Sailun Tire 2018 D1GP Racing Sponsorship
Sailun Tire announced their new drifting sponsorship for the 2018 D1 Grand Prix in China during the Guangrao Rubber and Tire Exhibition. Sailun PLT VP Chunxiao Lu, R&D racing tire lead project engineer Park Han Jun, and the racing team director Bin Fu officially introduced their sponsored D1GP driver as Tetsuya Hibino.
Hibino is an experienced D1GP driver and car fanatic from Japan who has made a name for himself with his aggressive drifting style. His Sailun sponsorship debut finished May 20th at Round 1 of the China D1GP cup in Beijing. Sailun sponsored Hibino in his 10000 horsepower modified BMW 3 series E90.
Originating from Japan, the D1 Grand Prix has established races in China, USA, Thailand, and many other areas around the world. The popular racing sport attracts drifters from various countries and is considered the pinnacle of drifting competitions in the world. Today, it is labeled the "F1 of Drifting".
Like F1, tire product performance is very important and extremely demanding; drifting tires require superior grip, high load capabilities, and high durability. Sailun Tire's R&D team finished the development of the newest generation of semi-slick drift racing tires specifically for the D1GP and future races.
On the 19th the Hibino team came out with the highest score for the single drift qualifying round and ranked as runner-up on the morning of the 20th to advance to the drift chase finals. Unfortunately, his vehicle broke down during the final run. The team’s mechanics determined that the breakdown occurred due to damage sustained from a hit in a previous competition. The damage was severe enough that the mechanics were unable to fix the problem within the 5 minute window.
Hibino placed fourth for the first round of the D1GP in Beijing. Next will be Shanghai on June 23rd and 24th!
