Michelin Group Bows Out of WRC

The Michelin Group’s long relationship with the FIA World Rally Championship came to an end on the last weekend of November. The Wales Rally GB marked the closing of 34 years of uninterrupted WRC participation for the Michelin and BFGoodrich brands, which in that time scored 256 victories, won 23 Manufacturers’ titles and claimed 20 Drivers’ crowns in association with their respective partners.

The new season will see the introduction of a control tyre, supplied by Pirelli, preventing the French company from participating in the rallying world’s most prestigious event for the time being. The new control tyre contract runs until the end of the 2010 season.

Michelin’s relationship with the WRC began in 1973 when it supplied tyres for the Jacques Cheinisse-led Alpine-Renault squad in the newly created championship. The team’s four drivers dominated the 1973 season, with six wins securing Alpine-Renault and Michelin their first WRC title.