Michelin hopes to celebrate both a tradition and the start of something very new when the 2011 American Le Mans Series season kicks off with the 59th running of the Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 19. The tire partner for 26 of the 40 open competition class entries and 34 of the 57 total entries, Michelin is seeking an unprecedented 13th consecutive overall win in America’s premier sports car endurance race. Teamed with BMW, Audi, Porsche and Peugeot prototype entries, Michelin has claimed the overall Sebring win for the last 12 years.
In addition to the competition on the track, Michelin looks to celebrate the April 1 North American debut of the new Michelin Pilot Super Sport tire, which the company said is “born from endurance racing.” To mark the occasion, Michelin has installed dramatic signage on the Turn 17 Bridge from the pit area to the infield and around the historic 3.7-mile circuit to celebrate the launch.
Toyo Sets 2011 Contingency Programs
Toyo Tire USA announced its 2011 contingency programs. Amateur racers in a variety of disciplines such as autocross, Time Attack, road racing and desert off-road racing have the opportunity to win cash and prizes while running on race-proven Toyo tires.
In SCCA, racers can win cash contingency in Solo National Event Tours, Solo Divisional Championships, Solo National Championships, the ProSolo National Series and National Spec Miata road racing. NASA road racers can earn Toyo money for podium finishes on Toyo Proxes RA1 R-compound tires. Redline Time Attack racers can earn Toyo contingency payouts for their podium wins. SCORE International desert racers can win contingency payouts for running Toyo tires in classes including Trophy Truck, Class-1/2 1600, Class 8, Class 7, Class 7S and Class Stock Full. In addition, competitors in the Best in the Desert off-road series can also win cash contingencies for earning podiums on Open Country M/T tires.
Toyo Extends Sponsorship of Curt and Todd LeDuc for 2011
The names Toyo and LeDuc have been synonymous with championships and podium finishes for many years in off-road racing. Toyo Tire USA Corp. has extended its sponsorship of Curt and Todd LeDuc, pro truck drivers in the fast-paced Lucas Oil Off-Road Series.
The 2011 season also marks a new direction for Todd LeDuc, as he is switching from Pro 2 Unlimited to the Pro 4 Unlimited truck class. Now all Team LeDuc, which includes brother, Kyle (also with Team Toyo Off-Road), will battle for podium supremacy in this highly popular class. Curt Leduc’s truck will have new colors for the 2011 season, which includes Truxxx, Makita and Toyo Tires as his sponsors.
Tire Rule Tweaks Give Pirelli More Testing Options in F1
Pirelli has been given the option to evaluate new types of tires during Formula One race meetings this year, following an amendment to Formula One’s Sporting Regulations approved today by the FIA World Motor Sport Council. On some events, all the teams could be supplied with an additional specification of dry weather tire to test during Friday’s two free practice sessions. The option to try out new tires will be entirely at the discretion of the FIA, together with Pirelli, and it will only be exercised if the correct opportunity arises.
Another rule amendment approved by the World Motor Sport Council with immediate effect is the facility to allocate an additional set of prime tires at selected races this year. Once more, at the discretion of the FIA together with Pirelli, this extra set could be given to the teams at the start of Friday free practice, with the usual tire regulations applying from then on. Teams would be informed of any addition to the normal allocation at least one week before the start of the relevant event.
“The latest amendments to the Sporting Regulations are simply another part of our pre-season preparations as we build up to our Grand Prix debut in just over two weeks’ time,” Pirelli’s Motorsport Director Paul Hembery said. “We needed to put in place a mechanism within the regulations now to allow us to test new tires in a competitive context this year if necessary, and it’s great that we have this possibility open to us because we are already hard at work defining the specification of our tires for the future. Without this potential opportunity we would be unable to test with a current car and would be relying solely on a previous generation vehicle, so it could be a good solution to the testing issue for both ourselves and the teams.”