The Big 5-0 and Fond Farewell to John Love

This weekend’s IMSA season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will cap the 50th and final season in professional motorsports for John Love (pictured above, right with Chip Hanauer and Danny Sullivan), Jackson’s long time Michelin advisor and communications representative.

Love began his professional motorsports career in 1975, while still a law student, as the media representative for the Miss U.S. unlimited hydroplane team and the annual Detroit hydroplane races.

He graduated from the Detroit College of Law the following year, and at age 27, became the national executive director of the American Power Boat Association. There, he oversaw the ten-person national headquarters staff responsible for more than 400 races and 6,500 annual members.

He left APBA in April 1983 and founded Event Management Corporation, with early clients in powerboating, including the defending APBA Gold Cup and championship winning Atlas Van Lines team.

When Atlas Van Lines went through a corporate takeover and dropped its team sponsorship at the end of 1984, Love led the successful presentation to Miller for team owner Fran Muncey and champion driver Chip Hanauer. He was then contracted by Miller to provide PR support for the team.

After securing major media placements with Hanauer in People magazine, USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Good Morning America, and numerous newspapers, local and regional broadcasts, Miller contracted Love to support its IndyCar program and driver Danny Sullivan beginning in 1987.

That made Penske Racing his first car racing team.

Although he does not drink beer, Love eventually represented three breweries, Miller, Molson, and Anheuser Busch (Budweiser) in motorsports. A non-smoker, he also represented Marlboro with Team Penske.

In working with Miller and Sullivan, Love was introduced to Michelin executive Jim Morton and asked to assist with a client ride-drive event in Michigan. That quickly led to Michelin approaching the organizers of the inaugural North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Told that the show was closed to suppliers, they successfully proposed the creation of the Michelin Media Center, which ultimately became a cornerstone of the show’s success, hosting more than 5,000 media from 65 countries each year. Love was soon asked to lead the NAIAS communications strategies and media relations. He and legendary sponsorship expert Tavi Fulkerson then created an appropriate and highly successful sponsorship model for the show.

Through the years Michelin asked EMC to support its Original Equipment marketing efforts, and global sustainability initiative, Challenge Bibendum. The prestigious Michelin Challenge Design global design competition was created together with Michelin executive Bob Carroll.

After assisting as Sullivan’s manager in his moves from Penske to Patrick Racing and then to Molson-Galles, Love was contracted by CART and series sponsor PPG to support the series.

He later shifted focus to Michelin’s American Le Mans Series, IMSA, Michelin Green X Challenge, and 24 Hours of Le Mans support, with additional assignments in Formula 1, Formula E, FIA World Endurance Championship, and Trans-Am.

A trusted advisor and behind the scenes facilitator, he was a member of the Michelin special project teams for the Challenge Bibendum, Movin’On Summit, Motorsports on Main, Delta Wing, and Ford GT Le Mans projects and assisted Carroll and motorsports director Chris Baker’s efforts for Michelin to become the Official Tire of IMSA.

He was a member of several innovative program teams, including: First cabover design and first turbocharged APBA Gold Cup winner (Miss U.S., 1976), first reinforced cockpit and driver restrained Gold Cup winner (Atlas Van Lines, 1983), first turbine powered Gold Cup winner (Atlas Van Lines, 1984) first Indy 500 front row qualifying sweep (Penske 1988), and first Chevrolet CART series champion team and driver (Danny Sullivan, 1988).

In addition to his role as co-creator of the Michelin Media Center at NAIAS (1989), NAIAS sponsorship program (1991), and APA Family Day (1992), Love was the co-creator of CART PPG Colorful Characters (1995), the Michelin Challenge Design global competition (1998-2023), and served as the North American event manager for Michelin Challenge Bibendum, (2001, 2003).

In late 2018, he sold EMC to Jackson, and joined them in Greenville, SC, where he has continued to support Michelin and Jackson client initiatives.

During his career, Love has supported additional client programs in Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, England, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, China, Japan, and Australia.

Calling from a credit card pay-phone in the boarding area at Boston’s Logan Airport, he listened to the birth of daughter, Juliana, before boarding his flight home from a July 4, 1992 CART race in New Hampshire.

A graduate of Saint Mary’s College of California and the Detroit College of Law (now Michigan State University), Love is currently a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Board of Directors and a past member of the Society of Automotive Analysts, and Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology boards.

John and his wife, Jan, reside in Greenville and have two daughters, Juliana, and Rachel. Post retirement, he plans to stay current on motorsports, the automotive industry, sustainable mobility, and design, and volunteer at their church and on special projects of interest.