Despite the delicate weather conditions, MICHELIN enjoyed a successful pre-Le Mans test which helped it to prepare for the possibility of wet conditions at this year‟s Le Mans 24 Hours (June 19-23). For today‟s long spell of persistent rain, MICHELIN‟s partners chiefly opted for „Wet‟ or „Full Wet‟ tyres, while the final 90 minutes of the afternoon‟s four-hour session proved sufficiently dry for them to switch to Slicks.

The N°4 Audi R18 e-tron quattro – which was at Le Mans today in the hands of Italian Marco BONANOMI to prepare for 2014, with regard to tyre development – completed 42 laps, including 12 which contributed actively to the development of the French firm‟s 2014- generation LMP1 Slicks. In the rain, the car ran on „Wets‟ from MICHELIN‟s existing range. This temporary solution had been validated beforehand as being capable of handling the weight and power of an LMP1 car, and its mission was to allow the car to run in poor weather. The development of the forthcoming 2014-generation rain tyre is due to begin later this year. When work is completed, MICHELIN‟s partners will benefit from a comprehensive range featuring:

- Three types of „Slick‟,

- One „HYBRID‟ tyre for damp and drying conditions,

- Two „Wets‟.

Although the N°4 Audi was only able to run for a little more than one hour on Slicks, the day enabled MICHELIN to evaluate two different constructions.
Serge GRISIN, the manager of MICHELIN motor racing programmes, underlined the importance of today‟s work at Le Mans: “We weren‟t helped by the weather, but we still managed to collect some useful data, even though we still face a big workload during the practice sessions ahead of this year‟s Le Mans.” Concerning the development of the new LMP1 tyres for 2014, he added: “Following our test at Monza in April and at Motorland Aragon in May, the hour we were able to get in today at Le Mans was very valuable. MICHELIN now has some good information round the full track at Le Mans which isn‟t available for testing during the rest of the year.”

Audi Sport driver Marco BONANOMI was positive about the development of the 2014- specification LMP1 tyres: “Today‟s short run gave me a chance to see how the new MICHELIN tyres are progressing. Since my last test with them, the engineers at MICHELIN Motorsport have done a truly remarkable job.”

One of the other highlights of the pre-Le Mans Test Day was the inauguration of the new MICHELIN Ranking Tower which stands out as a symbol of the firm‟s commitment to endurance racing, in addition to contributing to the famous French race‟s 90th anniversary celebrations.

Source : Michelin