The Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) has announced that Michelin will be supplying tyres for the hypercar class, which is set to make its debut in the 2020/21 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The agreement is part of a three-year deal between the ACO and the French tyre firm. Michelin already supplies tyres for all classes in the current WEC format, being the exclusive tyre of use in LMP1, GTE Pro and GTE Am. Michelin rubber is also used in LMP2, but not exclusively as Goodyear supplies a number of teams in the class.
“The FIA World Endurance Championship, and particularly the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has enjoyed the benefit of Michelin’s technical expertise and pioneering outlook for many years now," commented Pierre Fillon, ACO president. "As supplier of the new Hypercar class, the French manufacturer will be making a vital contribution to the bright new era of endurance racing.”
The new hypercar regulations for the 2020/21 WEC season were unveiled at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, and were ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council earlier this month. Toyota and Aston Martin confirmed their commitments on the same weekend the class was announced, with a number of other parties including Austrian privateer ByKolles also interested in joining.
"We are very pleased to have been selected as the tyre supplier to the new Hypercar category in the FIA World Endurance Championship, which will enable Michelin to remain committed to the highest level of World Endurance racing, where our brand has excelled for over 20 years," added Scott Clark, Michelin's Executive Vice President of the Americas region. Clark is responsible for Michelin's global automotive, motorsports and experiences business segments.
"The new Hypercars category, vehicles most similar to exotic “super cars”, offers us new and particularly interesting challenges and also allows us to strengthen our partnership with exclusive vehicle manufacturers.
As always, our goal is to develop tyres that deliver the highest levels of performance and consistency over their life. Additionally, we look forward to bringing innovations that deliver sustainability solutions to the series, in complete alignment with Groupe Michelin’s strategy.”
