The Circuito dos Cristais, in Curvelo (MG), hosts this weekend the official start of the 2026 season of the Stock Car Pro Series and TCR Brazil and South America. The event marks the strengthening of the technical partnership between Hankook Tire & Technology and national and continental motorsport, with the South Korean manufacturer supplying tires for all categories promoted by Vicar Promoções Desportivas, as in 2025.
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In the Stock Car Pro Series, Hankook begins its fourth consecutive season as the exclusive supplier. This year’s championship brings a significant technical change with the return of the 6,2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engines, which deliver 450 horsepower. This new mechanical configuration, which adds about 50 kilograms to the car’s total mass, requires constant performance delivery from the Ventus F200 tires, which need to manage the torque and linear power of the new engines on the challenging Minas Gerais track.
In TCR Brazil and South America, Hankook enters its second year of official supply. The partnership, started in 2025, was marked by breaking lap time records at various circuits across the continent, consolidating the technological adaptation of the compounds to international front-wheel-drive touring cars. In addition to the main categories, Hankook continues as the official partner of Formula 4 Brazil, Stock Light, and Turismo Nacional, the latter having started the transition to South Korean tires last year with significant results in performance, durability, and safety.
Carlos Lee, president of Hankook Tire Brazil, highlights that starting the year 2026 with the total supply of the Vicar platform categories represents the brand’s maturity in the regional scene. “Offering a technological solution that serves everyone from the young talents of Formula 4 to the power of the new Stock Car V8s and the competitiveness of TCR is a responsibility that the company assumes with a focus on safety and durability,” says the executive. Lee states that each category requires a different tire profile and that the brand’s engineering is prepared to deliver maximum performance on all fronts.
Weekend in Curvelo promises high temperatures and even rain – According to Leandro Figueiredo, Warranty and Quality technician at Hankook Tire, the return to Curvelo brings valuable data collected in 2025, which marked the manufacturer’s first experience at the Circuito dos Cristais. The track requires high grip, stability, and tire resistance in both categories, but the recent history brings a positive perspective for the teams.
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“Our debut in Curvelo last year was a fundamental learning experience and the results surprised us positively,” says Figueiredo. “Even though it is a proven abrasive track with the characteristic heat of the region, tire wear was lower than expected, showing the efficiency of our construction and compounds,” he continued.
For this weekend, the forecast indicates maximum temperatures of up to 31 degrees, which reinforces the importance of thermal management. “On the other hand, there is also a chance of rain on the radar. If this occurs, Stock Car and TCR cars should opt for the Hankook Z207, our rain tire that offers excellent drainage capacity and safety on wet tracks. The circuit combines fast sectors with tighter sections and curves of prolonged support, requiring the Ventus F200 compounds to deliver constant grip and minimal performance loss until the checkered flag,” he concludes.
With this diverse presence, Hankook reaffirms its commitment to the technical development of motorsport in Latin America, using the tracks as a laboratory for its cutting-edge engineering.
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