IN THE COMPETITION LOOKING AT DAY-BY-DAY
Michelin is well present at the start of the 13th season at the GT Open, one of the best touring competitions in the world, with GT3 cars, which started at the Estoril Autodrome. The French brand wants to bring the competition closer to the tires it sells on a day-to-day basis.
Together with the MichelinPilot Sport GT M range, one of the new ones to debut in this competition, is the new electronic RFID system for automatic tire checking, to be used for the first time in the first race of the GT Open, which takes place on 14 and 15 April, in Estoril, with the best GT3 cars in the world, and that will also be used in Euroformula.
RFID allows you to automatically prove that each vehicle uses the tires declared by its teams, which, so far, required a manual check. To do this, the tires have a standard RFID chip in their structure, which contains an FIA code and type of measurement. In turn, the cars are also identified by an RFID chip. With this automation, which allows dynamic tracing and testing, even with the vehicle in progress, at speeds up to 60 km / h, the correct use of tires by the participants will be facilitated.
Another important novelty of Michelin is the range of competition tires for GT. In 2018 the Michelin Pilot Sport GT M range will be used, which offers the best performance, both in performance and resistance and wear, in the most demanding circuits in the world. The tires used will be the Michelin Pilot Sport GT S9M, more robust than the S9L they replace. For rain, Michelin will continue to supply its Michelin Pilot Sport GT PL2 range, which features technology from the tires used in the WEC World Championship.
It should be noted that Michelin makes a strong bet on this type of tires, mounted on 18-inch wheels, which allow to make a link between the competition and UHP road tires, which is one of the most profitable market segments and in growth.
2500 tires in Estoril
The means affected by Michelin for a test of the International GT Open as Estoril include the displacement of a motorhome, three trucks, a team with two technicians and twelve installers, a communication officer and two logistics.
Michelin prepares up to 2,500 tires for the race at the Luso circuit, which is expected to use around 1200 tires over the weekend. For both the Euroformula and the GT Open a single compound for dry floor is used, more oriented to the sprint and having to last the whole race in the case of Euroformula, and focused on the resistance for the GT Open.
The weight of a Michelin tire for a Euroformula racing car is about 7 kg, while the weight of the tires for the GT Open cars is approximately 10 kg. Michelin also provides two sets of tires per car, specific for use in rainy conditions.
As an important novelty this year, Michelin combines car racing on the track with the gastronomic side of the paddock. Thus, at each International GT Open event, Michelin will offer riders a cocktail prepared by a local chef. For the first event, in Portugal, the Portuguese culinary tradition comes by the hand of Miguel Rocha, chef of the restaurant Fortaleza do Guincho, with a Michelin star.
Source: https://posvenda.pt/na-compeo-olhando-para-o-dia-a-dia-com-fotos/
