Hankook was due to take over from Yokohama as the sole supplier to the Super Formula support series, which begins its campaign this weekend at Autopolis.
But the devastating fire at the Korean firm's No. 2 plant in Daejeon, which cost Hankook its contract to supply the Super Taikyu series, cast serious doubt over whether its commitments to Super Formula Lights could be honoured.
Now, on the eve of the first practice session of the season, the series has announced that previous supplier Yokohama will step in to supply wet tyres starting this weekend at Autopolis.
From the fourth round of the season at Fuji Speedway in July, the series will switch entirely to Yokohama rubber.
The announcement follows the news that Hankook has also been forced to give up its tyre supply deal with Euroformula Open, which runs the same Dallara 320 chassis as Super Formula Lights, with Pirelli stepping in.
However, the plant fire does not appear to have affected Hankook's main commitment in global motorsport in Formula E.
A total of 12 cars will take part in the opening round of the Super Formula Lights season at Autopolis, with the entry list almost identical to that of the official pre-season test at Suzuka in March.
The only change is the addition of an extra B-Max Racing car in the Masters class for Takashi Hata.
Two practice sessions are planned for Thursday, with another two taking place on Friday before qualifying and the opening race on Saturday.
Autopolis Super Formula Lights entry list:
| Team/Engine | No. | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| TOM'S | 1 |
|
| 35 |
|
|
| 36 |
|
|
| 37 |
|
|
| Toda Racing/Spiess | 2 |
|
| B-Max Racing/Spiess | 4 |
|
| 50 |
|
|
| 51 |
|
|
| 52 |
|
|
| 53 |
|
|
| Rn-sports/Spiess | 10 |
|
| B-Max Racing/Tomei | 30 |
|
Hibiki Taira
Enzo Trulli
David Vidales
Igor Fraga* Masters class entry
