Hankook to enter US Drift races with a Porsche

Wayne, New Jersey - Hankook Tire America Corp., will sponsor two cars in the 2007 Formula Drift Series, which begins on 7 April at the Long Beach Grand Prix. The Hankook Tires/JIC Magic USA Porsche 993, driven by Tyler McQuarrie, and the Nissan S15 Silvia driven by Kenji Yamanaka were rolled out its drifting hardware at a test day at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, California. on 1 March.

Hankook said the Porsche has been re-engineered with a JIC/Cross suspension that incorporates a special drifting setup opposite of the norm. Since Porsche models are heavier at the rear, softer rear springs allow the car to "squat" to get better traction. Custom control arms, tie-rods and knuckles had to be created to get the extreme angle needed for competitive drifting, to keep the tyres from rubbing as the car turns. Final modifications include a 600-hp engine and relocated oil cooler.

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HPress releasefrom Hankook (together with an autoblog entry).