For over 17 years, Hankook Competition has played a defining role in Korean motorsport and at the helm stands Steven Cho. The CEO of Hankook Competition is the driving force behind one of Korea’s most successful racing teams.
Under his leadership, the team has clinched multiple championships in the prestigious Super 6000 class, and making history winning both the team and the driver titles in 2022 – a milestone for Korean motorsport.
But Steven Cho’s role extends beyond the national racing circuit. He also oversees Hankook’s motorsport tire operations on the international stage, including rally tires for the World Rally Championship. Our correspondent Valentina Ahlavuo met him in Sardinia at the Rally Italia Sardegna 2025 to talk about leadership, innovation, and what it takes to reach the top of the global motorsport scene.
Calm Before the Storm
The first morning of Rally Sardinia is already buzzing with action, when I meet Steven Cho. “The teams are out driving right now. We’ve just wrapped up the morning loop, so things are pretty calm here in the paddock, for the moment,” Steven says with a smile. “But once the teams return, they all come back at the same time. That’s when it gets hectic.” He gestures around the quiet service area. “Right now it seems peaceful, but when the cars roll in, everything happens at once. People rush around, the whole place comes to life - it’s organized chaos.”
How Many Tires Do Teams Use?
“Each stage allocation allows for 12 tires, and teams typically try to use all of them throughout the rally,” Steven explains. “Even if there are older tires left, fresh ones always give better performance.” Tire wear is usually around 13 to 14 percent per stage. “We don’t really measure exact percentages, teams rarely drive the tires to the limit anyway. They just use all they’ve got.”
Why aren’t Rally Tires Balanced?
Unlike road or track tires, rally tires aren’t balanced at all, Steven Cho explains why: “The terrain here in Sardinia is so rough that balancing makes no difference. You don’t feel or hear any vibration, and on gravel or mixed surfaces like R1s, it’s unnecessary. But for track racing, where speeds are higher, balancing is essential.”
So, What Does a Rally Tire Cost?
A curious Italian tire technician asks about the price. Steven grins. “Each tire costs €385. I’ve actually got a payment terminal right over there, if you’d like, we can settle up now. Sardinia’s gravel rally tires have a tread height of 8 mm and groove depth of 13 mm, robust and ready for use.
Tire Pressures in the Heat of the Rally
Cold tire pressure must stay above 1.5 bar. Once hot, the pressure usually climbs to about 2.0–2.1 bar. During the Sardinia rally, air temperatures hit 35°C, and road surfaces soared to around 50°C. “When teams find a pressure that works, they tend to tweak it lower, again and again,” Steven says. “Everyone has their own approach. Teams try to keep pressures between 1.5 and 2.1 bar, but the exact figure depends on their car and setup.”
Do they sometimes go below recommendations?
“Yes,” he admits. “Teams push the tires to their absolute limits. It creates pressure for us as the manufacturer. If you’re running outside the recommended range, anything can happen. If a puncture occurs, it’s up to the driver to adjust their style and nurse the car until the tire holds. Then it’s really about how tough the wheel rim is.”
If the damage is too great?
“Then they’re forced to stop at the side of the road. If the car can’t finish the stage, the team has to retire. There have been incidents where a puncture caused so much damage that it ended the rally altogether.”
Tire Lot Draw: Fairness and Transparency
Both hard and soft tires are allowed, and teams use them strategically depending on conditions. “In top-level rallying, especially the WRC, the tire draw process is very tightly controlled,” Steven explains. “Not because anyone mistrusts the tire supplier, but to ensure full transparency with the FIA.”
How fresh are the tires?
“We don’t disclose the exact age, but I can say they’re not very old, maybe just a few months. All the tires used in competition come from the same batch, manufactured around the same time.”
Do You Retread Rally Tires?
“The carcasses of our rally tires are extremely durable. They’re built to take punishment,” Steven says. “We don’t really use retreading in motorsport because we’re chasing peak performance. Retreaded tires are great in terms of sustainability and lifespan, but in racing, we’re after the last thousandth of a second, the tiniest edge in grip. That’s why you won’t see retreads in WRC.” After the event, all used tires are collected and sent to Hankook’s recycling partner in Germany. “They recover and reuse all the components we send them. It’s not cheap, but it’s part of our shared sustainability program with the FIA.” Steven emphasizes the bigger picture: “We have to keep finding innovative solutions. Even if the tech doesn’t exist yet, that doesn’t mean we won’t find it in the future. When it comes to sustainability, we need to stay open-minded.”
“Our goal is to produce tires that are not only durable and high-performing, but also responsibly recycled at the end of their life cycle.”
A Bold Development Strategy
Hankook doesn’t just test in the lab, they test with real drivers in real competition. “What makes the WRC so exciting and so challenging is the range of conditions we face. We’ve had to develop multiple tire specifications for all kinds of scenarios,” Steven explains. “Our first rally of the season, Monte Carlo, was technically asphalt, but there was snow and ice too. So we brought asphalt tires, wet tires, studded asphalt tires. Then we had Sweden, a pure snow and ice rally, with totally different tire needs. And now here in Sardinia, we’re on gravel, so it’s all about our gravel tire lineup. Hankook produces different tires for each unique condition. That’s what makes rallying - and tire development - so fascinating.”
Watch the video with all the highlights of Rally Italia Sardegna here:
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Covering news and events across Northern Europe for Gateway, with a focus on the Independent Aftermarket, electric vehicles, workshops, and tire retail in Scandinavia. Well-connected in the Nordic auto scene and always up for networking.
