Racing today… and yesterday for tomorrow’s mobility! Motorsport heritage, from the Lancia Aurelia to Formula E

The past and the future caught up with each other at last weekend’s Charade Heroes event (September 22-23) at Circuit de Charade* in the Auvergne Mountains near Clermont-Ferrand, France. Displays ranged from a Lancia Aurelia fitted with the first Michelin X radial tyres to a worthy successor of this industry-changing technology: the Michelin Pilot Sport which stars in the all-electric FIA Formula E Championship Both exemplify the important contribution motorsport can and does make to taking mobility forward. 

The challenges inherent in motorsport have produced countless legends over the decades. Back in 1951, Lancia chose the Turin Motor Show to reveal its revolutionary new Aurelia B20 GT which was powered by the world’s first V6 engine. It was also the first car to be fitted with Michelin X radial tyres, a ground-breaking technology invented by the French firm in 1949.

The same year saw the Italian manufacturer enter four Aurelias for the famous Mille Miglia where Giovanni Bracco’s car came second overall and first in class. Weeks later, he drove the car to Le Mans in order to spectate at the 24-hour endurance race. Due to a last-minute withdrawal, however, he and Giovanni Lurani ended up stepping in to take part in the race in the red Aurelia (N°33).

Competing on a single set of part-worn tyres, the pair completed 3,172km at an average speed of 132kph, reaching top speeds of around 170kph. To the surprise of many, they won their class and finished 12th overall!

The superior safety, road holding, braking performance and comfort delivered by their Michelin X radials won over a long list of carmakers and drivers and, overnight, the new tyre became motor racing’s latest legend.

The Charade Heroes event was organised to celebrate the circuit’s 60th anniversary and the many exhibits included a Michelin X-equipped Lancia Aurelia. It provided a neat tie-in with the Michelin Pilot Sport EV which will be fitted to the new-generation electric Formula E cars from the 2018/2019 championship, yet another example of how motorsport is rising to the mobility-related challenges of the future.

(*) Circuit de Charade hosted four Formula 1 grands prix and 10 motorcycling grands prix in the 1960s and 1970s