and Hankook’s sixth year of involvement. The company garnered enhanced visibility and sales increases in 2010 as a result of its motorsports sponsorships and special racing programs, says Jho, and has multiplied its involvement for 2011 by becoming an official sponsor of Formula Drift. It also supports teams competing in the Redline Time Attack series, Rally Cross and Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
For more information, visit www.hankooktireusa.com.
