An interesting end to the 2012 FIA WEC. For MICHELIN, the 2012 endurance racing season has already harvested the 2012 title (which was settled at the 6 Hours of Silverstone on August 25), as well as a 15th straight win at Le Mans since 1998. Yet there is still plenty at stake at the championship’s last four rounds, and the fact that the FIA WEC visits at least three strategically important countries for the French tyre manufacturer between now and the end of the year (Brazil, Japan and China) makes endurance racing’s world championship a particularly important opportunity to get close to the motoring public.
MICHELIN: business and values. During the FIA WEC’s visits to two rapidly expanding countries, Brazil and China, as well as to Japan, which is one of the world’s biggest automobile market, MICHELIN will be able to showcase the strengths of its tyres to the local public and also promote its brand image. However, the celebrated Bibendum is much more than just a MICHELIN ‘business’ Man; he is also an ambassador for values like road safety, energy efficiency and respect for the environment.
Endurance racing is coherent with MICHELIN’s values. These principles are embedded in the regulations of the FIA WEC and are notably showcased by the MICHELIN Green X Challenge which is designed to reward the most energy-efficient cars, i.e. those which go the furthest and the fastest on the least amount of fuel. The first half of the 2012 Endurance World Championship revealed the value of this competition which has already rewarded the hybrid AUDI R18 e-tron Quattro, a car that is powered by both diesel and electricity.
Brazil: a priority market for MICHELIN. In addition to being cornerstones of its expansion, energy efficiency and respect for the environment are key values for the MICHELIN Group which it also defends in the world of motorsport. In Brazil, which hosted MICHELIN’s ‘CHALLENGE BIBENDUM’ in 2010, the Group is about to inaugurate its new car tyre factory in Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro, on September 18. MICHELIN has been active in Brazil since 1927 and today’s enjoys the status of market leader in the truck and civil engineering tyre sectors.
Motorsport: a bonding force. The Group’s entire workforce sees motorsport as a source of collective pride which reinforces their sense of belonging to the company. The French tyre firm has been chosen as partner by the world’s most prestigious carmakers and each MICHELIN victory is an immense source of satisfaction. Its performance at this weekend’s 6 Hours of Sao Paulo will consequently be extremely important for the Group’s 4,000 staff in Brazil.
Motorsport: a valuable proving ground for the development of MICHELIN tyres of tomorrow. MICHELIN sees motorsport as a means of gaining experience and developing its skills. The 2012 6 Hours of Sao Paulo is the first endurance event to take place at Interlagos since 2007 when PEUGEOT won the 1,600km race to secure the 2007 Le Mans Series title with the N°8 908 HDi FAP (Stéphane Sarrazin/Pedro Lamy). This year’s race will permit MICHELIN to evaluate the competitiveness of its very latest-generation endurance racing tyres. This will provide it with a wealth of data that will be of capital importance for its engineers, research specialists and simulation tools in the development of forthcoming MICHELIN road tyres.
Source : Michelin