Michelin Celebrates 10th Consecutive Le Mans Victory

The 75th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been dominated by Audi Sport and Michelin, with the pair storming to victory in the Sarthe, the 10th such straight win for the French tyremaker. And Michelin also proved up to the task in other categories.

In the LMP2 category, Michelin vehicles finished second with Team Barazi Epsilon-Michelin (A.Fernandez/H.Kurosawa/R.Kerr), and first place was secured in GT1 with the victory of Aston Martin Racing-Michelin (D.Brabham/ R.Rydell/ D.Turner) – Michelin shod vehicles also took out the next four top spots. In GT2 Team Imsa Performance-Michelin (R.Narac / R.Lietz / P.Long) who proved victorious over Risi Competizione – Michelin. Michelin also took the 3 first places of the general results 24 Hours of Le Mans, continuing a winning streak that started back in 1998.

This was Michelin’s 16th victory in this difficult but prestigious endurance race, and those involved were full of praise for the manufacturer. “I am thrilled to see that for the 10th consecutive time, Michelin tyre technology has been a contributing factor in the Audi’s success,” said Michelin director. This technology is a proof of performance and ultimate success for our clients.”

Matthieu Bonardel, Michelin 4 Wheels competition director added “I would like to start off by thanking all of our partners in LMP1, GT1 and GT2 for their respective victories. It is a wonderful feeling of satisfaction that for the last 10 years we have been able to offer to all of our partners despite the conditions – rain, warm or cold – products which perform and a reactive and personable team. Our success has given us confidence for the future. When you are able to accomplish something 10 consecutive times it helps you to feel secure for the years ahead.”

Similar praise came from those linked with Audi, including Audi sport director Dr Ullrich “It was a very difficult race and we tried with our partner Michelin to get the maximum out of the cardriver-tyre package, he said. “We share a common trait with Michelin: we are both very competitive. The weather conditions were often variable, and at times it was difficult enough for the cars just to stay on the track, the conditions were so wet. Michelin adapted perfectly to every situation and found the ideal solution. I would like to thank them for their cooperation.”

““In the difficult conditions that we endured this week-end, the tyres were critical. Michelin has supplied us exceptional rain tyres and at the end of the day, they proved to be the essential factor in winning the race,” commented Audi Sport Driver Marco Werner. Driver Frank Biela added that “whatever our problem Michelin was always there for us. We continuously received advice from them and during the race we always had the right tyre at the right moment.” These sentiments were echoed by driver Emanuele Pirro, who said “Michelin met all of our demands. I must thank Michelin for having supplied us with such good tyres. The Michelin products performed perfectly regardless of the weather conditions.”

Bibendum owes its most recent triumphs at Le Mans to a fruitful partnership with two brands Audi and Bentley. Last year, the Michelin-shod Audi R10 celebrated its swansong outing with a further win.