Praise for Michelin’s Clio Cup tyre

According to Renault Sport, leading names from the Renault UK Clio Cup are predicting increased speeds and closer racing through the championship’s switch to Michelin tyres in 2017. Multiple title-winning team Pyro Motorsport, three-time champion driver Paul Rivett and 2016 race winner Paul Streather have all praised the Michelin tyres after testing them.

“We went to Rockingham with Josh Price, who won 2016’s final round for us, quite deliberately because of how abrasive the track surface is there,” commented Pyro Team principal Mark Hunt. “Overall, the Michelin tyre proved faster and the wear rate was reduced. I believe we will see a lot of pole position and race lap records fall in 2017 – similarly the overall race times, notably at Rockingham and also Thruxton and Croft which all have very abrasive track surfaces.”

He added: “Any new teams coming in will get on with this tyre very well – they won’t have to ‘unlearn’ anything from previous seasons. The Michelin tyre is definitely going to mean changes to the cars’ set-up.”

Rivett, twice a winner for the WDE Motorsport team in 2016, concurred and said: “The Michelins bring the car alive even more. They make the car that bit more pointy and probably a little easier to control when you get into a slide as well. They are also faster over the lap.

“It is going to make a significant difference to the set-up of the cars but I think it will suit my driving style more – I won all my previous titles on Michelin tyres when the cars were a bit edgy. I think the way the car reacts on these tyres will make for even better racing.”

Streather has now experienced the new Michelin tyre at three different circuits – Brands Hatch Indy, Snetterton and Donington Park. “It’s a really stable tyre and I was very impressed with the durability – they stay at a very good level of performance for a lot of laps,” he reported. “I’d also say they make the car feel even more racy – it’s definitely a quicker tyre. From a driver’s point of view, it’s very rewarding when you put together a good lap on them.”

The 2017 Renault UK Clio Cup season starts at Brands Hatch in Kent on the weekend of 1-2 April. All 18 races will again take place at the British Touring Car Championship’s high-profile events, meaning huge trackside crowds and television live coverage on ITV4 for teams, drivers and sponsors.

“We’re very happy to hear such positive feedback from the UK Clio Cup’s teams and drivers about our 2017 race tyre,” commented Tim Hoare, Michelin’s UK motorsport manager. “When Renault Sport first conceived these cars they were designed to run on Michelins – there’s always been a very close relationship between the two companies.”