Michelin Tyres Showcase Their Performance and Versatility Package in Poland

MEDIA INFORMATION 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) PZM Rally Poland Michelin tyres showcase their performance and versatility package in Poland Like the upcoming Rally Finland (July 28-31), Rally Poland features narrow, ultra-fast stages which are contested at exceptionally high average speeds. The total length of the 2016 event was 1,253.29km, including 306.10km divided into 21 special stages which took place in mixed weather conditions, ranging from extremely hot – with temperatures of up to 35°C on Friday afternoon – to damp. To provide its WRC and WRC2 partners with the necessary combination of safety and performance for this difficult challenge, Michelin Motorsport took the MICHELIN LTX Force H4 (hard compound) and S4 (soft) to Poland for the former, and the MICHELIN Latitude Cross H90 and S80 for the latter. “We were spared rain during the stages but there were heavy showers two nights running,” reports Jacques Morelli, manager of Michelin’s World Rally Championship programme. “The main effect of this was that the dust stayed on the ground, but it also made the going softer because the Polish stages are particularly loose and sandy. Once again, our tyres needed to cover a wide range of conditions. Our partners monopolised the podium in WRC2, but we faced a bigger challenge in the fight for the overall win. Michelin’s WRC gravel tyre is designed to cover the broadest spectrum of conditions possible, from the hardest-wearing stages to smoother ground. Some of our rivals choose to favour a certain type of stage when developing their tyres, but Michelin Motorsport makes a point of providing a high-performance solution that covers the entire season. Taking the results of the whole year into account, it seems clear that our strategy is the best choice.” Michelin’s gravel tyres combine advanced technology with an extremely versatile performance window in order to cater for the conditions competitors face over the course of the championship as a whole. Thanks to the Michelin Total Performance philosophy, which consists in taking forward several performance-related criteria at the same time when it develops its tyres, Michelin’s engineers have succeeded in conceiving tyres that are both competitive and robust, two factors which are often considered to be conflicting. In Poland, this approach paid off as competitors reached top speeds of up to 200kph. The PZM Rally Poland was ultimately won by Andreas Mikkelsen and A. Jaeger Synnevaag in their Michelin-equipped Volkswagen Polo R WRC, ahead of Ott Tanak/Raigo Molder (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) and Hayden Paddon/John Kennard (Hyundai i20 WRC/Michelin). Didier Laurent – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.75.60.50.62 Alessandro Barlozzi – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.42.23.55.93 The top three finishers in the WRC2 battle were Teemu Suninen/Mikko Markkula (Skoda Fabia R5), Elfyn Evans/Craig Parry (Ford Fiesta R5) and Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm (Skoda Fabia R5). All three cars were equipped with Michelin tyres. The MICHELIN LTX Force S4/H4 and MICHELIN Latitude H90/S80 Size: 205/65R15 (17/65-15) Width: 205 mm Sidewall height: 133 mm Interior diameter: 15 inches Tread pattern: asymmetric and directional (i.e. a left-hand side and a right-hand side tyre) Surface: non-sealed surfaces Use of the H4 and H90: aggressive, hard-wearing surfaces – dry ground – temperature: >15°C Use of the S4 and S80: wet or damp dirt – temperature: <15°C Rallies where the H4 and H90 are the nominated tyres: Mexico, Portugal, Italy, Australia, Spain Rallies where the S4 and S80 are the nominated tyres: Argentina, Poland, Finland, Wales Michelin’s staff for the 2016 PZM Rally Poland - 1 manager - 1 development engineer - 4 Technical Team Advisors - 2 coordinators - 8 fitters Didier Laurent – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.75.60.50.62 Alessandro Barlozzi – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.42.23.55.93 .

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