Philip Ellis crowned Audi Sport TT Cup champion on Hankook tyres Hankook, DTM

Philip Ellis crowned Audi Sport TT Cup champion on Hankook tyres

Hankook Tire | 15.10.17 | Pneumatiky Hankook

Hankook 2017

Philip Ellis crowned Audi Sport TT Cup champion on Hankook tyres

The 2017 Audi Sport TT Cup has its champion. Philip Ellis arrived at the season finale, which formed part of the DTM weekend at the Hockenheimring, as championship leader. The Briton won the penultimate race of the season on Saturday to open an unassailable lead with one race remaining. The third season of the junior series, which features 16 regular drivers from eleven countries, kicked off at the iconic circuit near Heidelberg roughly five months ago, and the new champion showed at the season-opener in May that he would be a force to be reckoned with in his second year in the Audi Sport TT Cup.

Hockenheim/Germany, 14^th October 2017
Born in Munich, the Brit took a somewhat unconventional route into motorsport: unlike many of his fellow drivers, he gained absolutely no experience on the karting scene. He took his first steps in motor racing at the wheel of a Formula BMW in Llucmajor in 2010. As reward for his impressive performances in training, Ellis was given a three-day training session with a private driving coach at the Circuit Mallorca, where he impressed the both the owners of the racetrack and his coach with his extraordinary talent. This was to prove the start of a promising career.

One year later, Ellis, who now lives in Switzerland, won the LO Formel Lista series in his first season of racing. He then started in the Formula 3 Euro Series and in various endurance races. Last season, he drove the 340-hp Audi TT for the first time, and was promptly third in the rookie competition. This year’s title is the biggest success of the 25-year-old’s career so far.

“I am incredibly happy to have won the championship with one race still to come. The Hankook tyre is mega and offered me the perfect support. As we start with a very low air pressure, in order to achieve the ideal tyre pressure in the final third of the race, the tyre takes a little time to develop its high level of grip at the start of the race. However, it then maintains that level for an unbelievably long time, and you can adapt perfectly to the Hankook tyre, as it is so incredibly consistent. My dream for next year is to drive in GT3, but first I will celebrate winning the championship,” said the new champion of the 2017 Audi Sport TT Cup.

Another exciting and high-quality season of the junior series draws to a close this weekend. Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport Customer Racing: “The 2017 Audi Sport TT Cup has been open and exciting, right down to the finale. The young racing drivers have learned an awful lot this year, including how to manage the tyres provided by our long-term partner Hankook. We have given them a professional preparation for the rest of their motorsport career, and wish them all the best. As we come to the end of this year’s Audi Sport TT Cup, we would also like to thank Hankook, who have been on board as partner since day one.”

Premium tyre maker Hankook has been supplying the Audi Sport TT Cup with the Ventus race tyre since the series was launched in 2015. With its high levels of performance and extreme consistency, the tyre offers the talented youngsters just the kind of support they need. “The Audi Sport TT Cup once again had a great starting field, with perfectly-prepared drivers and cars featuring the very latest technology. The entire Audi Sport TT Team has done a great job. With its race tyre, Hankook is pleased to be able to help the talented young drivers on their way to very promising motorsport careers. The cooperation with Audi has been harmonious from the first lap to the last, and remains so,” said Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe.