GREENVILLE, S.C. - March 17, 2015 – Michelin and Sebring International Raceway announced today that Michelin will continue as the Official Tire of Sebring International Raceway through 2017.
“Sebring has a great tradition and a distinct character that presents a wide range of technical challenges,” said Chris Baker, director of motorsports for Michelin North America. “Virtually our entire portfolio of MICHELIN Pilot ultra-high performance tires can trace its technical heritage to innovations and insights gained through open competition in endurance racing at tracks like Sebring and Le Mans.”
“Our Michelin Bridge at Turn 17 is a great reminder of how we link our race tire technology in the Sebring pits to our tire technology in the paddock at BMW, Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche car corrals and to consumers on the street,” said Baker.
The 63rd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race will provide a robust test of the balance of tire performance as exceptional handling, braking, power down and extended wear all contribute to overall performance.
“We are proud to continue our relationship with Michelin as the Official Tire of Sebring,” said Tres Stephenson, Sebring president and general manager. “Michelin technical partner teams have enjoyed great success at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida for many, many years. Our Sebring fans know and respect Michelin.”
Manufacturers and top independent teams from Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Nissan, Porsche, Toyota have chosen Michelin as their technical partner for the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and/or FIA World Endurance Championship competitions.
Michelin and its technical partner teams have claimed the overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the past 17 consecutive years.
Michelin technical partner teams from BMW, Audi, Peugeot and Porsche claimed the overall 12-hour race victories at Sebring for 15 consecutive years (1999-2013) before the creation of the TUDOR Championship, where Michelin participation is constrained to the open tire GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. Last year’s GTLM class was won by the Porsche North America factory team and Michelin.
Michelin became the first tire maker and just the fourth manufacturer (joining Audi, Ferrari and Porsche) inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame in 2010.
The 63rd running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida will be held on March 21, 2015, and broadcast live on FOX Sports.