A one-two finish for Michelin in Portugal

Michelin's endurance racing programme isn't restricted to the Le Mans 24 Hours, and being competitive in the French classic calls for a year-round commitment to the discipline, across the world and in all types of conditions.

Action in the Europe-based Le Mans Series resumed this weekend with the third round of the championship that took teams to Portugal for the 1,000km do Algarve. The twisty Portimao circuit is particularly demanding for tyres and the final part of the race took place after nightfall.

Michelin runners were able to choose from the latest range of tyres developed for last June's Le Mans 24 Hours. "Most of our partners opted for medium compound rubber which enabled them to double stint, in spite of track temperatures of 45°C during the early part of the race," reports Serge Grisin, the man in charge of Michelin Competition's four-wheel programmes.

The Oreca Matmut-run Peugeot 908 HDI FAP shared by Olivier Panis, Nicolas Lapierre and Stéphane Sarrazin ended up winning by five laps ahead of the N°12 Rebellion Racing Lola B10/60 (Nicolas Prost/Neel Jani) and with a seven-lap cushion over the N°008 Aston Martin.

In addition to their one-two-three finish in the fiercely competitive LMGT2 class with Ferrari and Porsche, as well as further success in LMGT1, Michelin's partners also emerged as the dominant force in LMP2 with Strakka Racing. However, a mechanical problem sidelined the Le Mans class-winning N°42 HPD-ARX01c shortly after the halfway point.

The MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge classification was topped by Pegasus Racing's Courage (Schell/Da Rocha). With three rounds already completed, the provisional standings of this competition, which rewards the most energy-efficient performances, is dominated by the N°24 OAK Racing prototype. At the end of the year, the best-placed finishers in the Prototype and GT classes will receive invitations to contest the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Media Contact: + 33 1 45 66 13 43