BRASELTON, GA (October 20, 2012) – The test of 1000 miles of competition on the hilly, demanding 2.54-mile Road Atlanta circuit reinforced the link between the clean, fast and efficient performance demands of the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge and success in American Le Mans Series competition.
Taking their second consecutive MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge GT win and third this season was the ALMS GT class-winning #01 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari F458 Italia driven by team owner Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek and Toni Vilander.
A second-place MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge finish today matched the race finish for the #03 Corvette C6 ZR1 driven by Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, coupled with their four previous victories, secured the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge GT Championship for Corvette Racing.
The #055 Level 5 Motorsports Honda driven by Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti, former ALMS champion Marino Franchitti and team owner Scott Tucker, took the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge Prototype award in today’s season finale, Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
The MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge Prototype Championship was clinched prior to today’s race by the #6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing’s Honda with co-drivers Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr.
“With its high speeds, elevation changes and 1000-mile race distance, Petit Le Mans provides a difficult test for manufacturers, teams and drivers,” said Silvia Mammone, Michelin motorsports manager. “To see the winner of the GT category, one of the most competitive classes worldwide, win the pole, the GT race and the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge is a clear example of the linkage between clean, fast and efficient performance and race results.”
To date, 32 of the 74 MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge winners in the ALMS have also won their respective classes on track.
America’s premier environmental competition, the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge has had 26 different cars from 20 teams and 13 manufacturers, featuring four different fuels and three tire manufacturers earn victories in the 76 total race awards (2009 – 2012).
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, Michelinhas 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:
Sachin Deshpandé John Love
MichelinNorth America EMC Strategic Communications
office: 1 416 576 0226 office: 1 248 816 0106
sachin.deshpande@ca.michelin.com mobile: 1 313 506 2114
john@emcstrategic.com