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Michelin
Michelin logo
Partner Information
Based Flag of France Clermont-Ferrand, France
Founder André Michelin
Édouard Michelin
Announced 28/03/2013
Broke Unknown
Role Official Tyre Supplier (2013-2021)
Official Website Michelin Motorsport

Michelin are a tyre company, and the official tyre supplier for the FIA Formula E Championship, having been announced on the 28th of March 2013.[1] Michelin are based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and have supplied other racing series, such as Formula One and the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside their road car business.[2]

Background[]

The Michelin brothers, André and Édouard, founded their company in 1889 with the purpose of manufacturing tyres and other products for the transport industry.[3] Taking over a former farm equipment factory in Clermont-Ferrand in France, the brothers began developing tyres for bicycles, getting their first claim to fame in 1891.[3] Their new "detachable tyres" were used by Charles Terront in the 1891 Paris-Brest-Paris bicycle race, promoting Michelin to the fore of the developing tyre industry.[3]

Innovate and Inform[]

Further innovations emerged in 1895, when "Michelin-et-Cie" (as they were named) produced the first car to run on pneumatic tyres, named the "Éclair".[3] 1898 saw the creation of the infamous "Michelin Man", the symbol for Michelin over the following decades.[3] Their advertising campaign also included journals, manuals and information offices about road safety and instruction, which fuelled the company's sales into the mid-1910s.[3]

Aviation came calling to Michelin in 1914, with the company constructing 2,000 Breguets for the war effort, while also completing the first paved runway in 1916.[3] The firm moved away from aviation at the end of the war, switching to locomotive industry instead, creating the "Micheline" locomotive in 1929, the first to use pneumatic tyres.[3] The 1930s saw the company buy a controlling stake in Citroen, as well as the creation of the first steel casing truck tyres.[3]

Radical Radials[]

Michelin will, however, go down in history for the development of the radial tyre, patented in 1946, a design of tyre that would dominate the motor industry for decades.[3] 1965 saw the creation of the Michelin test centre in France, with further development and testing centres in America and Spain in the 1970s.[3] From 1977, Formula One became the centre of Michelin's advertising campaign, having agreed to supply the Renault for the season.[2] Glory came in 1979, when Jody Scheckter of Ferrari won the World Championship using Michelin radials.[3]

The 1980s saw the radial revolution move into the air and motorcycle industries, with Michelin becoming a leader in both.[3] Development into the 90s saw the release of the first "low rolling resistance" tyres from Michelin, with the firm continuing to supply Formula One, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.[2] Yet, in 2007, Michelin was dropped as a supplier in Formula One, choosing instead to focus on endurance racing, ultimately supplying 41 of the 55 entrants in the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.[2]

Formula E History[]

On the 28th of March 2013, the FIA announced that Michelin would be the sole tyre supplier for the 2014/15 Formula E Season, with all of the Spark-Renault SRT_01Es fitted with 18in tyres, a first in single seaters.[1][3] Michelin agreed to develop an all-weather treaded tyre for the championship, providing 10 tyres to each team at every ePrix.[4] The deal was later extended in October 2015, with Michelin now providing tyres until 2019[5] which was then again extended until the end of the 2021 season where they will be replaced by Korean tyre manufacturer Hankook for the Gen 3 Formula E cars.

Products[]

Michelin's involvement in the championship is limited to tyre production, producing tyres for all entrants throughout the season.[6]

Pilot Sport[]

The Michelin Pilot Sport series of tyres are used by the FIA Formula E Championship, and have been developed to cope with the increasing demands of the series since the inaugural season.

References[]

Videos and Images:

References:

  1. 1.0 1.1 'Michelin confirmed as official tyre supplier for FIA Formula E Championship', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 28/03/2013), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2013/march/michelin-confirmed-as-official-tyre-supplier-for-fia-formula-e-championship.aspx, (Accessed 25/07/2015)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 'Michelin', wikipedia.org, (WikiMedia, 25/07/2015), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin, (Accessed 25/07/2015)
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 'History of the Michelin Group', michelin.com, (Michelin, 2015), http://www.michelin.com/eng/michelin-group/profile/history-of-the-michelin-group/(date)/3435, (Accessed 23/05/2015)
  4. 'Rules & Regulations', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 2015), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/guide/rules-and-regs.aspx, (Accessed 25/07/2015)
  5. 'Michelin extends Formula E tyre supply', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 01/10/2015), http://fiaformulae.com/en/news/2015/september/michelin-extends-formula-e-tyre-supply.aspx, (Accessed 01/10/2015)
  6. 'Michelin Motorsport', michelinmotorsport.com, (Michelin, 2015), http://www.michelinmotorsport.com/, (Accessed 25/07/2015)
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