WAYNE, N.J., June 29, 2015 – Hankook Tire drivers Fredric Aasbo and Rhys Millen both scored first place wins this past weekend at their respective racing events. Aasbo topped the winner’s podium at Formula Drift Round 4 in New Jersey, while Millen was the fastest on the mountain at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado.
Hankook’s winning weekend started on Saturday at Wall Speedway in Wall, New Jersey for Formula Drift Round 4, The Gauntlet. In rainy and slick conditions, driver Fredric Aasbo drove his Hankook Scion tC to a first place victory following a day of intense battles. The finals saw Aasbo pitted against Dean Kearney in the Oracle Lighting Dodge Viper. After a tight race, Aasbo’s consistency behind the wheel gave him the edge he needed, out-scoring Kearney and securing his first place victory.
“We won here last year and conditions were perfect back then, dry conditions and a lot of tire smoke. This time however, it was the opposite,” said Aasbo. “We definitely put the Ventus R-S3 through the test, and I think we’ve proven that it’s the best tire out there.”
Hankook’s fortunes continued the next day in Colorado where driver Rhys Millen scored a history-making first place win driving the Hankook Ventus race tire shod all-wheel drive all-electric Drive eO racecar. Millen’s winning time of 9:07.222 set a new record for an electric vehicle at the mountain, and is the first time an electric vehicle has won the race overall.
“We have made history. We have won Pikes Peak in an electric vehicle,” said Millen. “My Hankook Ventus race tires gave me the edge I needed to put in the fastest run of the day, a run that is one for the record books.”
The 2015 running of the Pike Peak International Hill Climb isn’t the first time Millen has run the mountain. Both he and his father, Rod Millen, have competed at the race, winning multiple class victories.
“I am thrilled for Fredric, Rhys and their teams,” said Paul Jho, Hankook Tire America Motorsports Marketing Manager. “Back to back wins on the same weekend at two different events is outstanding. Our motorsports programs in the United States have been seeing a great deal of success this year. That’s not only a tribute to the hard work shown by our teams, but the performance our Ventus tires provide.”
In addition to Formula Drift and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States, Hankook is involved with motorsports events around the globe including the DTM series, FIA F3 European Championship, World Rally Championship, 24H Series, GT4 European Series, Audi Sport TT Cup and the New Zealand V8 SuperTourers series.
Image: Rhys Millen, Overall winner of the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb