Michelin’s sustainable racing tire makes Goodwood appearance

After attending early-June’s Le Mans 24 Hours, Michelin’s new racing tire made from 53 percent sustainable materials was out again at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 23-26) on both the fuel-cell electric H24 prototype and the Porsche GT4 ePerformance which was making its maiden public airing.

Michelin had an extensive presence at the 29th Goodwood Festival of Speed which – after two years of Covid cancellations – saw more than 200,000 visitors flock to the sweeping grounds of Lord March in the United Kingdom’s Sussex Downs.

In addition to taking part in the automobile/motorsport extravaganza’s trademark hill-climb event on a spectacular variety of new and not-so-recent competition cars, the French firm’s tires were visible at every turn, including on some of the world’s highest-performance sports cars in the Michelin Supercar Paddock. The brand’s products were also to be seen on the new Porsche 963 which was unveiled at Goodwood before spearheading the German make’s Hypercar challenge from 2023.

Michelin’s ‘53’ tire caught the attention of visitors, drivers and VIPs, too, just weeks after racing for the very first time in a Le Mans 24 Hours support race. Fifty-three percent of the raw materials used to make it come from either biosourced, renewable or recycled raw materials like natural rubber, orange peel and sunflower oil, and it successfully competed in the hill climb on both the H24 prototype and Porsche GT4 ePerformance.

The H24 – which became the first fuel-cell electric prototype to participate in an international race last May, and which established a benchmark speed record for a hydrogen vehicle down Le Mans’ infamous Mulsanne Straight (290.8kph) – completed several climbs at Goodwood, with the driving shared by ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) President Pierre Fillon and MissionH24’s official driver Stéphane Richelmi. Michelin and its subsidiary Symbio, a fuel-cell specialist, are both partners of the program.

The Michelin ‘53’ tire also contested the 1.9-kilometer course on the full-electric, 1,088-horsepower Porsche GT4 ePerformance which was unveiled at the event. This exciting new car is based on a Porsche 718 GT4 Clubsport chassis and posted a time of 45.50 seconds in the hands of factory driver Richard Lietz to secure second place in this year’s overall standings.

Goodwood was the first stop on the new, Michelin 53-equipped car’s ePerformance Tour.