Michelin Tyres for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017: a New Longevity Record on the Cards?
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MEDIA INFORMATION 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Round 3: 24 Hours of Le Mans Michelin tyres for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017: a new longevity record on the cards? The 2017 running of the Le Mans 24 Hours (June 17-18) will be the third round of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) after the early season’s six-hour clashes at Silverstone, Great Britain, and Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. Double the usual points haul will be up for grabs at the world’s greatest endurance race. The 13.629km track to the south of Le Mans, which is made up chiefly of roads used by everyday traffic the rest of the year, is reputed for being fast and technically challenging. Considered a legendary venue by the teams, drivers and enthusiasts alike, it is one of the most exacting circuits in motor racing and calls for a finely-tuned aerodynamic package to cope with the cocktail of top speeds of up to 340kph down the Mulsanne Straight and the considerably slower turns, not to mention some extremely hard braking in places. The portion that uses the Le Mans-Bugatti loop was resurfaced a few months ago and this is likely to accentuate the difference in grip that exists between this section and the ordinary trunk and secondary roads visited elsewhere. As far as tyres are concerned, Le Mans has always stood out as a major challenge, the number one objective being to deliver high performance both consistently and over long distances between changes. Due to the gradual climb in average speeds and an increase in downforce loads, tyres for the latest-generation cars – which are based on regulations introduced in 2014 – necessitate painstaking development work by Michelin. This season’s adjustments to the regulations, which continue to place significant emphasis on energy efficiency, include a one-third reduction (and even a halving in some cases) in the number of tyres that each car may use at the calendar’s six-hour races (qualifying + race). The LM P1 and LM GTE Pro teams are now effectively authorised to run just four sets per car, instead of six sets in 2016. In response, Michelin has engineered a range of new-generation endurance racing tyres that boast even greater consistency and longer life, with no detriment to the performance levels that last season’s covers delivered. After being put through their paces with success at the 2017 FIA WEC’s opening rounds at Silverstone and Spa, these new tyres will be available for Michelin’s partners at Le Mans where teams can be expected to complete several stints on the same set. Alessandro Barlozzi – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.42.23.55.93 The estimated 25 seconds saved in the pits by not having to change tyres at each refuelling stop could prove decisive in the final outcome, especially as the cars stop around 30 times for fuel in the course of the 24-hour marathon. The tyre longevity record at Le Mans stands at 55 laps on the same four covers (equivalent to approximately 750 kilometres) since Audi Sport completed five stints on a single set in 2011. That achievement could well be bettered this year, however, by Porsche LMP Team or Toyota Gazoo Racing whose cars are not only faster than the prototypes fielded six years ago but also more energy efficient, and 13 laps per stint are expected this time round instead of 11. Clearer tyre appellations in every class For the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017, Michelin’s partners will be able to choose from the French firm’s complete range of endurance racing rubber. Slightly more than 5,000 tyres – hauled to the circuit in 13 semi-trailers – will be on hand for the 29 cars that are competing on its products, while a staff of 45 (out of the 90 Michelin staff working at the race) will service the teams’ respective requirements. Michelin’s endurance racing tyres evolve from year to year and the latest developments combine enhanced consistency and longevity with the same high performance as last year. Three types of slick: SOFT, MEDIUM and HARD The SOFT-, MEDIUM- and HARD-compound slicks available for Michelin’s partners cover a wide spectrum of temperature windows. Their individual windows overlap and 20 Michelin team advisers will be on hand to help the teams establish a tyre strategy ahead of the start and fine-tune their plans as a function of any shifts in the conditions or how the race unfolds. Two wet-weather tyres: WET and FULL WET In the case of wet weather, Michelin’s partners will be able to fit one of the brand’s treaded racing tyres, namely the WET and the FULL WET for heavier rain. At high speeds, the latter is capable of clearing 120 litres of water every second! A ‘hybrid’ tyre for the LM P1 prototypes The LM P1 teams will also be able to select the MICHELIN Hybrid which delivers high performance in damp or drying conditions despite not having a tread pattern. Since its introduction in 2012, this solution has played a decisive role in several races and, like the other tyres in the range, is now even more consistent than in previous seasons. Twelve sets for 24 hours This year, a maximum of seven sets of tyres (not including wet-weather or hybrid tyres) will be authorised per car for qualifying and warm-up, plus a further 12 for the race itself. Alessandro Barlozzi – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.42.23.55.93 Tyre data publicly available, thanks to RFID technology Tyre strategy plays a key role in endurance racing as Michelin’s partner teams seek to maximise performance while taking advantage of the consistency and longevity of their tyres. Not having to swap covers during a refuelling stop represents a time-saving of around 25 seconds, so teams have everything to gain by multi-stinting. They use Friday’s ‘rest day’ before the start to fine-tune their respective game-plans which cover the order in which their drivers are scheduled to appear, the number of stints they expect to perform, the timing of refuelling stops, tyre choices, etc. Michelin plays an active part in establishing these game-plans thanks to the experience and analysis of its team advisers and engineers. Strategies are then adjusted as a function of unforeseen factors and incidents, such as changes in the weather or interruptions to the race (safety car intervention, Full Course Yellow periods). A significant new development for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours will be the possibility to track and understand the teams’ tyre choices thanks to data provided on the timing screens. Indeed, new graphics will display which tyres individual cars are running at any given time and how many laps these tyres have completed. The availability of this information has been made possible thanks to RFID technology. Electronic chips embedded in the tyres’ side walls and monitored as the cars exit the pit lane communicate directly with the official timing system in real time. The same information is provided in parallel to the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) to ensure that maximum tyre quotas are not exceeded. Michelin and the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2017: organisation and logistics Every year, Le Mans stands out as one of the season’s biggest challenges that Michelin faces, so the many aspects of its planning for the race need to dovetail perfectly in order to ensure that its partners benefit from the best possible service. For many, race week kicks off with the first practice session on Wednesday, June 14. For Michelin, however, it all begins about two months upstream at its Cataroux plant in Clermont-Ferrand, France. More than 5,000 are manufactured before later being trucked to Le Mans in a fleet of 13 semi- trailers, with transport arrangements carefully planned to minimise haulage-related emissions. At the track, Michelin’s bespoke compound includes an 800-square metre covered stores area. Alessandro Barlozzi – [email protected] – Phone: +33.6.42.23.55.93 Michelin Motorsport has long paid careful attention to the versatility of its racing tyres. Their respective operating windows have been widened over the years to simplify the work of partner teams and also significantly reduce the number of tyres that need to be made and trucked to Le Mans. The subsequent savings in terms of raw materials, energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are compounded by a gradual lengthening of each tyre’s useful life. Indeed, quadruple stinting – at least – has become a regular feature of the LM P1 battle at Le Mans, along with triple-stinting in the LM P2 and LM GTE classes. Meanwhile, for the 2014 race, Michelin introduced a range of new-generation LM P1 tyres which are not only 15 percent smaller but which also represent a weight saving of 8kg per set of four. Combined with the reduced quotas introduced for the other FIA WEC rounds in 2017, the bottom line is a saving of 12 tonnes of raw materials over the course of the championship. Alongside its covered stores area at the track, Michelin has a 600-square meter workshop where its 45 fitters work on three ‘production lines’ (fitting/removal, inflation, balancing). Like their colleagues who work for the racing teams, Michelin’s staff work in shifts on Saturday and Sunday to ensure a non-stop service. Twenty specialist advisers are delegated to work with each of Michelin’s partner teams throughout the event, while 15 engineers and development experts are on hand to monitor performance and analyse the tyres as they come off the cars, before transmitting the data they collect to their colleagues back in Clermont-Ferrand.