Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website A flying start for Michelin’s latest endurance tyres at the 2018/2019 FIA WEC opener at Spa-Francorchamps
maggio 07, 2018 - Michelin Motorsport

A flying start for Michelin’s latest endurance tyres at the 2018/2019 FIA WEC opener at Spa-Francorchamps

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As was the case when Mark Webber publicly expressed his satisfaction with his #Michelin tyres after his FIA World #endurance Championship debut in 2014, during the first testing opportunities Fernando Alonso (Toyota Gazoo Racing) similarly praised his Michelins after they allowed him to focus on his driving without having to worry about tyre management thanks to their consistency over each stint. Aided by the performance and reliability of his car, the Spanish ex-F1 champ succeeded in notching up his maiden FIA #WEC success in the N°8 Toyota TS050-Hybrid which he shared with long-time Toyota runners Sébastien Buemi (2014 FIA #WEC champion) and Kazuki Nakajima. Toyota Gazoo #racing also walked away with second place thanks to the N°7 TS050-Hybrid of Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez. The first privateer entries past the flag were Rebellion Racing’s Gibson-engined R13s which revealed their potential with third and fourth places in Belgium. The Swiss outfit has significant experience of world class #endurance #racing and has run two prototypes for several seasons. Meanwhile, Michelin’s partners in the LMP2 class showed strongly during the early part of the race when the N°29 Dallara of #racing Team Nederland spent two hours in front, ahead of DragonSpeed’s N°31 Oreca 07. However, following its excellent start, which revealed the competitiveness of Michelin’s latest-generation LMP2 tyres, the Dallara was forced to spend a lengthy period in its garage for repairs, while the DragonSpeed car lost ground during the numerous Safety Car periods. The LMGTE Pro battle saw Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK and Porsche GT Team dominate Friday’s qualifying before entertaining spectators with a close duel on race day, despite a spectacular early crash involving Harry Tincknell’s Ford GT at Le Raidillon. Thankfully, the British driver walked away unhurt. Victory ended up in the hands of the crew of the N°66 sister car (Mücke/Pla/Johnson) which finished 14 seconds clear of the N°92 Porsche 911 RSR (Christensen/Estre). The N°71 Ferrari 488 GTE (Rigon/Bird) clinched third spot after Davide Rigon found a way past the N°91 Porsche 911 RSR (Lietz/Bruni) through one of the final turns of the six-hour race. The top-two finishers in LMGTE Am were the Aston Martin Vantages of Aston Martin Racing’s Dalla Lana/Lamy/Lauda (N°98) and TF Sport’s Yoluc/Alers-Hankey/Eastwood (N°90). Third was the Clearwater #racing Ferrari 488 GTE (Sun Mok/Sawa/Griffin)