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2025 WRC: Starting Race Beyond Limits with Hankook Tire

Race Beyond Limits

The rally that pushes vehicles to their limits across diverse terrains, including rough roads, paved roads, snowfields, and icy tracks, is the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), the pinnacle of global rally motorsport. Starting with the 2025 season, Hankook Tire has been selected as the official and exclusive tire supplier for the WRC, writing a new page in the history book of top-tier motorsports.

In the WRC, where leading automakers such as Hyundai, Toyota, and Ford compete in the premier Rally1 class, and Citroen and Skoda challenge in the Rally2 class with their Rally2 vehicles, Hankook Tire brings its advanced technology to the forefront. True to its slogan, Race Beyond Limits, Hankook is driving the future of rally competition with performance and durability that go beyond expectations.

Race Beyond Limits

Hankook Tire is making a splash in the 2025 WRC.

WRC: Pinnacle of Rally Racing Across Diverse Environments

Rallying is a form of motorsport where production vehicles compete on a wide range of road surfaces. The word “rally” comes from the Old French word ralier, which referred to the medieval practice of knights gathering at a castle before going to war. Early car rallies followed a similar format, with participants starting from different locations and converging at a final destination. The Rallye Monte-Carlo, which is currently the oldest event in the WRC, began this way.

Today, rally competitions are structured around timed race segments called Special Stages (SS). Drivers complete each stage one by one, and the winner is determined by the total combined time across all stages.

Special stages are composed of about 20 stages per event, with a total distance of about 300 km. The race takes place mostly on quiet rural roads, but also utilizes wide open spaces, parks, and large stadiums like the Olympic Stadium. Depending on the condition of the road surfaces, rallies are classified as either unpaved gravel rallies or paved tarmac rallies. Some events, like the Swedish Rally, take place on icy terrain, while one notable exception, the Rallye Monte-Carlo, feature mixed surfaces like snow and tarmac, which create a very diverse racing environment.

  • Race Beyond Limits

  • Rallies are on a wide variety of surfaces, including paved and unpaved surfaces, snow and ice.

The origins of rally racing date back to the early days of motorsports. The Rallye Monte-Carlo, the oldest event on the current WRC calendar, was first held in 1911. Meanwhile, the WRC organization itself was created in 1973. In the early years, rallies were independently created in various countries. By 1970, the representative events were gathered together to form the International World Championship for Manufacturers (IMC). At the time, the IMC only recognized a manufacturers’ championship title, but in 1973, it changed its name to the current World Rally Championship (WRC), and from 1979, the championship expanded to include a drivers’ championship title in addition to the existing manufacturers’ championship title.

Today, there are numerous rallies and championships that take place across the globe, but among them, the WRC is at the top of the list in terms of scale and popularity. The WRC, one of the three major motorsports world championships sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) along with F1 and WEC, is an international motorsport event that is broadcast live around the world. The WRC announced that the cumulative number of viewers worldwide last year reached 1.3 billion. This is a result of the remarkable growth seen in Asia and the Middle East in recent years.

This year's WRC will be held in 14 countries around the world, starting with the opening race in Monte Carlo, then moving on to Sweden, Kenya, Spain, Portugal, and finally Saudi Arabia. Beneath the WRC, there are continental championships such as the European Rally Championship (ERC) and Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), as well as other smaller national rallies.

Race Beyond Limits

Hankook Tire was selected as the new official tire supplier for the WRC, gaining wide recognition for its top-tier racing tire technology this season.

How the Rally Race Works

Rally racing has several characteristics that set it apart from other motorsports. Most notably, the driver and co-driver must function as a single unit, each anticipating the other’s moves. The race section (Special stage) is approximately 300 km which is covered over 3-4 days. Including the liaison sections that connect the timed stages, the total distance traveled can exceed 1,000 km. To avoid getting lost on an unfamiliar road, it is very important to work closely with the co-driver who acts as a navigator.

The presence of a co-driver allows rally drivers to drive at full speed even on twisty roads with poor visibility. The co-driver reads in real time the pace notes written in advance during the recce (reconnaissance), and provides direction regarding the next corner as well as what hazards there are ahead.

  • Race Beyond Limits
  • Race Beyond Limits

  • Rallies are held in various challenging conditions, including paved, unpaved, and snowy conditions.
    For running an unfamiliar long-distance stage, the coordination between the driver and co-driver is critical.

A high level of maintenance knowledge is essential, as drivers and co-drivers must personally resolve any punctures or damage to their cars during the race outside of official service hours.
The rally itself takes place on special stages, which are scattered throughout the event. The sections between these stages are called liaisons, or road sections, and must be driven in the rally car. A driver's license is essential because they will be driving along with regular cars on public roads. Uniquely, rally is one of the few motorsports where spectators can provide assistance during the race. In circuit racing, outside assistance is usually grounds for disqualification, but in rallies where it is difficult to control all sections of the rally some assistance from spectators is permissible. It is a fun and memorable experience that only those who observe it on site can enjoy.

