A successful quintuple stint for MICHELIN and AUDI at Le Mans
Benoît Tréluyer completed 55 laps of the circuit (approximately 750km) in the N°2 AUDI R18 TDi on the same set of tyres. That achievement played an important part in MICHELIN’s 20th victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours, with half that score secured with AUDI. The weekend saw MICHELIN rise successfully to its mission which was to permit its LMP1 partners to perform quadruple, and even quintuple stints thanks to the new tyres it has developed for the 2011-generation prototype cars.
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In the hands of Stéphane Sarrazin, the N°8 PEUGEOT completed a quadruple stint with medium-compound tyres on Saturday afternoon. Then on Sunday morning, the N°2 AUDI established a new benchmark with regards to the durability and consistency of MICHELIN’s tyres when Benoît Tréluyer covered 750km in the lead on the same rubber with the three PEUGEOT 908’s in hot pursuit! “It was effectively a very long stint: 55 laps, which equates to 3h20m in the car. The team woke me up for the run at the last possible moment. There are easier ways of waking up than to find yourself being chased by three PEUGEOTs at Le Mans! My MICHELIN tyres gave me great grip from the word go, and I was able to lap at a sufficiently quick pace to defend our lead. I was still in a position where I could push hard at the very end of my fifth stint!” Nick Shorrock (Director, MICHELIN Competition): “A big bravo to Benoît for his quintuple stint which we are certainly not likely to forget in a hurry! Congratulations, too, to AUDI on their 10th Le Mans win, as well as to PEUGEOT for providing us with such a thrilling contest all the way to the chequered flag.
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MICHELIN and its partners worked without let-up to develop the current-generation cars and consistent, competitive and safe tyres.” Since the inaugural Le Mans 24 Hours in 1923, MICHELIN has won the legendary French endurance race 20 times, including 14 straight victories since 1998. Thanks to its consistent, competitive and versatile tyres (the PEUGEOT and AUDI drivers were able to stay out on slicks towards the end despite the drizzle that started to fall), MICHELIN won the LMP1 category, as well as the LM GTE Pro class with Corvette after a thrilling battle with the N°51 Ferrari AF Corse and the LM GTE Pro with the Corvette N°50 of the Larbre Competition team. In addition to its challenge for outright honours, PEUGEOT took the win in the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge which is especially organised to reward the most energy-efficient performance.
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