Plant fire forces Hankook to give up Super Taikyu tyre supply

On March 12, Hankook's No. 2 plant in Daejeon, located 150km outside the South Korean capital of Seoul, was almost completely destroyed in the blaze. According to the Korea Economic Daily, 11 were injured in the fire, while 400,000 stored tyres were burned.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Bridgestone would be taking over from Hankook as Super Taikyu's official supplier from 2024, although no mention of the fire was made in the championship's official communication.

However, on Monday, Super Taikyu released a fresh statement saying that, although this week's planned official pre-Fuji 24 Hours test (scheduled for April 28) will go ahead, it will be held with a mixture of Bridgestone and Hankook tyres.

Bridgestone will supply all dry tyres for the Fuji 24 Hours on May 27-28, with Hankook only providing wet tyres, before the Japanese firm becomes the official sole supplier from the third round at Sugo in July.

Hankook had been the tyre supplier for Super Taikyu since 2021, signing a three-year deal with an option to extend by a further two years.

However, according to Super Taikyu's statement, the Korean firm said following the fire it would need a year-and-a-half to resume its supply.

The statement added that while it had been usual practice for Hankook tyres to be stored in Japan for several races in advance, a change in specification for this season meant the number of tyres available was considerably reduced.

Super Taikyu's two lowest classes, the ST-4 and ST-5 divisions, will use commercial (grooved) Bridgestone tyres starting from this week's test, until such a time that slicks can be made available.

The remaining classes will continue to use Hankook rubber for the test - which will feature a revised schedule with less running than previously planned - before switching to Bridgestones for the race itself.

It remains to be seen how Hankook's plant fire will affect its other commitments in motorsport, which include Formula E, Euroformula Open, Super Formula Lights and the 24H Series among others.