Sebring Pre Race Photo Michelin Motorsports
Posted on March 05, 2014

Michelin Readies to Tame Sebring International Raceway

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SEBRING, Fla. (March 5, 2014) - Though the historic 3.7-mile Sebring International Raceway circuit notorious for its bravery checking high speed corners and its relentlessly bumpy track surface remains the same, this year’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 15 will be a bit different for Michelin. Despite claiming the overall race victory at Sebring for the past 15 consecutive years with technical partners Audi, Peugeot, Porsche and BMW prototypes, a 16th consecutive Michelin win is unlikely.

Michelin is currently eligible to compete only in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class, the sole open tire class in the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The powerful GTLM class finds Michelin as the technical partner of choice for the factory squads from BMW Team RLL, Corvette Racing, Porsche North America and SRT Viper, along with the top independent Ferrari teams from Risi Competizione and Krohn Racing.

Amid a year of changes in the sport, one key element that has not changed is Michelin’s commitment to continuously develop innovative tire technologies through competition. “Sebring is a special place for sports car racing and for Michelin,” said Chris Baker, motorsports director for Michelin North America.

 “Sebring presents a broad range of technical challenges that help us to develop the braking performance, turn-in and corning power that help our teams in competition and which translate into our latest consumer tires like the MICHELIN® Pilot® Super Sport and the MICHELIN® Pilot® Sport A/S 3,” said Baker.  “In addition, absolutely laser-beam-direct lineage to our work here in Sebring can be seen in the new MICHELIN® Pilot® Sport Cup 2 being delivered as original equipment on extremely-focused but street-able cars such as the 991-chassis Porsche 911 GT3, the Ferrari 458 Speciale, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series and--in 2015--the new C7 Corvette Z07 Performance Package.  Our track-to-street philosophy doesn't get any more apparent than that.”

Michelin is the official tire partner of Sebring International Raceway and the only tire maker inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame. In addition to the Turn 17 Bridge, pit lane and track signage, the Michelin Alley print publication, www.michelinalley.com site and @michelinalley Twitter feed will provide a steady stream of news, photos and insights for the fans.

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For more information, visit www.michelinmedia.com or contact:                                                                  

Craig Hodges                                                                        John Love

Michelin North America                                                     EMC Strategic Communications

office: 1 864 458 4698                                                      office: 1 248 816 0106

craig.hodges@us.michelin.com                                        mobile: 1 313 506 2114

                                                                                                john@emcstrategic.com

 

 

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About Michelin North America

Michelin is building a world-leading manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences. Pioneering engineered materials for more than 130 years, Michelin is uniquely positioned to make decisive contributions to human progress and to a more sustainable world. Drawing on its deep know-how in polymer composites, Michelin is constantly innovating to manufacture high-quality tires and components for critical applications in demanding fields as varied as mobility, construction, aeronautics, low-carbon energies and healthcare. The care placed in its products and deep customer knowledge inspire Michelin to offer the finest experiences. This spans from providing data- and AI-based connected solutions for professional fleets to recommending outstanding restaurants and hotels curated by the MICHELIN Guide. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America, Inc. has approximately 23,500 employees and operates 36 production facilities in the United States (michelinman.com) and Canada (michelin.ca).