MICHELIN has developed a new tyre exclusively for the Porsche 991 GT3, the latest star of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. The MICHELIN Cup N2 features MICHELIN ‘N2′ technology which involves the use of specific compounds derived from those employed in endurance racing. This technology delivers enhanced durability and even greater consistency which will allow competitors to produce similar lap times from the start to the finish of each race.
Organised since 1993, the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup is an international championship which serves as curtain-raiser to 10 Formula 1 Grands Prix. MICHELIN is the official tyre supplier to the series, just as it is to the majority of the competitions run by the German make, including the Porsche Carrera Cups and Porsche Challenges.
For the 2013 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, the German carmaker has introduced a new GT3 Cup challenger based on the Porsche 991. As a technical partner, MICHELIN has developed an exclusive, tailor-engineered new tyre for the car: the wider MICHELIN Cup N2 (front: 27/65×18 / rear: 31/71/18) which was designed to meet the make’s exacting brief. The sizes of the MICHELIN tyres used by the 997 in 2012 were 25/64/18 (front) and 30/68/18 (rear).
New MICHELIN Cup N2: unprecedented consistency
During the Cup N2′s development, MICHELIN’s specialists focused on two key areas: a new casing and a new tread band, while experts at the firm’s Technology Centre in Ladoux, near Clermont-Ferrand, France, worked on a new compound using technologies derived from those employed in endurance racing. The result is even more consistent delivery of performance in order to allow competitors to produce similar lap times from the start to the finish of each race.
“The new Cup N2 tyre is very different,” observed the 2012 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup vice- champion Kevin ESTRE after the first race of the 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Germany at Hockenheim where he claimed both pole positions and both victories. “It delivers a good level of grip and is ideal for long runs. Its big advantage is its consistency over the duration of a race. The difference in lap times at the start and finish is just a few tenths of a second, whereas it was as much as a full second last year.”
MICHELIN Total Performance: the concept at the heart of MICHELIN’s research and development strategy
MICHELIN sees motorsport as a life-size technological laboratory that stimulates innovation. The MICHELIN Total Performance concept is core to the Group’s research and development focus which seeks to simultaneously push out the envelope in all the areas that affect tyre performance.
The technological breakthroughs which are first used in some of motorsport’s most demanding arenas, including endurance racing, before being extended to sprint formulae like the Porsche Supercup and then produced in the sizes used by the Carrera Cup, ultimately find their way into MICHELIN’s high performance road tyres. The French firm’s commitment to the transfer of technology from the race track to the street is beneficial to all those who view driving enjoyment as a fundamental ingredient of their approach to motoring. As a result, all the tyres made for Porsches by MICHELIN incorporate N2 technology.
MICHELIN is the official tyre brand of the single-make competitions run by Porsche, but its role extends well beyond simply providing tyres to competitors. A specialist technician attends all races to advise the teams and drivers on how to optimise their performance and to ensure that the brand’s products perform correctly.
A longstanding partnership dedicated to performance
The partnership between Porsche and MICHELIN in motorsport dates back to 1960. Their close collaboration on the race track also plays an important role in the development of road tyres, including the very high performance Michelin Pilot Sport CUP+ range which includes some of the world’s fastest homologated racing tyres for road use. These tyres feature advanced technologies proven in high level motorsport.
2013 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup calendar
May 10-12: Barcelona, Spain (Round 1)
May 23-26: Monaco (Round 2)
June 28-30: Silverstone, Great Britain (Round 3)
July 5-7: Nürburgring, Germany (Round 4)
July 26-28: Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary (Round 5)
August 23-25: Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (Round 6)
September 6-8: Monza, Italy (Round 7)
November 1-3: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi (Rounds 8 and 9)
Source : Michelin