The 2013 ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours (May 19-20) takes place near the village of Nürburg which comes alive as racing fans flock to the Eifel Mountains to enjoy the event’s unique festive atmosphere. More than 230,000 spectators are expected this weekend and they can look forward to some thrilling action with almost 200 cars on the grid.

For a number of reasons, the German race is a priority for MICHELIN. On the technical front, it calls for an extremely versatile range of tyres in order to cater for the different cars which themselves feature a wide range of technologies and performance levels as they race together twice round the clock. The drivers are professionals, amateurs and enthusiasts alike, while the weather is frequently very changeable, with a strong chance of rain and/or cold temperatures.

The 25km track itself – which combines the so-called ‘Nordschleife’ and a slightly modified version of the Grand Prix circuit – is not only narrow (10 metres wide) but also very twisty (some 70 turns) and hilly, with an altitude difference of around 290 metres between the highest and lowest points. On top of that, the surface is very bumpy, which forces the drivers to modify their style and optimise their set-up, while the tyres must be capable of soaking up big loads.

“The Nürburgring 24 Hours is clearly a race, but it can almost be likened to a rally,” suggests Serge GRISIN, the MICHELIN Motorsport’s four-wheel programmes director. “It calls for the sort of extremely detailed analysis you need for circuit racing, buy you must also dial in the highly variable parameters that are due to the specificity of the layout, as well as to the often fickle weather. That’s more typical of rallying.

“The way the cars are set up is unique to the Nürburgring, too, and the tyres need to be competitive across a very broad spectrum of conditions. The ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours is a perfect illustration of the MICHELIN Total Performance concept which consists in working simultaneously on all the factors that influence the performance of a tyre, even those which are generally believed to be irreconcilable…”

Philippe MUSSATI, the manager of MICHELIN’s ‘Customer Competition’ activities, sees the Nürburgring 24 Hours as an exceptional technological laboratory, as well as a chance to showcase the competitiveness of MICHELIN’s racing tyres: “Our Customer Competition department has a strong involvement in this race which is one of the highlights of the year. We supply a fair proportion of the field (around 40 cars) and provide our partners with a comprehensive service.”

MICHELIN’s Customer Competition tyres serve as a link between the race track and the road: “Our Customer Competition range incorporates innovations that have proved their value at world level, yet they are still similar to the tyres we design for high performance production GT cars.”

The ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours serve as a valuable showcase for the German market, Europe’s most extensive: “MICHELIN seeks to show to people involved in motorsport and to motoring enthusiasts that its tyres are of a very high quality thanks to the MICHELIN Total Performance concept. MICHELIN Motorsport’s racing tyres effectively stand out from those of rival brands through the competitiveness, durability and safety they deliver.”

MICHELIN PARTNERS AND TYRES (CLASS SP 9 GT3)

MICHELIN’s partners in the SP 9 GT3 class are so-called ‘development’ tyres which are derived from those raced at world level. Depending on the car, a choice of two sizes is available for the fronts (30/68-18 or 30/65-18), while the same size of rear tyre is produced for all the cars (31/71-18). Four different types of tyre are available to cover the range of possible conditions:

SLICKS:

- soft

- medium RAIN:

- wet weather

- ‘low temperature’ wet weather

The ‘re-cutting’ of the slicks’ tread is authorised to enable their use in ‘mixed conditions. MICHELIN’s main partners in the SP 9 GT3 class are:

• G-Drive Racing by Phoenix

• Prosperia-C. Abt Team Mamerow

• Phoenix Racing

• Belgian Audi Club T eam WRT

• Aston Martin Racing

• BMW Team Schubert

• BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS

• Haribo Racing Team

• Manthey Racing

• Pinta Team Manthey

• Timbulli Racing

• Frikadelli Racing Team

The 2013 ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours permits open competition between MICHELIN and other world-renowned tyre brands, sometimes even involving identical cars. The importance of the sporting stakes is consequently very high for the French firm.

MICHELIN’S CUSTOMER COMPETITION TYRES

MICHELIN’s Customer Competition team has a very active role to play at the Nürburgring this year, since it provides tyres to other classes than the SP 9 GT3 runners. Its products have been engineered to deliver a very high level of safety, performance and durability, while at the same time being particularly driveable.

The choice of compounds is influenced by the likely conditions and MICHELIN has placed the emphasis on solutions for cold weather and slippery surfaces. The choice also includes compounds especially suited to night-time use when the temperature promises to be especially low.

Two distinct ranges are available: one which is ‘GT’ oriented, and another more suited to touring cars. For the former, the typical GT sizes (front: 30/65-18 / rear: 31/71-18) are available alongside other options (e.g. 27/65-18, 25/64-18 and, for the Ferrari 458 Italias, 31/71-19).

The predominant sizes in the touring car range are 21/65-18 and 25/64-18, but tyres are also available for 17-inch wheels.

Of MICHELIN’s 40 or so runners, its main partners are:

• Team VdeV, whose BMW Z4 is running the colours of the VdeV Endurance Series. Its drivers are Eric and Guillaume Van de Vyvers.

• Peugeot Sport (three Peugeot 208 GTis).

• Black Falcon and CCK (four Porsche 997 GT3 Cups).

• Schulze (two Nissan GTs).

• Schirra (two MINI Coopers).

• Ring Racing (three T oyotas).

• Teichmann (a Porsche 997 and two Renault Clio Cups).

• Road Runner (a Porsche 997 and three Renault Clio Cups).

• Schumann (a Hyundai Hortzfarnbacher and a Porsche 997).

• Audi Experience (two Audi R8 LMS ultras).

Last but not least, the weekend’s action also includes a round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany. MICHELIN is the official and exclusive tyre supplier of this championship. The competing 997-type Porsche 911 Phase 2 GT3 Cups will race on the new MICHELIN ‘Cup N2′.

This tyre was developed specifically for the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and packs ‘N2′ technology derived from the compounds used in endurance racing. Sizes are 25/65-18 (front) and 30/68-18 (rear).

Source : Michelin