Endurance motorsport and OE tyres: Another step from the racetrack to the road
Further to our initial previews including an overview of the race, and an interview with motorsport director Matthieu Bonardel, during the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours, Tyres & Accessories also took the opportunity to speak with Serge Lafon, Michelin’s president of business line automotive OE in order to learn more about how motorsport provides not only a relational connection between vehicle makers and tyre suppliers, but is also another step on the journey from the racetrack to the road in terms of tyre development. From that starting point, our conversation covered threads including hydrogen power, electric vehicles (EVs), sustainability as well as OE’s connection with motorsport innovation.
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Motul celebrates two victories at Le Mans for second year running
The 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours proved to be a fruitful hunting ground for Motul, as cars lubricated with its products again took the honours in both the LMP2 and LMGT3 categories. Motul-lubricated partner teams, using the brand’s legendary 300V engine oil, took victory in the LMP2 category - with the number 43 Inter Europol Oreca 07 piloted by Jakub Smiechowski, Tom Dillman and Nick Yelloly - and in the LMGT3 category, with the #92 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R of Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz.
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Pirelli to supply British Superbike tyres until 2030
Pirelli will remain the Presenting Sponsor and Sole Tyre Supplier of the British Superbike Championship up to and including the 2030 season, for what will become a long standing 23-year relationship. With the series set to celebrate its 30th anniversary next year, Pirelli will embark on a new five-year deal starting from 2026, agreed with series organiser MotorSport Vision Racing (MSVR). As part of the agreement, Pirelli will also remain the Sole Tyre Supplier and the Title Sponsor of the National Superstock and Sportbike classes. According to Pirelli, the ‘control tyre’ concept has proven itself in BSB, providing every rider with exactly the same opportunities which, combined with other MSVR regulations, has resulted in ultra-competitive racing. In fact, 2024 produced nine different winners from eight teams.
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Michelin: Motorsport is a performance and sustainability pipeline
At 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025, Tyres & Accessories spoke with Michelin motorsport global director, Matthieu Bonardel; and Serge Lafon, Michelin’s president of business line automotive OE; as well as racing team crews themselves plus the indispensable tyre technicians; and heard their first-hand experience of the critical nature of tyres to racing teams from the racetrack and the pitlane and from there to the roads. Over the next couple of weeks, were publishing excerpts from those interviews here online ahead of complete coverage in the forthcoming July edition of Tyres & Accessories magazine.
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45 of 141 entries running on Goodyear at 24h Nürburgring
Nearly a third of teams will rely on Goodyear tyres with 45 of the 141 entries running on its rubber at this weekend’s ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring, one of the world’s most gruelling endurance races. Combining the Nürburgring’s Nordschleife with its modern grand prix track to create an epic 25km lap, the event is the second successive year to be part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, elevating its international profile as part of the global competition for GT3 cars.
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Goodyear tyre strategy to empower close BTCC racing at Oulton Park
Goodyear says that tyre strategy will be important as the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) heads to Oulton Park for rounds 13-15 of the championship this weekend. The circuit is one of the most demanding on tyres on the calendar, as drivers face the undulating Cheshire track’s blind corners. Drivers will be allocated three sets of Goodyear’s soft compound tyres and one set of the hard compound this weekend. Drivers may also choose to use up to two sets of carryover tyres from previous events, but the medium compound, which is expected to be the more popular carryover choice for this event, is only allowed to be used in FP1 and FP2.
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Prinx brands Fortune and Austone celebrate best ETRC weekend for Garrett at Slovakia Ring
The Prinx Chengshan brands Fortune and Austone are celebrating sponsored driver Luke Garrett’s “best result” of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship 2025 season after his successful battle with the elements at the Slovakia Ring on 7-8 June. “This race weekend definitely had it all,” says Ari Salah, head of marketing at Austone Tires and Fortune Tires.
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HWA EVO celebrates debut with tyre partner Hankook at 24H Nürburgring
Hankook will support the premiere of the HWA EVO, a reinterpretation of the legendary Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evo II, when its two prototypes take to the Nordschleife at the ADAC Ravenol 24H Nürburgring this weekend. The HWA team is also developing a special racing version of the HWA EVO. Two cars will compete in the SP-X class at next years Nürburgring 24 Hours with Hankook as a partner.
