New Hankook Super Trofeo Tire a ‘Definite Improvement’

Drivers in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America field have reacted positively to Hankook’s new tire, which is making its North American debut this weekend at Watkins Glen International for the single-make series, with Pro class driver Ernie Francis Jr. touting the new rubber as “definitely an improvement” over the outgoing offering.

While the tire has already made its international racing debut in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe, the field of 38 cars competing at this weekend’s pair of rounds had their first racing laps using the new Hankook L63H tire on Friday.

The tire has placed a focus on improved durability and grip over the course of the series’ 50-minute single-pit stop races.

“It’s definitely an improvement over what we had in the past,” Francis Jr. told Sportscar365. “The tire seems to be more consistent over the course of a run. It seems like we’re able to push the car and the rear tire especially feels like it holds up better.

“It definitely feels like a step in the right direction. I think the cars are faster and I think we can be faster over the course of a race with it. I think overall it’s been a solid gain, and I think most of the guys in the paddock are pretty happy with it.”

The Alliance Racing driver was especially impressed with the new L6H3 tire’s improved rear grip and durability in race trim, allowing drivers to more easily put their Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2’s 620 horsepower and 570 Nm of torque to the pavement.

“I think the rear tire holds up better over the course of a run,” said Francis Jr. “Before you could really hurt it pretty bad, and it would really affect it towards the end of a race run. Now I feel like the rear tire pulls up a little bit better.

“It keeps it at least in the window. You can still hurt the tire pretty good if you over-abuse it in the beginning, but it has a wider range of what it can handle before it falls off like that. So overall, I’m pretty happy with it.”

ANSA Motorsports driver and fellow Pro class contender Colin Queen also weighed in, and was equally impressed by the new tire’s drivability, performance, saying the new tire also allows for a more “conservative” approach to cornering, while providing more grip.

“The lifespan has improved,” Queen told Sportscar365. “It’s good. It’s a noticeable difference. You can really put a lot more load on that rear end in the corners and it sticks.

“It’s not so forceful on the entry’s. It’s more of a conservative driving style, but it’s more forgiving. Conservative in a way where it’s not like you’re throwing it into a corner completely like the old compound.

“I like it and I think it’s great for something like qualifying or those long race runs where you really have to conserve. You don’t have to conserve as much now.

“With the aero wash and everything we have in the race, it helps with the tire deg significantly. That’s what I figured out in this Race 1. It’s forgiving. It’s a lot more stable. I would say the lap times improved quite a bit, actually.”

Lap times in both qualifying and race trim had, in fact, improved compared to last year’s sessions at The Glen, with Will Bamber’s Race 1 pole lap proving 0.903 seconds quicker than Danny Formal’s quickest overall pole lap in 2024.

Furthermore, Formal improved his overall fastest racing lap by 0.517 seconds on Friday, donning the new Hankook tire compared to his race lap record from last year’s Race 1.

Francis Jr: New Tire May Lead to “Better Racing” 

Francis Jr. felt that racing action may eventually be improved by the new rubber as well as the Super Trofeo field begins to understand how to maximize the Korean brand’s new racing slick.

“I think it’ll make [the racing] interesting because before you had the tire fall off, depending on who abused the tire, so it made the end of the race interesting, where some people might have abused the tire more than others,” he said.

“Now, the tire seems to be faster over the run. It’s more pushing the entire time.

“I think people are making more mistakes, which I think you saw in the race out there in Race 1. A lot of people going off, and a lot of mistakes happening because you were able to push the car that hard because the tire holds up better.

“So in that way, it does make the racing more interesting and probably will lead to better racing as everybody figures out the tire.”