Interlagos: Michelin race report

A FULL HOUSE FOR MICHELIN!

MICHELIN CLAIMS THREE TITLES IN THE LE MANS SERIES

Michelin has taken its fourth consecutive overall Le Mans Series title, also adding the LMP2 title and GT1 title to its collection en route.

On the Sao Paulo circuit in Brazil, Michelin and Peugeot Sport sealed their sixth Le Mans Series win of the year. The Lamy/Sarrazin crew claimed the championship win, ahead of the Pescarolo Sport line-up of Bouillon and Collard. The Pescarolo crew finish in a magnificent second place in the championship, just ahead of Peugeot Sport's second car driven by Minassian/Gene.

The LMP2 championship was won by the RML team (Erdos/Newton), while the Oreca line-up of Ortelli/Ayari claimed GT1.

Having sealed a 10th victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours this year, Michelin has now racked up another triumph in the Le Mans Series. In fact, Michelin has won all the titles in the LMP1, LMP2 and GT1 categories since the Le Mans Series was created in 2004.

With six wins out of six, Michelin has once more made its mark on one of the few world-class championships that still allows free competition between tyre manufacturers.

Frederic Henry-Biabaud - Head of Michelin Motorsport

"Our aim was to demonstrate, through winning with our products, that our participation in motorsport was both fundamental to our values and also a good strategic exercise. We wanted to show as well that our traditional partners in endurance racing were stronger than ever, particularly at the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours. This classic event reflects our values perfectly: rewarding performance, consistency, and longevity. Once more our mission has been accomplished, and the praise from our partners has been a fantastic reward for our not just our team but everybody at the Michelin Group.

"We would like to congratulate the Peugeot Sport team, which has put in some fantastic performances in only its first year of competition, and we are delighted to have been able to contribute to this magnificent championship victory through our constant development of new tyre technologies.

"Our warm congratulations to the Pescarolo Sport team as well, which has given us a fantastic battle throughout the season and has come away with an excellent second place in the championship. Through collaboration with distinguished manufacturers such as Peugeot and Audi, as well as established private teams like Pescarolo and Oreca, Michelin has formulated cutting-edge technology in order to offer its partners the best results of the latest research and development. This technology is a gauge of performance and success for our clients.

"Endurance racing is one of the rare forms of motorsport that has escaped a single-tyre rule, and we hope that the competition between tyre manufacturers in this arena will be even closer in the future. That fits in not just with our own philosophy, but the whole philosophy of competition as well."

Michel Barge - Director, Peugeot Sport

"In what w as meant to be only a warm-up year, Peugeot Sport has won six races and taken all the pole positions in the Le Mans Series. Not only that, but we have also claimed pole position and a second place at the Le Mans 24 Hours. When you think that barely a year ago the car had not even run, these results are quite extraordinary. It's been like a dream not just for Peugeot Sport but also for all our partners - and in particular Michelin. We work in a very close and coherent way with Michelin, thanks to a permanent two- way dialogue, and I believe it's a fantastic partnership. Many thanks! We're already thinking now about 2008, so tomorrow we will set off for some tyre tests at the Jerez circuit in Spain. I'm certain that we will continue to make good progress together with Michelin."

Bruno Famin - Technical Director, Peugeot Sport

"First of all, a big thank you to Michelin! Our collaboration has been fantastic all year long. Beyond just a straightforward tyre supply, we have established a real technical exchange over all sorts of different design studies, simulations and calculations. With Michelin, we have really shared the development: it's been a project where each company has dealt with its own responsibilities, but with several elements in common. In fact, it's been much more of a joint effort than I initially thought it would be! We need to create synergies and share information in order to accelerate the development process, move towards the front, and get ahead of our rivals. We've made a lot of progress together so far, and I expect us to make even more progress next year."

Henri Pescarolo - Team manager, Pescarolo Sport

"Congratulations to Peugeot on the Le Mans Series championship win and congratulations to Pescarolo Sport for this second place, which means that we have been classified between two Peugeot factory cars. Finally, well done to Michelin for supplying us with some excellent products! I'm very happy indeed with the service provided to us by Michelin, and our relations with the company's engineers are excellent. The tyres have been well suited to the circuits and very competitive throughout the year, in all sorts of different conditions. At Interlagos, the range of tyres at our disposal was once again perfectly suited to our needs. It's been perfect service and a perfect race - with perfect Michelin tyres!"

-credit: michelin/sportssystems.com