LE MANS NOTEBOOK: HOME RACE FOR MICHELIN

Flying Lizard's Porsche in GT2 is one of nine Michelin-shod American Le Mans Series entries at Le Mans. Photo: Regis Lefebure

As dominant as Michelin has been in the American Le Mans Series since 1999, the French tire manufacturer's record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is equally as impressive. This weekend Michelin will go for its 11th consecutive Le Mans victory with an army of personnel and equipment to supply more than 40 cars in the 55-car field.

Since 1998, Michelin-shod teams have recorded 29 of 42 class wins at Le Mans with three class victories in each of the last four years. In 2003, Michelin supplied tires to all five class winners in the world's greatest endurance race.

"It's our home battlefield," said Frédéric Henry-Biabaud, Michelin Motorsport Director. "Losing at Le Mans is out of the question. It's true that we supply a lot of teams, but in the end it's those teams that have chosen us, because we give them good tires and top-quality service. At the Le Mans 24 Hours, it's important to have a tire partner that knows a bit about the race. Nonetheless, every year we are careful not to become complacent: all it takes is one false move for our reputation to suffer. Le Mans is one of the high points of the endurance racing season."

In all, a fleet of semi-trailers will haul some 8,000 tires to the French circuit. The final tires come off the production line at the beginning of June before being trucked to La Sarthe early in race week.

"You need around thirty sets of slicks per car, plus intermediate and rain tires," said Gérard Bombled, Michelin Competition's Endurance Programme Operations Manager. "In addition to the tires, we also take all the tire-fitting equipment we need plus mobile offices and a catering truck for the staff."

In the American Le Mans Series, Michelin has recorded 23 tire manufacturer championships, 89 overall victories in 92 races (including 39 straight) and 257 class wins (64 in a row).

Stefan Johansson will make his 14th start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

JOHANSSON BACK FOR MORE: Former Le Mans overall winner Stefan Johansson is returning to the 24 Hours this year with the inclusion of the Epsilon Euskadi-Judd in LMP1. The prototype coupe takes the place of the Italian Lucchini-Judd LMP1, which failed technical inspection today and withdrew. The addition of Johansson, who serves as a third driver for Patrón Highcroft Racing, brings the total number of American Le Mans Series drivers at Le Mans this year to 44.

Johansson took his overall win at the 24 Hours in a Joest Racing Porsche 935 with Michele Alboreto and Tom Kristensen, the first of the Audi legend's seven career Le Mans victories. A famed ex-Formula 1 driver, Johansson posted class wins for Toyota in 1992 and in 2003 with Champion Racing and its Audi R8.

This will be Johansson's 14th career start at Le Mans. He drove the works Courage LC70-AER last year and placed 12th. Johansson will drive the Epsilon coupe with Jean-Marc Gounon and Shinji Nakano. The car will go through technical inspections Wednesday morning at the Le Mans circuit.

In his lone American Le Mans Series start this year, Johansson came home fifth overall (fourth in LMP2) at Sebring with David Brabham and Scott Sharp in the Patrón Highcroft Acura ARX-01b.

The collection of drivers representing the American Le Mans Series this year at the 24 Hours has combined for 26 overall victories and 61 class wins in 250 starts.

Tracy Krohn: "Every year I learn a bit more about this track, and doing so, I appreciate it more and more." Photo: Regis Lefebure Click here for Hi-Res RISI/KROHN REBUILD: After a frighteningly savage shunt during the Le Mans Test Day, the No. 83 Risi Competizione/Krohn Racing Ferrari F430 GT rolled through scrutineering Tuesday at the famed Place des Jacobins in Le Mans. The car - driven by Tracy Krohn, Nic Jonsson and Eric van de Poele - spent a few days at Ferrari's Michelotto facility for repairs and a rebuild.

Krohn went off at the Ford Chicane in the June 1 test during the second hour of the afternoon's session. The car was pretty much a write-off with the chassis having to be replaced, with permission from the ACO.

"The accident happened on my third lap on a drying track, coming out of the Porsche Curves," Krohn said. "I was flat out in fifth gear in the preceding lap out of that particular corner. The car went slightly sideways on the new tarmac that had been laid down during winter, but I was in control all of the time. This time however, I must have put a wheel on the soft side of the track, and lost control of the car immediately. I'm fine, and I wasn't scared at all.

"The damage from the accident is now nothing more than an unpleasant memory," added Krohn, who finished second in GT2 last year with Jonsson and Colin Braun. "We received the car back on Saturday and we are very confident for the session on Wednesday. With all that rain and the difficult track conditions we encountered on June 1st, we were lacking dry track conditions during testing time like most of the teams. Every year I learn a bit more about this track, and doing so, I appreciate it more and more. For the future I wouldn't mind driving a car with a bit more downforce, like the prototypes."

PIT NOTES: All three Audi R10 TDIs went through technical inspections on Tuesday. All drivers were on-hand including five-time race winner Emanuele Pirro. Le Mans fans showered Pirro with toy frogs as good luck charms. ... Gunnar Jeannette will compete for his fourth different manufacturer in seven Le Mans starts when he saddles up in the Team Bruichladdich Radical SR9-AER in LMP2 with fellow Series driver Ben Devlin and Marc Rostan. Jeannette drove a Porsche in GT2 for 2000 and 2001 (when he finished second), both a Panoz prototype (2002 and 2003) and Esperante GTLM (2006) and Courage C65 (2004). ... Three months after winning overall at Sebring for Penske Racing and the Porsche RS Spyder, Romain Dumas and Emmanuel Collard are teaming together in the lead Pescarolo works entry in LMP1. Collard scored a GT class win in 2003 with Sascha Maassen and Lucas Luhr. ... Greg Pickett's Charouz Racing/Team Cytosport Lola-AER undoubtedly will be a fan favorite of the Dutch contingent. Jan Lammers, winning driver in 1988, annually has one of the biggest followings of fans from Holland.

The 76th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans runs from 9 a.m. ET (3 p.m. local time) Saturday, June 14 to 9 a.m. ET Sunday, June 15 from the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. Forty-two drivers will represent the American Le Mans Series, whose teams have captured seven overall victories and 22 class championships since 1999. SPEED will televise the event live, and Radio Le Mans will have flag-to-flag coverage of the race as well as practice and qualifying on June 11 and 12.

The next round of the American Le Mans Series is the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix. The race is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 12 at Lime Rock Park. SPEED will televise the race from noon to 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. XM Satellite Radio will air the event live on XM Sports Nation Channel 144. Additional live coverage from American Le Mans Radio and IMSA's Live Timing & Scoring also will be available at americanlemans.com.