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Pirelli takes on Pikes Peak with Ford Mustang Mach-E, Simone Faggioli’s Norma M20 FC
Pirelli P Zero tyres will help both a 1400 horsepower Ford Super Mustang Mach-E electronic sports car and the Norma M20 FC extreme prototype take on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday 22 June. Both have a long-standing partnership with Pirelli and P Zero tyres specifically developed for this type of event. Pirelli has won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb several times. Last year, Pirelli equipped the F-150 Lightning Super Truck, also driven by Frenchman Dumas, while in 2019 the overall win went to Robin Shute at the wheel of the Honda turbo-powered Wolf GB08. That same year, P Zero tyres were also fitted to the Bentley Continental GT which took the win and set a record in the production car category. In 2018, the Italian company supported the Bentley Bentayga when it set the record in the SUV category, a record that was broken in 2022 by the Lamborghini Urus Performante, also fitted with Pirelli P Zero tyres.
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8,000 Goodyear Eagle tyres at manufacturer’s ‘biggest ever’ 24h of Le Mans
Goodyear Eagle racing tyres impressed drivers with their versatility and longevity in two highly competitive classes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Running with high performance and durability day and night, Goodyear states the Eagle tyres were consistently capable of surpassing drivers’ maximum drive time limits. The company said the technological innovation demonstrated by the tyres underlines that the LMGT3 class is the next chapter in Goodyear’s legacy in international racing. Goodyear supplied all 24 LMGT3 and 17 LMP2 cars, meaning Goodyear’s operation included 100 staff members, including tyre fitters, track support engineers for each team, administrative and marketing staff, at Le Mans. Goodyear brought 8,000 tyres to the track, with the footprint minimised through the provision of one slick and one rain specification for each class. Goodyear also flew the Blimp, continuing its 100th anniversary celebration, over the circuit, and contributed a fanzone, completing a holistic approach to the race weekend.
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Yokohama supports 20 cars, including 1st hydrogen entry, in ‘most challenging’ US hill climb
Yokohama will supply Advan racing tyres to more than 20 cars competing in five divisions of the 103rd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (22 June, Colorado, USA). Yokohama’s participation in this gruelling event forms part of its Advan Challenge that seeks to maximise sales of Advan tyres. Advan tyres had a significant presence last year, with five runners finishing in the top 10 in the overall results, including first-place finishes in four divisions. More broadly, Yokohama wants to increase sales of its high-value Advan performance tyre lines through its participation in all levels of motorsports around the world in line with its corporate strategy.
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Michelin to succeed Pirelli as WorldSBK supplier from 2027
Starting in 2027, Michelin will become exclusive tyre supplier for all categories of the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), a role it will fulfil until the end of the 2031 season. As the championship’s all-category supplier, Michelin will provide tyres to WorldSBK, WorldSSP, and the newly introduced World Sportbike (WorldSPB) class, as well as the FIM Womens Circuit Racing World Championship (WorldWCR).
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Le Mans – “the hardest race in the world for tyres”
The famed 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race sees dozens of cars across three categories race at speeds of up to 330 km/h non-stop for a whole day in-front of a live audience numbering around 300,000. Its spectacular, yes. But it is more than just a spectacle. Michelin’s motorsport endeavours – embodied by its unparalleled history of supporting victory at Le Mans – exemplify the so-called racetrack-to-road philosophy. However, in addition to outright performance gains – which are clearly the foundation of Michelin’s work in top-flight racing series and events like Le Mans – Michelin is also working to develop road-orientated sustainability benefits at the same time.
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Apollo Tyres extends 1000 Miglia partnership to rally’s centenary celebration
Apollo Tyres will support the 1000 Miglia classic car rally in Italy until at least 2027 when the event celebrates its centenary year. Promoting its flagship European tyre brand, Vredestein, Apollo will supply vintage tyres from its Vredestein Classic tyre range, one of the most diverse on the market, as well as receiving branding support at the 1000 Miglia and Coppa delle Alpi and the 1000 Miglia Experience Italy.
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Yokohama takes race inspiration for high performance road range
Yokohama is taking inspiration from its racetrack activities for its road range, as a supplier to many national championships around the world. The manufacturer’s tyres are selected as the control tyre by some of the UK’s most exciting motorsport series, including for the first time ever, the 2025 Time Attack Championship.
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