MEDIA INFORMATION October 2014
2014 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 6 Hours of Shanghai
Michelin’s tyres for the 2014 6 Hours of Shanghai
The challenge of Shanghai International Circuit for tyres
Designed by the architect Hermann Tilke (like the circuits at Sepang, Malaysia, and in Bahrain), the Shanghai International Circuit was built in 2004. The 5.451km track stands out through its combination of short straights and tight turns. It is fast and technically demanding, with repeated hard braking and hard re-acceleration out of the corners. Meanwhile, the surface is aggressive and the temperature can easily exceed 30°C in clear weather at this time of autumn. As a consequence, the tyres are subjected to significant constraints for which Michelin has produced a range of solutions.
The forecast for this year’s 6 Hours of Shanghai predicts mild weather for the race, but free practice and qualifying are likely to be cloudy, and possibly wet. That would make life complex for the teams who would consequently be unable to fine-tune their set-ups and tyre choices for Sunday’s race.
MICHELIN tyres for the 2014 6 Hours of Shanghai
LM P1 (front and rear: 31/71-18) Slicks: choice between ‘soft high temperature’ and ‘medium low temperature’ compounds (Rebellion Racing: choice between ‘soft high temperature’ and ‘soft low temperature’ compounds) MICHELIN Hybrid (damp and drying conditions) Wet and Full Wet
LM P2 (front slicks: 30/65-18 / front wets: 29/65-18 / rear: 31/71-18) Slicks: choice between ‘medium’ and ‘medium plus’ compounds Wet weather tyres: choice between ‘drying track’ tyres and Full Wets
LM GTE Pro (front: 30/68-18 / rear: 31/71-18) Slicks: choice between medium and hard compounds (Porsche Team Manthey: choice between medium and ‘medium high temperature’ compounds) Wet weather tyres: choice between ‘drying track’ tyres and Full Wets
LM GTE AM (front: 30/68-18 / rear: 31/71-18) Slicks... Ferrari: choice between medium and hard compounds / Porsche: choice between medium and ‘high temperature medium’ compounds / Aston Martin: choice between medium and ‘medium low temperature’ compounds. Wet weather tyres: choice between ‘drying track’ tyres and Full Wets
The 2014 6 Hours of Shanghai will start at 11am local time on Sunday, November 2.