Detroit Victory Underscores Michelin Warm-Up Gains

While strategy often defines IMSA’s 100-minute street races, Detroit provided a new chapter in the ongoing story of Michelin tire performance.

For years, the conventional approach at races like Detroit and Long Beach has been to complete the race on a single set of tires. Instead, the No. 31 Whelen Engineering-sponsored Cadillac team with drivers Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken elected to change its right-side Michelin tires during the lone pit stop, taking advantage of an opportunity to maximize performance during the race’s multiple caution periods and restarts.

“Yeah, we kind of flipped the script a little bit on that one because the conventional strategy for a long time at these 100-minute races has been to make a set last the whole way,” said Aitken.

“And while they definitely can last the whole way, we thought we’ve got a little bit of margin. The warm-up was actually really good for just the one-sided tires.

“So why not give ourselves the insurance? We knew there were going to be yellows, restarts, and it just maybe could fire up that tire a little bit better.”

For Michelin, the comments reinforced a key takeaway from the the latest generation of Michelin tire.

The new Michelin Pilot Sport Endurance tire has demonstrated significantly improved warm-up characteristics, allowing drivers to attack sooner on cold tires and gain confidence immediately after pit stops.

Detroit’s winning strategy showcased that benefit under some of the most demanding conditions on the IMSA calendar.

The weekend also featured record-setting pace. Bamber delivered a new GTP qualifying lap record around the downtown Detroit street circuit on his way to pole position, while Alexander Sims established a new GTD Pro race lap record during Corvette’s class-winning run.