IF you’re a motorsport enthusiast, hope you caught the recent Michelin online game called “Right2Race” (R@R)—a virtual race set at the Sepang International F1 Circuit in Malaysia that lets players maneuver around the famous racecourse. Players can show off their driving skills as they zoom down different racing lines and observe braking points. The drivers that reach the finish line in the fastest possible time don’t necessarily win the race. Those who win are those that were fast but made it a point to obey all the safety rules and codes.
The contest is such a hit because players get to compete with other online competitors from the Philippines, as well as from other countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Australia. The top-3 players with the best and fastest lap times in every country win a trip to Sepang, Malaysia, to join the unique and super-exciting Michelin Pilot Sport Experience (MPSE) on July 18.
The MPSE is a unique and specialized motorsport event organized annually by Michelin. Participants get to ride and drive with professional racers on high-performance vehicles, such as the Formula 4, Renault Clio Cup, Lamborghini Super Trofeo and the legendary Formula Le Mans, and learn about safety.
The first “Right2Race” was launched successfully in 2014 in Singapore, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. One of the three winners from the Philippines—Ivan Isada, son of the famous motorsport personality Vip Isada, did his R2R achievement one better. At the 2014 MPSE, Ivan emerged as overall champion and bested participants at the 2014 MPSE. As the ultimate winner, Ivan—son of the famous motorsport personality and volleyball coach, Vip Isada—received an exclusive all-expenses-paid trip to the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours in Le Mans, France, this June.
Ivan and his Dad (whom Ivan brought along for the ride) had an unforgettable trip to Paris and Le Mans—thanks to the younger Isada’s R2R and MPSE achievements. From walks down the streets of Gay Paree to a Drivers Parade at Le Mans, coupled with access into the VIP trackside hospitality pavilion of the 24 Heures Le Mans, to luxury meals and refreshments trackside, to a helicopter ride over the racing circuit so they can view the action better, plus guided tours of the Michelin tire workshop and the paddock, the father-and-son team had a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is a motorsportsman’s dream come true.
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AT Le Mans, Ivan and Vip watched the Porsche team, aided by Michelin’s competitive, consistent tires, dethrone defending champion Audi with a one-two finish by the No. 19 and No. 17 Porsche 919 Hybrids. Michelin claimed its 18th consecutive win, bringing the tires’ total victories to 24 since the famous endurance race was organized in 1923.
Nico Hülkenberg, Earl Bamber and Nick Tandy steered their Porsche sports-prototype racing vehicle to an emphatic victory, while the No. 17, led by Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard, finished second. The German firm continues to be the most successful carmaker in Le Mans history.
The Porsche team, which always runs on Michelin tires, also established a new track lap record for the 13.629-km circuit. Neel Jani’s time of three minutes and 16.887 seconds (249 kph) smashed the previous record posted in 2008 by Stéphane Sarrazin (Peugeot 908 HDI), now a member of the Toyota Racing lineup.
The performance of this year’s LMP1 prototypes marked a big step forward, as this was the fastest race lap established by the No. 7 Audi R18 e-tron quattro by Benoît Tréluyer on the 337th lap. Treluyer’s time of 3:17.475 was proof of the ferocious battle waged by the two German cars at Le Mans on June 13 and 14.
“This year’s Le Mans 24 Hours saw Michelin provide another eloquent illustration of the performance and grip of its endurance racing tires, which successfully covered distances in excess of 700 km. The ability of Michelin’s tires to multi-stint, which used to be an exception not so many years ago, has today become an integral part of our partner-teams’ strategies. All the LM P1 manufacturer teams used a single type of tire for the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours, namely, the Michelin “soft hot weather” slick, which is designed to give its best at temperatures ranging from 18°C to 40°C. The work carried out by Michelin Motorsport’s engineers on the tires’ temperature windows as a function of the track temperature has definitely paid dividends,” said Jérôme Mondain, manager of Michelin Motorsport’s FIA WEC program.
Michelin’s partners Audi Sport Team Joest, Porsche team and Toyota Racing all performed quadruple stints on the same tires in the course of the 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours, covering distances of up to 736 km on a single set.
It is important to recall that the current-generation LM P1 prototype tires are between 5 and 6 centimeters narrower and 2 kilos lighter each compared with 2013. At the same time, the cars’ aerodynamic downforce has increased, as has the power of their engines.