Hankook Tires Survived the Safari Rally’s Brutal Test and Proved They’re Built Different
The Safari rally in Kenya is not your average race. It is dust, mud, rocks and ruts. And if the rains come, it’s pure chaos. This is exactly what makes him legendary.
Thus, when Hankook Tire made his debut as an official WRC partner during the 2025 Safari rally, all the eyes were on how their rubber was shooting. Spoiler alert: he was not just held – he dominated.
From the first partner to the podium interpreter
Hankook has entered this year’s safari rally with a point to prove. As a new official tire supplier for the FIA Junior WRC, the brand had to show that it could manage the Punitive African landscape. The drivers were confronted with net rocks, a thick dust, passages in deep water and unpredictable weather conditions – all in a rally. And through all this, Hankook tires have delivered adhesion, sustainability and control. For a first supplier, this is a large declaration.
Why the Safari rally is so brutal
Most races stick to the tarmac or the gravel of grooming. Not Kenya. The Safari rally is famous for chewing equipment and humiliating even the best drivers. The route extends over large savannas and high rocky lands, often with little warning before the land moves under your wheels. Temperatures skyrocketing. The rain transforms dry traces into mud wells.
This is the kind of event that puts all parts of the car – and everything focus on the pilot – to the test. Tires that can survive here? They can survive almost anywhere.
Real performance, not just laboratory tests
What distinguishes this for Hankook is that these results were not theoretical. Their rally2 tires were faced with extremes from the real world and passed with flying colors. They seized when he was dry. They scribbled the mud when it got wet. And they helped junior drivers remain competitive in one of the most punitive motor sports environments in the world. It is not marketing down – this is the data won in dirt.
What it means for everyday drivers
Now you may not run through the African bush in your daily driver – but the technology tested in rally conditions often spreads in daily tires. This means better adhesion in the rain, stronger side walls for pupil nests and more reliable performance in extreme heat or cold. All this is part of the long game that Hankook plays: Building confidence through performance when he has the most.
Looking at the path
With solid beginnings behind them, Hankook’s momentum is being built. Their role in the WRC Junior gives them a test field to refine the performance of all types of drivers.
If they can prosper in Kenya, they are ready to push the limits in all corners of the WRC calendar. Expect to know much more about Hankook – not just in large racing titles, but on highways and roads, where performance still counts.
