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Kumho's ECSTA tire, which made a successful debut at the event last year and was widely praised by many of the drivers, will again provide high levels of performance for the F3 machines. The company has invested heavily in R&D over many years, and is now setting its sights on production of an F1 tire. The technological data and expertise accumulated during the development of the F3 tire, will be built upon and expanded for this key development. "We have always welcomed technological challenges, and have focused on high value-added products for the last 30 years," commented Hyung-In Shin, Chief Executive Officer for Kumho Tires. "Now our all our efforts are paying off, but we will continue to build on what we have achieved," he continued. The organisation sees motor sport as an important marketing tool. This is born out by the fact that its sales of Ultra High Performance tires (UHP) increased by over 70% in the 12 months following Kumho's involvement in the 2000 Korean Super Prix. It expects to capture 10% of the global UHP market in 2002. Kumho Tires has put significant focus on motor sports for almost a decade. In 1992, when motor sport was little known in Korea, Kumho sponsored the MG Owners Club in the UK. Since then, it has been involved in sponsorship at many major motor racing events, including Euro GT Series, and the FIA World Rally Championship. The Kumho Tires provided to the KIA team in the Paris-Dakar-Cairo Rally, one of the world's toughest motoring events, survived the entire rally without having to be changed once, testament to the durability and high performance of the ECSTA tire. In addition, this year Kumho became the very first Korean company to supply tires to a team in the Daytona 24 hour race. The company views the sport as an effective vehicle through which to showcase its UHP products to a worldwide consumer market, and has implemented an aggressive marketing programme. The 2000 International Korea Super Prix alone was broadcast to an estimated 300 million people globally. Established in 1960, Kumho Tires is owned by Kumho Industrial Company Limited, and is the 10th largest tire manufacturer in the world, with sales last year of $1.235 billion. Kumho manufactures and distributes a wide range of tires for private cars, light and heavy-duty trucks. It has manufacturing facilities in Korea and China, and has Technical Centres in Birmingham, UK and Akron, Ohio. Kumho Tires History of Motorsports 2001 DAYTONA 24 in
USA 2000 International Formula 3 Korea Super Prix in Changwon, Korea 1999 British Rally Championship (BRC) in England 1998 World Rally Championship (WRC) in Australia 1997 PPG Neon Challenge
in USA, Pro Solo II 1996 SCCA World Challenge in USA 1995 BMW Challenge
in England 1994 Ferrari-Porsche Championship in England 1993 Sports Car Club
of America(SCCA) in USA 1992 MG Owners Club in England 1990 Established Kumho Technical Center(KTC) in USA |
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