Championship Wins

Championship Wins

Michelin made its first racing appearance when Charles Terront won in 1891 the longest non-stop bicycle race ever to be held: Paris-Brest and back (1,200 km). After 71 h and 18 mn of racing and 9 hours ahead of his closest contender, Terront had provided an excellent demonstration of the superiority of the MICHELIN detachable tire.

Racing is the best laboratory for testing technological innovations in extreme situations. It is a powerful driver of progress. MICHELIN tires continuously undergo the toughest of all reality checks: championship racing.

2013 DAKAR RALLY

Michelin returns to the car-class and storms the victory in all categories after a breathtaking and exhilarating fortnight. Michelin claims its 30th win in the bike category (victory of Cyril Desprès on KTM), and the truck category (victory of the Kamaz crew composed of Eduard Nikolaev, Sergey Savostin and Vladimir Rybakov), along with a 16th success in the car category (victory of Stéphane Peterhansel and Jean-Peaul Cottret on Mini).

View the 2013 Dakar Rally video

2012 LE MANS 24 HOURS

Michelin succeeded in claiming a 15th straight Le Mans 24 Hours win in 2012, taking its total to 21 victories. At first attempt, and in the hands of André LOTTERER/Benoit TRELUYER/Marcel FÄSSLER, the N°1 Michelin-equipped Audi e-tron Quattro became the first hybrid-powered prototype to win the world’s most famous endurance race.

View the 2012 Le Mans 24 Hours video

2012 WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP (WEC)

Michelin and Audi won the inaugural FIA World Endurance Championship, a revival of the former Sportscar World Championship which was halted at the end of the 1990s. The Drivers’ title was won by André LOTTERER, Benoît TRELUYER and Marcel FÄSSLER.

2012 World Rally Championship (WRC)

Michelin secured its 20th Drivers’ crown in the World Rally Championship with Sébastien LOEB and Daniel ELENA, as well as its 22nd Manufacturers’ title with Citroën. Meanwhile, the final round of the 2012 season in Catalonia saw Michelin notch up its 250th world class win since the WRC’s creation in 1973.

Michelin's 250th win in WRC

2012 NÜRBURGRING 24 HOURS

Michelin helped AUDI to claim its first ever win in Germany’s Nürburgring 24 Hours. Marc BASSENG, Christopher HAASE, Frank STIPPLER and Marcus WINKELHOCK emerged from the Nordschleife’s notorious ‘Green Hell’ to take first place.

2012 AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES

Michelin won ALMS titles in three classes: ‘ALMS P1’ (with MUSCLE MILK PICKETT RACING), ‘LMPC’ (CORE-RACING) and ‘GT’ (CORVETTE RACING).

2012 EUROPEAN LE MANS SERIES

Victory for Michelin in the GTE Am class with IMSA PERFORMANCE MATMUT.

2012 INTERCONTINENTAL RALLY CHALLENGE (IRC)

Michelin and SKODA won both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ IRC titles together for the third straight year. It was the final year of the IRC. From 2013, its promoters will instead look after the promotion of the FIA European Rally Championship. Andreas MIKKELSEN was the Drivers’ champion for the second year running.

IRC San Remo 2012 the race

2012 SUPER GT JAPAN

Michelin and the privateer team MOLA-NISSAN succeeded in claiming both the Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ titles in Japan’s premier GT 500 series for the second year running. The thrilling championship went down to the wire and the outcome was only settled after a memorable duel at the final round at Autopolis. It was an important ‘away success’ for MICHELIN on the home soil of its many Japanese competitors, which gave the performance an extra special flavour.

2012 INTERNATIONALE DEUTSCHE MOTORRADMEISTERSCHAFT (IDM)

Michelin and the Auvergne-based French rider Erwan NIGON topped Germany’s IDM motorcycle racing championship with BMW MOTORRAD thanks to the exceptional season-long consistency of the operation’s rider/bike/tire package!

2012 ENDURO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Pierre-Alexandre RENET (HUSABERG-MICHELIN) secured the E2 title, while Mathias BELLINO brought Michelin and HUSABERG additional success by winning the Junior category.

2012 CAMPEONATO DE ESPAÑA DE VELOCIDAD (CEV)

Michelin claimed another Stock/Extreme title in Spain’s CEV series. As in 2011, the championship was won by a Kawasaki rider, this time Carmelo MORALES. MICHELIN riders monopolised the top three places in the final standings thanks to Kyle SMITH (KAWASAKI WILD-WOLF BST) and Xavi FORES (BMW MOTORRAD).

2012 TRIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Toni Bou (MONTESA HRC-MICHELIN) won both the Trial Indoor and Outdoor titles in 2012.

2012 EUROPEAN SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

Cédric SOUBEYRAS successfully defended his European Supercross crown in 2012. It was the ideal way to thank his team HONDA HDI and Michelin, the French squad’s tire supplier.