Michelin Tire Supply Deal Extended by Three Seasons

The Asian Le Mans Series has extended its agreement with Michelin for the French company to supply the championship with tires for the next three seasons.

Michelin currently supplies all three categories of the Asian LMS and will continue to do so until the end of the 2023-24 campaign, per the updated arrangement.

The extension builds on Michelin’s long-standing presence in Asian LMS since the first full season in 2013 and continues a collaboration with the ACO that started in 2015-16 when the series came under new management.

“The ACO is delighted to renew this partnership with a loyal and valuable partner for a further three seasons,” commented ACO President Pierre Fillon.

“Michelin has been by our side since the beginning of the Asian Le Mans Series adventure and has contributed to the recognition of this championship, which is now firmly established in the endurance pyramid.

“All competitors in the series will continue to benefit from the expertise of this great manufacturer. This is excellent news.”

Michelin will supply the LMP2, LMP3 and GT3 classes during the 2022 season, which is taking place across two weekends in February at Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina.

The series will then start targeting a return to its traditional two-year schedule format.

Within ACO rules racing, Michelin currently supplies the Hypercar class exclusively and all GTE competitors in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

It also provides tires to the LMP3 category of the European Le Mans Series and all entries in the LMP3 and GT3-based Michelin Le Mans Cup.

Goodyear supplies tires to the LMP2 class in the WEC and ELMS, while cars from the formula in both Asian LMS and IMSA use Michelin rubber.

“Michelin is delighted to be extending its association with the ACO [Automobile Club de l’Ouest] with whom it has worked these past decades to expand the appeal of endurance racing across the globe,” said Matthieu Bonardel, Director of Michelin Motorsport.

“Asia is, of course, a strategically-important region for Groupe Michelin as it seeks to demonstrate its technological leadership and the quality of its tires, while endurance racing provides a world-class show that promotes the sustainability-related values we champion.

“It is consequently the ideal arena for Michelin to showcase its focus on reducing energy consumption, delivering high performance from the first to the very last kilometer of its tires’ working life and perfecting advanced technologies in favor of zero-emissions mobility.

“These stimulating and exacting lines of work are indissociable with endurance racing.”

Michelin’s Asia-Pacific Director of Motorsport Ben Ma added: “The Asian Le Mans Series has a particularly bright future ahead of it in a part of the world that is enjoying both economic and population growth.

“It is a championship that boasts a quality field across all the different car classes it features.

“Over the next three years, Michelin will continue to supply the teams and drivers with increasingly durable, high-performance tires along with a range of services and a standard of technical advice made possible by its considerable experience of endurance racing.”