Late WRC Tire Allocation Change following the request of manufacturers

Following the requests of the producers, Hookook has changed its tire allocation for the World Rally Championship teams on the eve of the rally Chile.

The variable weather conditions are ultimately making a significant amendment to its tire allocation at the end of this week as a result of the Korean tire supplier.

Originally, Haukuk had chosen its hard compound gravel tire as prime tires for the event, with soft, option tires for teams. Rules suggest that rally 1 teams can use 28 tires at the rally with maximum 20 prime and 12 options tires.

Chile’s gravel stages are famous for being abrasive, making hard tire preferred options in recent years. However, the rally has received heavy rains with further rains that were forecast during the incident.

Wet conditions have made the soft tire a more favorable compound, due to which the manufacturers asked to increase the allocation of softes. Hankuk initially responded to raising the allocation up to 16, before amending that count in 20 soft.

“This was a request to the manufacturers. This is a combination of factors for us,” said Huckka Representative Steven Cho.

“This is our first year and we are trying to be careful and orthodox and we know it can be abrasive here, and we have gone with hard as the first choice. But at the same time, rain and very good situation may occur as we are seeing.”

“The manufacturers asked us if we could be more soft to choose to give them the ability to play. We are doing everything we can do to support the direction they want to go.

“I think it’s going to depend on excessive weather. We have found a good amount of hards and softs for teams to choose. We have found some mixed response in recurrence, in those places it is quite abusive as we know here and in some places it is very soft. I think it is going to challenge us and all.”

Given the changing conditions and the possibility of drying of roads and becoming abrasive, the tire strategy will be significant later this week.

Two weeks ago after a series of puncture affected most of the area of ​​rally 1 in Paraguay, WRC drivers are also expecting that tires will face better in Chile’s gravel.

The WRC title claimant said, “I hope there are less (tires) issues for everyone, it is always better if we can fight a direct fight without puncture,” said the claimant of the WRC title. Sebastian ogierWho sits nine points behind the championship leader Elephin Evans,

“If it is about wearing tires then it is usually a good problem because I usually manage that side very well. We probably do not have enough soft tires, but it is part of the game. It will be a strategy with tires later this week.”

Hyundai Oat TanakWhich is at the top of Thursday’s shakedown, said: “The weather with this rally can change so soon and you can achieve all kinds of conditions.

“We hope that this (tires) are less than a significant point as it was in Paraguay, but we have seen that there are many loose rocks everywhere and compared to Paraguay. We expect a lottery to decrease.”

Asked if Chili represented more puncture risk than Paraguay, Cho said: “I am going to be very cautious to see how it goes.

“The characteristics of our puncture are getting different. The response from the teams is, sometimes they have a huge impact and everything is fine and sometimes they do not have a hit and then there is an issue, so a little question arises that we have to understand better.”