Tyre management is the biggest challenge for the Japanese teams at Hockenheim

Managing and adapting to the Hankook DTM specification slick and wet tyres is set to be the main struggle for the guest Japanese teams racing at this weekend’s season finale at Hockenheim.

The Japanese Super GT runs with four tyre manufacturers (Dunlop, Michelin, Bridgestone and Yokohama) present, with three different slick compounds and freedom to play with tyre pressures.

The cars racing at Hockenheim will have to use the single compound specification tyre from Hankook, with Thursday’s BOP sessions also used to learn about the tyre.

“The main issue is adapting to the tyre,” Honda driver Jenson Button said. “The grip is so different and we have to learn how to work with it.”

“Tyre grip in Japan is amazing,” Nissan driver Ronnie Quintarelli added. “For us working with a different compound is the main issue.”

“We are giving full support to the Japanese teams,” Hankook chief engineer Thomas Baltes told TouringCarTimes. “For sure it’s not easy for them with tyres. We are holding some information from them as our tyre, different to theirs, is designed for a wide use range.

“After the incidents during the free practice sessions we’ve heard that our wet tyre is not adapted to the Japanese cars but this is wrong; it is the cars that have to adapt to our wet tyre. We support them, we are showing the possibilities for them.

“The practice sessions were fully wet, and this was the first time that the Japanese cars run in these conditions, as Thursday’s BOP sessions were held in dry conditions. At the moment we can say that the Japanese teams are fully able to manage the slick tyre, with Button scoring a best lap time easily in the top ten.

“Still, given the weather forecast, we are expecting a race with mixed conditions, and this will be tricky for the Japanese teams.”