Hankook Tire Becomes the New Official Tire Supplier for WRC

The biggest news in WRC this season is the appointment of Hankook Tire as the new official tire supplier. Replacing the existing supplier, Pirelli, Hankook will supply tires to all classes of the WRC for the next three years, through 2027. Having already exclusively supplied Rally 2 tires to the ERC and Rally 4 tires to the Junior ERC, Hankook Tire has accumulated extensive rally-related technology and know-how and has been widely recognized for its top-tier racing tire technology through its selection as the official tire supplier for the WRC.

Development for the WRC tire project was already underway before the official selection of the company in December 2023. Hankook’s tires demonstrated their excellence by contributing to victories in the Hungarian and Czech Rally Championships. For the Rally1, the top class of the WRC, Hankook carried out over 2,000 km of rigorous testing conducted on a variety of road conditions to ensure optimal performance.

Hankook Tire is also serving as the official exclusive tire supplier for Formula E (ABB FIA Formula E World Championship), the FIA's electric vehicle racing series, starting from the 2022-2023 season.
There are only seven world championships recognized by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). These include the pinnacle of motorsport, F1 (FIA Formula One World Championship), WRC (FIA World Rally Championship), the electric car racing series Formula E, and the endurance racing series WEC (FIA World Endurance Championship). Hankook Tire is recognized worldwide for its technological prowess by serving as a tire supplier for two of these championships simultaneously.

This season, Hankook Tire has already proven its rally tire performance in the WRC, receiving favorable reviews from drivers for its excellent durability and performance through its consecutive participation in the Rallye Monte-Carlo, Sweden Rally, and Safari Rally Kenya.
Hankook Tire, which is active in various fields from traditional motorsports to cutting-edge EV racing, is sure to expand into even broader areas in the future. As a result, industry attention is firmly fixed on the company’s next moves.

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Successful Debut in Monte Carlo

This season, the WRC has eliminated the hybrid systems from rally cars due to changes in the Rally1 vehicle regulations. Although hybrids were initially introduced to respond to the eco-friendly trend, there were constant complaints that the operating costs of rally cars had increased too much. The minimum weight of a rally car was reduced from 1,260 kg to 1,180 kg, and the engine output was also slightly reduced to match. In addition, as tire suppliers changed, each team put considerable effort into understanding tire characteristics and securing data at the beginning of the season.

Hankook Tire entered the WRC with both excitement and anticipation. Although the most important part of the competition, the FIA bidding process, had concluded, tire performance during the season opener remained under close scrutiny. A series of punctures or performance issues could have harmed the brand’s image. This is why Hankook Tire put special effort into ensuring tire durability for the WRC debut.

Race Beyond Limits

WRC drivers praised the high durability and performance of Hankook Tire.

After the race, the reactions from the drivers were all positive. Sebastien Ogier of the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team, who won the opening round in Monte Carlo, said: “Well done, Hankook (Tire). I think there have been fewer tire problems and almost no punctures. “I think this is good because we had a lot of punctures last season and were a bit dissatisfied.” Ott Tänak of the Hyundai World Rally Team said, “In terms of reliability, it is really great. Monte Carlo is a tough environment for tires due to its deep corner cuts and sharp terrain features. The slick tire performance was also quite good,” revealing his impressions of Hankook Tire.

Race Beyond Limits

Monte Carlo, a mixed track with sections of pavement and snow, is notorious for making tire selection tricky. Hankook Tire introduced the Ventus Z215, which boasts high grip on dry pavement, and the Winter i*cept SR20 for snowy terrain. There was a fierce battle of wits between teams to choose the best tires for the constantly changing road conditions.

In contrast, Sweden offers no such variety as the rally takes place entirely on snow-covered roads, thus teams are required to use a single tire type: the Winter i*Pike SR10W. Thanks to the studded tires with tungsten tips embedded around the center of the steel body, cars could reach high speeds of up to 200 km/h even on the snowy roads.

For the third round in Kenya, across the vast lands of Africa, Hankook deployed the gravel-specific Dynapro R213. Since more than half of the WRC season takes place on unpaved surfaces, this tire will be used the most during the season.

The fourth leg returned to Spain for the first time since 2022, taking place in the Canary Islands, the southernmost island of Spain adjacent to the African continent. Boasting beautiful scenery worthy of a world-class tourist destination, a high-speed battle was held between the on-road Ventus Z215 & Z210, taking advantage of the grip on the smooth paved roads.

