Timo Bernhard, the German racing driver, has gone around the Nordschleife at Nürburgring in the incredible time of 5:19.546 minutes steering a Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo. The high-performance racing car was equipped with tyres especially developed by Michelin and was able to do without any mechanical or electronic stability control systems.
After 35 years, the record set by Stefan Bellof at Nürburgring-Nordschleife was cracked. Porsche continues to build upon the success of the past in Spa-Francorchamps/Belgium, where in April 2018 Neel Jani was able to beat the Formula 1 lap record set up by Lewis Hamilton. Belgium was the first stop of a so-called Porsche Tribute Tour. Michelin, the long-standing partner, equipped the racing cars with its high-tech tyres.
“We are proud to contribute to Porsche’s success with our tyres. They are a benchmark concerning performance and safety”, says Pascal Couasnon, Director Motorsport at Michelin. Michelin started a development programme for the Tribute Tour aiming at an increase in the performance of the tyres by about 15 per cent and in resilience in a considerable way when compared with traditional long-distance racing sports. According to people responsible for the company, this is necessary, as the vehicle produces an enormous aerodynamic contact pressure, especially in fast turns. According to company information, innovations, which stood the test on the racing track, would accelerate the production of street tyres. The MICHELIN Pilot Sport 4S N0, which was only recently homologated for the Porsche models 911, Carrera, 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman, demonstrated this above all.
(kle)
