WRC 2026 Runs on Hankook Tires; Toyota and Evans Crowned Champions

[Financial News] The 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC), one of the world's top rally events, has concluded after Hankook Tire exclusively supplied its racing tires. Toyota Gazoo Racing won the manufacturers' championship, while Elfyn Evans claimed the first WRC drivers' title of his career. Hankook Tire plans to use data gathered from extreme conditions—including snow and ice, tarmac, and rough gravel roads—to develop high-performance tires.
Hankook Tire & Technology announced on the 6th that the 2026 WRC season had concluded with Rally Italia Sardegna, held on the 4th local time around Alghero on the island of Sardinia.
The season finale featured 17 special stages covering a total of 307.02 kilometers. Narrow, winding roads, deeply rutted surfaces, sharp rocks, and unpredictable autumn weather combined to make tire durability and driving stability key factors.
Hankook Tire supplied its extreme all-weather rally tire, the Dynapro R213, for the event. The product is designed to withstand the heavy impacts generated during jumps while maintaining grip and handling performance at high speeds.
Oliver Solberg of TGR WRT won the season finale. Following his victory at Rally Chile in the 12th round, he secured back-to-back wins and his third victory of the season. His teammates Sébastien Ogier and Sami Pajari finished second and third, respectively, allowing Toyota to sweep the top three places on the podium.
Toyota's Elfyn Evans won the season's drivers' championship. Evans finished the finale in fifth place and secured 243 points overall, edging Solberg by five points to claim the first WRC drivers' title of his career. Toyota had already clinched the manufacturers' championship at Rally Chile.
From the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally through the finale, Hankook Tire exclusively supplied racing tires to all WRC classes. The company tested tire performance and durability across diverse driving conditions, ranging from ice and snow to tarmac and rough gravel.
Hankook Tire plans to use driving data gathered at this year's rally events in research and development to advance its high-performance tire technology. Its strategy is to strengthen competitiveness in the global market by validating product performance in extreme motorsports environments and applying the results to the development of mainstream tire technology.
[email protected] Kim Dong-ho Reporter