MEDIA INFORMATION Long Beach, April 4, 2015 2014/2015 FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP Long Beach ePrix The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV makes history On April 4, the avenues of Long Beach, California, will provide the backdrop to the United States West Coast’s first ePrix. For the very first time, although long renowned as a venue for top flight motor racing, the city is poised to host the FIA Formula E Championship’s electric single-seater cars which feature technologically innovative 18-inch tyres. In addition to its pleasant climate, Long Beach has forged an international reputation thanks to its stunning setting which has been home to a prestigious list of leading auto races through its streets since 1975. Long Beach boasts North America’s oldest street circuit and, over the years, has been visited by Formula 5000, the USA West Formula 1 Grand Prix (from 1976 to 1983) and CART/Champ Car racing. Since 2009, Long Beach has also been a port of call for the IndyCar Series. Legends Mario Andretti and Nelson Piquet both enjoyed victory in the city’s streets, and the Andretti Autosport Formula E team and China Racing’s Nelson Piquet Junior would understandably be delighted to see the same names to the top of the podium on Saturday, even though the circuit used by the electric racing series is shorter than the layout employed by Formula 1 in the past. Serge Grisin, manager of Michelin’s Formula E programme: “We have fewer question marks concerning Long Beach than we did ahead of the recent Miami ePrix. The painted road markings are not as thick and there are no tram lines to take on board. That means less work for the people who have to get the track ready and fewer headaches for the teams. We now have the experience of five races behind us with the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV. They were all very different, from the track layouts to the surfaces and temperatures, but our Formula E tyre has lived up to the expectations of the teams in all these configurations. As a consequence, we feel confident for Long Beach which should take place in good weather.” Much of the 2.1km/seven-turn circuit used by the Formula E ePrix is the same as that of other races organised at Long Beach, including the start/finish straight. “Long Beach is an iconic track,” says Formula E drivers’ ambassador Gil de Ferran. “Even though it’s shorter, the most spectacular features are still there, like Turn 5 at the end of the long straight which should provide plenty of opportunities for overtaking. We can certainly look forward to a great race.” To minimise its effect on the environment, Michelin sent the 320 tyres needed for the 40 cars which contested mid-March’s Miami ePrix, as well as those required for the Long Beach race, by container ship in January. The fitting equipment and facilities travel with the Formula E organiser’s package, which means Michelin can claim the best carbon footprint of any supplier of an international class single-seater racing championship. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV tyre, which was designed especially for the Formula E Championship, has a number of special features: Size: the interior diameter of 18 inches is comparable with that used by many road cars and this promises to facilitate and speed up the carry-over of technology from the race track to the street. Formula E is the first FIA-sanctioned single-seater racing series to use tyres of this size. [email protected] MEDIA INFORMATION Long Beach, April 4, 2015 Tread: like a road-going sports tyre, and even though it is designed for racing, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV features a tread pattern that allows it to race in all weather conditions. Longevity: the cars are only authorised to use a single set of tyres for free practice, qualifying and the race itself. Permitted spares are carried over from the previous race to minimise the number of tyres that need to be made and shipped. [email protected] .