Race Beyond Limits
  • Race Beyond Limits
  • Race Beyond Limits

The fifth edition of the 2025 WRC, Rally de Portugal, was held on the third weekend of May. As one of the most popular and historic events, it attracts enthusiastic spectators. It is famous for being a rally which wears down the durability of rally cars and tires, as well as the stamina and concentration of drivers, due to the hot weather and the road surface that hides solid rock under the sand.

During the event, a marketing booth called 'Hankook Brand World' was operated in the service park, which received favorable reviews from the rally fans. It offered various programs, including a Hankook’s motorsports history zone, a racing simulator experience zone, and sales of exclusive products.

The following round in early June took teams to Italy where the race is equally notorious for rough roads and scorching heat, just like in Portugal. The race held in Sardinia, Italy's second largest island, was largely similar to last year's format, but a few stages were changed. In particular, the final stage in Porto San Paolo, which also serves as a power stage, was featured in the WRC for the first time.

The Unique Tire Strategy of Rally

Rally is distinguished from other motorsports in terms of tire operation and usage. Changing a tire is a task which takes at least a minute even under optimal conditions. That’s why in the case of a slow puncture, it can be advantageous to just keep going rather than stop, since preserving time can outweigh the risk of further tire wear.

The choice of tires to use on a given day is determined by considering several factors, including temperature, road surface changes, and expected performance. Teams can carry up to two spare tires, but each tire/wheel weighs about 20 kg, so reducing the number of spare tires can be beneficial in terms of overall performance times. However, this also increases the level of risk involved.

The method of installing tires is also different. In rallies, different types of tires are often mixed and mounted. This may cause an imbalance and make handling more difficult, but it can help prevent a complete breakdown. Unbalanced tire mounting is a unique tire usage practice in rally racing, which is rarely seen in other motorsports.

Race Beyond Limits

Rally tire strategy must take into account a variety of factors, including tire compound selection and the number of spare tires necessary depending on weather changes.

WRC-Specific Tire Lineup Developed to Suit a Wide Range of Environments

Rally demands extreme performance on a wide variety of surfaces, from paved roads (tarmac) to unpaved roads (gravel), mud, snow and ice. For this, Hankook Tire developed the Ventus Z215 for tarmac, the Ventus Z210 for wet tarmac roads, and the Dynapro R213 for gravel. The Winter i*cept tires come in both studded and studless versions to accommodate a variety of road conditions and have a steel body with tungsten. The company has also developed a winter i* Pike studded tire specifically for icy roads.

  • Race Beyond Limits


• Ventus Z215
Tarmac tire for dry paved roads.
Designed for high-performance driving on dry tarmac, the Ventus Z215 features an asymmetric tread pattern to optimize the tread contact area and withstand lateral force as much as possible. Two asymmetric main grooves enable driving even in damp conditions such as light rain. Available in three compounds, hard, soft, super soft, this tire balances durability and grip and provide performance across a wide temperature range.

• Ventus Z210
Tarmac tire for wet conditions.
A dedicated tread pattern was designed to ensure drainage and braking performance on wet roads. It uses a special compound that provides grip on wet and cold surfaces.

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• Dynapro R213
Tire for gravel rallies.
Gravel rallies on the unpaved surfaces account for more than half of the WRC calendar. DynaPro is built for stable vehicle control and traction with a left-right asymmetrical pattern. The sidewall design enhances durability and provides puncture resistance, while the two compounds, Hard and soft, ensure reliable performance on a variety of unpaved surfaces and wet surfaces.

  • Race Beyond Limits

• Winter i*cept SR20
Winter tire for snow-covered roads.
Optimized for snowy rallies like Monte Carlo, the Winter i*cept SR20 is made of silica compounds to improve traction under low temperature and humid conditions. It utilizes an optimized pattern design and a fine snow kerf (Fine sawtooth tread pattern) which grips the snow, and performs well even in slushy conditions. Available in both studded and studless versions, it can flexibly respond to various road conditions.

• Winter i*Pike SR10W
Studded tire for icy surfaces.
Engineered for stable grip on the completely frozen surfaces, the Winter i*Pike SR10W features 384 special studs. Each stud is a tungsten-tipped spike embedded in the center of a steel body, providing reliable traction on ice. The tire is made with an ice-specific compound suitable for low temperatures and suppresses the occurrence of cracks to ensure that the studs are maintained without coming off even under extreme conditions. The asymmetric tread pattern is designed to easily shed embedded snow.

Race Beyond Limits

  • Hankook Tire’s first WRC brand film ‘Race Beyond Limits’

Race Beyond Limits

  • Hankook Tire, Overcoming the Limits of Winter. The second WRC brand film ‘Race Beyond Limits – i*cept Edition’

Race Beyond Limits

  • Dynapro, dominating all roads. The third WRC brand film ‘Race Beyond Limits-Dynapro’.

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