ALMS: Michelin Wins Fourth Consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

June 18, 2001

Michelin Quick Facts - 24 Hours of Le Mans

* Michelin and Audi Still Reign at Le Mans - With rain falling from almost the start resulting in continuously changing track conditions, Michelin and Audi repeated their 2000 winning performance at Le Mans earlier today. Drivers Frank Biela, Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro scored the win ahead of teammates Laurent Aiello, Rinaldo Capello and Christian Pescatori. The Dunlop-shod Bentley driven by Andy Wallace, Butch Leitzinger and Eric Van de Poele was third, 15 laps behind the winner.

* Four In A Row - With today's victory, Michelin has now won four consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans events - with Porsche in 1998, BMW in 1999 and Audi in 2000 and 2001. Overall, Michelin has now won seven of the last 10 endurance classics.

* Changing Conditions - At times around the eight-mile track, there were standing puddles, drying patches and dry track...all at the same time. As a result, Michelin teams used nearly 2,000 tires throughout the event, as opposed to approximately 1,200 in more normal conditions. Michelin brought a complete range of all-new tires to Le Mans.

* Tires Made Up To 30-second Difference - "At certain times during the heavy rain, our partners were able to lap 20 to 30 seconds faster than our nearest competitor," said Gerard Aussage, Manager of Michelin's Endurance Racing Program. "I think it is fair to say that our products have proved themselves in all conditions."

* Multiple Stints - In the wet, some Michelin teams ran the same set of tires for five stints, not changing even during driver changes. In normal conditions, Michelin tires are changed every other stint, meaning that they are changed on every other pit stop.

* A Learning Experience - "The race has been very useful to us and our partners in terms of data," said Matthieu Bonardel, Manager of Michelin's activities at Le Mans. "We have been able to try our whole range of wet tires and our partners have learned a lot on the exact range of working conditions of each of these products."

* Michelin Scores LMP675 Victory - In addition to the overall win, Michelin also won the LMP675 category with the ROC Auto Reynard driven by Jordi Gene, Jean-Denis Deletraz and Pascal Fabre.

* Off To A Winning Start in 2001 - Michelin opened the 2001 American Le Mans Series with victories at Texas and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Michelin currently leads the ALMS Tire Championship with 55 points over Goodyear's 20 in the LMP900 category. Michelin has 55 points in the GT category, ahead of Yokohama (41), Goodyear (11) and Dunlop (10). Michelin is the defending ALMS Tire Champion in the LMP900, GTS and GT categories.

Text provide by Bob Andrew

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