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MOTORSPORT

Boulogne-Billancourt – 16 May 2021

MICHELIN Power Slick and Rain Tyres Conquer Le Mans

• Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) makes it back-to-back wins with a weather-affected race victory • Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) wins the MotoE™ race • Alex Marquez (LCR Castrol) sets new circuit top speed record of 322.7 km/h in FP2 Jack Miller put both the MICHELIN Power Slick and Rain tyres to good use when he took first place in the rain-affected fifth round of the 2021 MotoGP™ World Championship at the SHARK Grand Prix de France in Le Mans. Second and third places on the podium were taken by () and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) respectively.

In the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup, the second round of the championship was a completely dry race and it was won by Eric Granado, ahead of Alessandro Zaccone (Octo Pramac MotoE) and Mattia Casadei (Ongetta SIC58 Squadracorse), with all riders using the MotoE MICHELIN Power Slick tyres.

Changeable weather conditions and low temperatures throughout the weekend at the Bugatti Circuit gave the MotoGP and MotoE teams and riders numerous challenges in terms of bike set-up and tyre choice.

An initially dry MotoGP race saw all riders choose Soft front and Soft rear MICHELIN Power Slick tyres. However, following a heavy rain shower in the early laps all riders changed bikes and completed the race on Soft or Medium MICHELIN Power Rain tyres, which showed their durability when they had to endure many dry laps as the track conditions changed again under blue skies. The versatility of the tyres was highlighted as each of the top three riders used a different mix of Rain tyres – Miller: Med/Soft, Zarco: Med/Med and Quartararo: Soft/Med.

Friday’s cloudy and damp conditions during MotoGP FP1 meant that track temperatures were low, at 10° Centigrade, and the riders got their first real taste of the 2021 MICHELIN Power Rain tyres. Later in the day, drier weather, and a track temperature increase to 19° C allowed the riders to use the Soft MICHELIN Power Slicks to bank some precautionary fast lap times in the event of inclement weather affecting Saturday’s practice sessions.

Despite the very difficult conditions, Alex Marquez broke the all-time circuit top speed record after hitting 322.7 km/h on Friday afternoon, a speed that was matched by Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in Q2 on Saturday.

MOTORSPORT

On Saturday, rain showers and a mix of wet and dry conditions led to the riders using a mix of MICHELIN Power Slick and Rain tyres, culminating with Slicks in the battle for grid positions in an almost dry Q2. Fabio Quartararo finally triumphed and took pole position using a Soft front and Soft rear combination.

In E-Pole, Eric Granado (One Energy Racing) took pole position using the Soft MICHELIN Power Rain tyres.

Commenting on the race weekend, Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two Wheel Manager, said: “Compared to the previous rounds so far this season, this was the first time our Rain tyres have been used in anger, and we were very pleased with the high levels of grip and consistency they displayed – as were the riders in both MotoGP and MotoE. Le Mans has always been a bit unpredictable in terms of the weather, and we saw four seasons during a very spectacular and exciting race, but our 2021 specification tyres, both the Slicks and the Rain tyres, handled everything that the weather and the circuit, could throw at them”.

Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 170 countries, has 123,600 employees and operates 71 tire production facilities which together produced around 170 million tires in 2020. (www.michelin.com)

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27 cours de l’Ile Seguin, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt