Hankook Orange1 FFF Racing Team lived a challenging but still important first appearance in the NLS championship, the very competitive German series whose races are all held on the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife. On May 1st, the Chinese squad took part in the third event of the 2021 calendar, the “62. Eibach ADAC ACAS Cup”, fielding a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO shod with Hankook’s Ventus Race tyres and Marco Mapelli, Mirko Bortolotti and Franck Perera at the wheel.
The Lamborghini Factory Drivers trio set the 27th fastest time in qualifying, among over 150 entries, but Perera suffered a crash before the end of the session, hitting the barriers. Luckily, the French driver came out unscathed. The Hankook FFF Racing Team mechanics worked against the clock to repair the damaged #63 car in order to contest the 4-hour race in the evening, but the car could only start few laps after the start of the race.
The Hankook FFF Racing Team decided to go ahead to collect data and experience on the 25.37-kilometre track combining the Nordschleife and the Nurburgring Grand Prix Circuit. After completing 22 laps, Hankook FFF Racing Team ended in 112th place and 21st in the SP9 Pro class.
Despite the adversity, this proved a good chance to prepare for the next rounds and, most of all, the famous ADAC Total 24h Race on 3-6 June. The ADAC 24h Qualifying Race is a close next, on 8-9 May.
Fu Songyang, Team Owner Hankook FFF Racing Team
“We are thrilled to have completed our first NLS event, after the cancellation of the opening race in March due to the snow. At the same time, obviously, we’re a bit frustrated about the crash which compromised our opportunities to get a good result. Repair work took some time, and we had to start the race with a gap of 4/5 laps from the leaders. Never say never when you compete on the Nordschleife, but it still has been a precious chance to gain experience with the track, the set-up and new Hankook tyres in advance of next NLS rounds and, in particular, the 24-hours that we’re waiting with great expectation”.
