Michelin’s Innovations for the 2025 Le Mans 24-Hour Race

Michelin Preparing for the 2025 Le Mans Challenge

The prestigious Le Mans 24-Hour race is set to return on June 14 and 15, 2025, as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). This thrilling motorsport event will feature eight manufacturers competing in the Hypercar category, all partnered with Michelin for tire development. Brands competing include Alpine, Aston Martin, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche, Peugeot, and Toyota. In the lead-up to the race, teams will already be engaged in test sessions, helping to fine-tune their vehicles and strategies.

Tailored Tire Technology for Endurance

The Hypercars will race on MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance tires, which come in three distinct slick compound types, each engineered for various temperature conditions:

• Soft (white sidewall): Designed for cool or wet tracks, ideal from late evening through early morning.
• Medium (yellow sidewall): A versatile compound suitable for moderate conditions and likely the most utilized during the race.
• Hard (red sidewall): Built for high temperatures and extreme durability.

Each compound maintains an optimal thermal range with overlapping specifications, allowing teams to adjust tire strategies dynamically based on changing weather conditions while ensuring steady performance over multiple laps. As the track heats up, harder compounds will be favored.

Commitment to Sustainability in Motorsport

Reflecting Michelin’s dedication to sustainability, these tires are manufactured using 30% recycled and renewable materials. This innovative approach is vital in today’s race environment where eco-consciousness is paramount.

All-Weather Performance with MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance Wet

In addition to the slick tires, the MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance Wet tire is designed to perform exceptionally well in both wet and dry conditions, making it versatile for unpredictable weather changes. Built with 45% renewable and recycled materials, this tire also reinforces Michelin’s commitment to a more sustainable racing future.

Regulatory Technologies and Race Strategies

Starting in the 2024 edition, tire warmers have been banned, significantly altering tire management strategies for the teams. Pilots are now responsible for heating the tires—fast with the soft compounds and more gradually with the hard ones. Michelin technicians will be present with all teams, advocating minimized tire changes to maintain temperature and maximize performance during stints. Many cars are expected to run up to four sessions on a single set of tires.

An emerging strategy is to consider partial tire changes—using two tires instead of four—and mixing compounds according to the circuit’s characteristics and conditions.

A Robust Logistics Framework

For the 2025 race, Michelin will deliver 4,400 tires to service the 21 Hypercars. Although 4,000 tires will initially be supplied, the remaining amount will depend on actual usage post the test day. This logistical setup aids in reducing carbon footprints by circumventing two return trips by truck between Clermont-Ferrand and Le Mans.

Notably, tires used during the test day will come from a specific stock utilized in previous Hyperpole sessions, aiming to maximize each tire’s mileage before recycling.

Supporting Teams with Expert Assistance

A dedicated team of 110 personnel, including tire fitters, technicians, and engineers, will be on-site in Le Mans to provide comprehensive support to the partner teams. Each Hypercar is allocated:

• 24 tires for practice and qualification
• 56 tires for the race
• 8 additional tires for cars qualified for Hyperpole (later reassigned for private testing)

Clear Identification for Strategic Decisions

To facilitate strategy during the race, Michelin clearly marks each compound with color-coded sidewalls:

• White: Soft
• Yellow: Medium (also used for the GT3 category)
• Red: Hard
• Blue: Wet (also GT3)

This enhanced visibility from both the pits and the stands promotes better strategic decisions based on tire selection, illustrating Michelin’s focus on maintaining transparency throughout the race.

Commitment to Craftsmanship

Every tire used in the competition is produced at Michelin’s Clermont-Ferrand facility, with each tire undergoing a meticulous one-hour manufacturing process—over half of which is performed by hand. This artisan approach ensures high quality, uniformity, and performance excellence.

Innovative Recycling Approaches

As part of its innovative vision towards a circular economy, Michelin is introducing a recycling program which will be gradually rolled out from early 2025 in collaboration with the Swedish company ENVIRO. This pioneering initiative will utilize pyrolysis technology to break down used tires from the FIA WEC. The process recovers valuable materials like carbon black and pyrolysis oils, which can be repurposed into new products, including tires, thereby lowering environmental impact.

Michelin is keenly aware of the environmental challenges posed by end-of-life tires and is actively promoting their recycling while consistently striving to diminish the environmental footprint of their products. The knowledge accrued from these motorsport projects will enhance Michelin’s capabilities in material recovery for broader application across all product ranges.

Notable Achievements and Future Directions

Michelin has made significant strides in using sustainable practices within racing, notably introducing competition tires incorporated with up to 71% renewable and recycled materials by 2024. This breakthrough showcases Michelin’s exceptional ability to integrate revolutionary technologies while ensuring high performance and a reduced overall environmental impact.

This dedication to innovation has also expedited the development of road-legal tires introduced in 2022 containing up to 58% renewable materials, reflecting how motorsport advancements can translate to everyday driving experience.

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