Michelin eyeing a 24th success at the Nürburgring
In association with its factory partners Porsche, Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, not to mention the numerous amateurs that have chosen to compete on its tires, Michelin is targeting a 24th win at this weekend's Nürburgring 24 Hours. It faces strong opposition in the German classic, however.
Every year, more than 300,000 spectators flock to Germany's Eifel Mountains to watch the the Nürburgring 24 Hours which was first organized in 1970. The event is a must, too, for a long list of premium car manufacturers, all keen to showcase the performance and reliability of their respective models around the 'Green Hell'.
This longstanding nickname was inspired by the circuit's awesome 25.378-kilometer, 70-turn Nordschleife loop which winds through thick forest north of the medieval castle that dominates the town of Nürburg.
“The constantly evolving performance of today's GT3 cars has led us to develop a new range of slicks for competitors in the race's headlining SP9 class,” observes Pierre Alves, manager of Michelin Motorsport's endurance racing programs.
“Our engineers and performance analysts made extensive use of simulation technology during the development process before we started to evaluate the range at the circuit itself during rounds of the NLS [Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie] from mid-2023. The range consists of three types of slick – soft, medium, hard –, plus an intermediate and a rain tire.”
This time around, Michelin is working with the majority of the 25-strong SP9 entry (Porsche 911, Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari 296, Lamborghini Huracan, Audi R8 LMS, BMW M4, Aston Martin Vantage) but expects fierce opposition from the other tire brands involved in the class.
Michelin has gone unbeaten at the Nürburgring 24 Hours since 2018 and last year worked with the privateer outfit Frikadelli Racing on its way to a resounding victory with the Ferrari 296 GT3 of Bamber/Catsburg/Pittard/Laser.
The 52nd running of the race has attracted a field of 130 cars and starts at 4pm on Saturday, June 1.