Hankook and Formula E enjoyed a perfect start to the run-up to the season finale of the fully-electric racing series in Great Britain this weekend (29th to 30th July). Ahead of the 2023 Hankook London E-Prix, British Formula E driver Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) set a new indoor land speed record in a GEN3 car, which had been modified by Formula E partners Hankook and SABIC, among others. The prototype is named the GENBETA and generates up to 400 KW, which the 29-year-old Briton called upon to clock a new milestone of 218.71 km/h on a 346-metre indoor straight. The record was set on a modified Hankook iON Race tyre and before the eyes of an official Guinness World Records adjudicator, meaning Formula E and tyre maker Hankook can now take their place in the famous book of world records.
New indoor speed record for a car
As official tyre partner of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Hankook played a fundamental role in achieving the new record. The Hankook iON Race development tyre used was modified specifically for the record attempt. A softer compound made it possible to get heat into the iON Race Formula E development tyre and achieve the optimal working temperature even faster than with the tyre used in the Formula E world championship. “What a great project and a magnificent record. We are delighted to have played an important part with our Hankook tyre, and that together we were able to smash the previous record by more than 50 km/h. The modified compound allowed the tyre to develop a lot of grip very quickly, which was one of the keys to this success,” said Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director.
The venue for the world record attempt was the official Formula E circuit for the 2023 Hankook London E-Prix, a unique indoor and outdoor racetrack at the ExCeL London Event Arena. This weekend, the same circuit will host the finale of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, at the end of which the 2023 Formula E world champion will be crowned.
