Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV notches up its first victory on African soil
novembre 14, 2016 - Michelin

The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV notches up its first victory on African soil

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The 2016/2017 FIA #formulae Championship reconvened on Saturday, November 12, for its first ever African fixture at the Moulay El Hassan Circuit in Marrakech, Morocco.  

The race was held in association with the city’s COP 22 climate change conference which is currently being attended by political leaders from across the world, and #formulae sent out a strong message in favour of electric mobility to the summit’s participants. Other VIP guests on the grid prior to the start included Michelin’s Chief Operating Officer Florent Menegaux and Claire Dorland-Clauzel, EVP Brands and Exterior Relations for the group which places the environment at the heart of its concerns.

After the race, following the victory of Sébastien Buemi, Groupe Michelin’s President Jean-Dominique Senard had the honour of awarding the Teams winner’s trophy to Renault-e.dams co-owners Alain Prost and Jean-Paul Driot. The Swiss driver has now won the 2016/217 FIA #formulae Championship’s two opening rounds after his success in the streets of Hong Kong on October 9. 

In Marrakech, he was chased over the line by Briton Sam Bird (DS-Virgin Racing) and Sweden’s Félix Rosenqvist (Mahindra) who celebrated his second ePrix start with a podium finish.

The Moroccan race saw the #michelin Pilot Sport EV2, which was designed to cover all types of weather and circuit profile, provide yet another flawless display.

“Marrakech wasn’t exactly the sort of venue the championship is used to since it wasn’t a temporary street circuit used by ordinary traffic the rest of the time,” explained Serge Grisin, manager of Michelin’s #formulae programme. “Even so, our partners were as pleased as ever with their tyres. The track surface was of a high quality and not excessively abrasive, so the drivers were able to benefit from the high grip levels to which they have become accustomed.”

The #michelin Pilot Sport EV2 is the only 18-inch tyre to feature in a world class single-seater #racing series. Visually, it resembles a road tyre thanks to its patterned tread, yet the fact that it can deliver such high levels of performance and safety in wet and dry conditions alike is unique. Another feature is its ability to ensure the same level of performance throughout race day which includes two free practice sessions, qualifying, the super pole shoot out (involving the five fastest drivers in qualifying) and the ePrix itself. In #formulae, the drivers never change tyres and only have one set available for the entire day. This singularity fits perfectly with Michelin’s approach to the environment, since no other FIA-sanctioned championship calls for so few tyres to be made, shipped and recycled. It also facilitates the carry-over of technology, since the data collected on the race track is used by #michelin for the development of mass production tyres.

Indeed, the similarities between the #michelin Pilot Sport EV2 and road tyres contribute to easing the track-to-street process, allowing #michelin to use motorsport as a laboratory for development purposes, with its customers as the ultimate winners.

The next round of the FIA #formulae Championship will take teams to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on February 18, 2017.


Technical data – #michelin Pilot Sport EV2

Size:

24/64-18 (front) / 27/68-18 (rear), in accordance with the system used by #michelin Motorsport, i.e. tread band width (cm) / exterior diameter (cm) – rim diameter (inches). This is equivalent to 245/40R18 / 305/40R18 using the road tyre system, i.e. overall tyre width (mm) / aspect ratio (%) / rim diameter (inches). The letter ‘R’ indicates that it is a radial tyre.