Michelin's colored sidewall tires will debut at the 6 Hours of Imola

Tires with colored sidewalls are appearing in WEC for the first time in the history of the championship! For the 6 Hours of Imola, Michelin Motorsport will provide a range of tires which will be more easily identifiable, for spectators on site, but also for television viewers and followers of all kinds.

This color code uses the same colors as in Formula 1, but the latter is reversed compared to what we find in car. In the World ChampionshipEndurance of the FIA, the red tire represents the hard compound, the white, the soft tire, and the medium naturally remains yellow. Note that the rain tire is blue.

A challenge for Michelin

Just like Qatar, Imola appears for the first time on the WEC calendar. A real challenge for Michelin and its tires which are venturing into unknown lands. The route of the Dino and Enzo circuit Ferrari is clearly different from that of Losail, which hosted the Hypercar and the LMGT3 (February 29-March 2), which offers a new challenge for the Clermont-based manufacturer.

Michelin is heading to @autodromoimola for the 2nd round of the 2024 @FIAWEC championship. Imola is a new arrival on the calendar where our #MICHELINPilotSport tires face another tough test. But before Imola, let's rewind to what happened a few weeks ago in Qatar.#WEC #Imola6H pic.twitter.com/hR7r0RoeNY

— Michelin Motorsport (@Michelin_Sport) April 16, 2024

« The Imola circuit is a bit the opposite of that of Qatar, says Pierre Alves, manager of Michelin’s Endurance programs. On the one hand, it is not very demanding on the tire while the Losail track is very energetic, and on the other it is extremely bumpy while the asphalt recently resurfaced in Qatar is perfectly smooth. Imola is a circuit that we call “old-fashioned” with a slightly narrower track and which does not offer many overtaking opportunities. »

Imola could still have its share of surprises in store for the tires, with passages that will demand a lot from the Michelin tires. And we shouldn't neglect the weather either, which can play a major role in team strategy.

“The longitudinal and lateral forces exerted on our tires will be balanced, but the passage in “Aqua Minerali” (turns 11,12 and 13, Editor’s note) will be the most demanding, with an aerodynamic load on the left side tires estimated at more than 900 kg at 200 km/h, continues Pierre Alves. Given the weather forecast, the Medium notch will certainly be favored. But it will not be excluded to see our partners try to triple their relays with the Hard rubber notch. As always, we will be there to support them in their choices. »

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