ELKHART LAKE, WIS. (August 18, 2012) – The seventh stop of the 2012 American Le Mans Series produced a pair of repeat winners in the MICHELIN® GREEN X® CHALLENGE in competition that matched the tight battles of the four–hour Road Race Showcase at Road America.
Taking their second consecutive MICHELIN® GREEN X® CHALLENGE Prototype win were the Indianapolis-based Conquest Endurance Racing, Nissan, and co-drivers Martin Plowman and David Heinemeier Hansson.
“It is great for us to win the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge for the second consecutive race,” said Heinemeier Hansson. “It is good for us to have a car that runs fast, clean, and efficient and still be on the top step of the class podium in the race.” Their LMP2 class victory in the four-hour race marks the 29th time in MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge history that an award winner also won its class on track.
Scoring its fourth MICHELIN® GREEN X® CHALLENGE win in the last five ALMS races was the E85 R fueled #3 Corvette Racing C6 ZR1 driven by Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia. Corvette Racing earned a 1-2 finish in today’s MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge. This marks the third time in the four-year history of the awards that Corvette Racing has won the GT category MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge honors at Road America.
The final margin for the winning Corvette over its sister car #4 was a narrow 0.085 points under the Green Racing formula established by the U.S. Department of Energy, the EPA,
SAE International. The formula calculates Clean, Fast, and Efficient performance. The score reflects a measure of the oil used and greenhouse gas emissions for each car on a well-to-wheel basis, each car’s speed during the race and the car’s energy consumption divided by the car’s mass.
“Winning the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge at a fast, demanding, high-speed 4.08 mile circuit like Road America takes a special combination of aerodynamics, power, and efficiency and the Conquest Endurance team, Nissan and Corvette Racing excelled at those challenges” said Silvia Mammone, motorsport manager, Michelin North America.
PREVIOUS MICHELIN® GREEN X® CHALLENGE WINNERS AT ROAD AMERICA
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YEAR
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CLASS
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WIN (Manufacturer/Team/Car/Drivers)
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2011
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Prototype
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Aston Martin Lola – Muscle Milk Aston Martin – AM Lola Coupe B08/62 – Luhr/Graf
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2011
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GT
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Chevrolet – Corvette Racing – Corvette C6.R – Magnussen/Gavin
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2010
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Prototype
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Lola/Judd – Drayson Racing- Lola Judd Coupe – Pirro/Cocker
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2010
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GT
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Porsche – Team Falken – Porsche 911 GT3 RSR – Henzler/Sellers
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2009
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Prototype
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Acura – Lowe’s Fernandez Racing – Acura ARX-01b – Fernandez/Diaz
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2009
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GT
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Chevrolet – Corvette Racing – Corvette C6.R – O’Connell/Magnussen
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ABOUT THE MICHELIN® GREEN X® CHALLENGE
The American Le Mans Series is the only series currently recognized as “Green Racing” by the U. S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and SAE International.
In 2010, the season-ending Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta marked the first time that all five energy sources identified in the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy policy were represented in competition. The five energies are E10 ethanol-blended gasoline, E85R second-generation cellulosic ethanol, GTL (natural gas to liquid) biodiesel, E10-electric hybrid power and Iso-butanol gasoline.
The MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge trophies are presented to the respective Prototype and GT winners. The bases for the unique MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge trophies are made of rubber recycled from MICHELIN GREEN X labeled consumer tires.
ABOUT MICHELIN® GREEN X® TIRES
MICHELIN GREEN X labeled consumer tires are optimized for fuel economy by reducing their rolling resistance and weight without compromising other key performance factors such as traction, grip and tread wear. Each tire is marked with Michelin’s “GREEN X” symbol on the sidewall, indicating to consumers a level of energy-efficiency that reduces CO2 emissions.
For over 20 years, Michelin has been dedicated to the research and development of energy-efficient tires and now, a complete line of fuel-efficient tires is available to fit the most immediate consumer needs. Please visit www.michelinman.com for a complete list.
Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelinman.com) employs more than 22,200 and operates 18 major manufacturing plants in 16 locations.
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For more information, visit www.michelinmedia.com or contact:
Lynne Fowler John Love
Michelin North America EMC Strategic Communications
office: 1 864 458 6365 office: 1 248 816 0106
mobile: 1 864 561 9914 mobile: 1 313 506 2114
lynne.fowler@us.michelin.com john@emcstrategic.com