Michelin to Field Aromatic Oil-Free Race Tyres at Le Mans

This year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, the 78th running of the famous endurance race, takes place on 12 and 13. Michelin says the weekend event will mark a new step in the firm's “commitment to protecting the environment”. The French tyre major’s participation in the Le Mans 24 Hours will, it says, feature an all-new range of eco-friendly tyres. In addition, Michelin will organise, for the second time, the "Michelin Green X Challenge" which has now become an integral part of the regulations that govern the discipline.

Le Mans, Michelin observes, represents a “major tour de force for tyres”, which must be capable of covering distances of up to 700 kilometres and beyond, at average speeds in excess of 200kph. To meet this challenge, Michelin’s chemists and engineers have developed a new range of eco-friendly aromatic oil-free tyres, a first in endurance racing. These tyres will, Michelin adds, “push out the envelope” in three performance-related areas by maximising grip in both dry and wet conditions, permitting longer distances to be covered and enabling fuel savings to be achieved.

Furthermore, the return of the Michelin Green X Challenge will see the tyre maker rewarding the most energy-efficient performances (based on an Energy Efficiency Index, calculated by comparing performance with fuel consumption) not only at Le Mans, but also at every round of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Le Mans Series (LMS).

Michelin will contest the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours in association with its factory partner teams Audi and Peugeot, as well as with a long list of privateer entries competing in all four categories (LMP1, LMP2, LMGT1 and LMGT2). At this year’s race, where a crowd of more than 200,000 spectators is expected, Michelin says it will be looking to claim its 19th outright win in the race, its 13th in a row, and also defend the wins it secured in all four categories in 2009 – all while simultaneously pursuing its active approach to protecting the environment.