Groupe Michelin has a new director of competition, and it’s a familiar name to Michelin North America customers.

Pascal Couasnon, former marketing director for Michelin Americas Small Tires, was named head of the tiremaker’s motorsport efforts, and will replace Nick Shorrock as of April 2, 2012. Shorrock is retiring.

Cousasnon, 50, joined Michelin in 1987 as a test engineer and driver at the firm’s Research Centre in Ladoux, near Clermont-Ferrand, France. He later became manager of the test department in Greenville, S.C., then moved back to France as European product marketing director. After two more assignments, Couasnon was back with MNA as marketing director, then went back to France as director of technical and scientific communication.