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Top Manufacturers And Independent Teams Choose Michelin For 2013 ALMS Competition
The racing deck has been shuffled and Michelin hopes to once again hold the aces as the 2013 American Le Mans Series kicks off at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours Sebring, March 16.
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For Michelin, there are continuing teams, new teams, returning teams and new competitors in the 42-car field.
Michelin is the technical partner of choice for many top manufacturer and independent teams. Leading the Michelin technical partner charge are the defending Sebring and Le Mans 24 Hour race-winners from Audi, making what is expected to be a final appearance in the top prototype class at Sebring prior to the merger of the ALMS and GRAND AM for 2014. Audi has won the Twelve Hours of Sebring ten times.
Also continuing with Michelin are the 2012 ALMS P1 champions from Muscle Milk Pickett Racing Honda and the 2012 Petit Le Mans-winning Rebellion Racing Toyotas.
The 2011 ALMS P1 champion Dyson Racing rejoins the Michelin technical partner line-up for 2013.
Michelin also returns to ALMS P2 Prototype class competition for 2013 with Extreme Speed Motorsports and the Level 5 Motorsports teams.
CORVETTE, BMW, SRT VIPER, ASTON MARTIN FACTORY GT TEAMS CHOOSE MICHELIN
In the fiercely contested GT category, Michelin is the choice of all four official factory teams and a pair of top independent teams. The defending ALMS GT champion, Corvette Racing, a seven-time Sebring GT winner, is joined on the Michelin side by the defending Sebring champion BMW Team RLL.
The SRT Viper factory team returns to Sebring after a 12-year hiatus and is joined by a pair of factory Aston Martin Racing entries.
TOP INDEPENDENTS
Returning to ALMS competition after a one-year hiatus is long-time Michelin technical partner Risi Competizione Ferrari. The Houston-based team seeks a fourth Sebring GT victory.
Also joining Michelin for 2013 for the first time is the Paul Miller Racing Porsche squad.
"Sebring is always a tremendous test of the total package of cars, tires, teams and drivers," said Ken Payne, technical director, Michelin Motorsports North America. "Sebring is a very fast, bumpy and challenging track and 12 hours here creates plenty of opportunities for trouble. As the first race of the season it is the first time that any of the new elements - cars, engines, tires, drivers and crews - are truly tested."
Michelin and its technical partner teams seek a record 15th consecutive Sebring race victory in 2013. Other tire makers entered include Dunlop, Yokohama, Falken and series newcomers Bridgestone and Continental.
"We welcome the competition," said Payne.
Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelinman.com) employs more than 22,200 and operates 18 major manufacturing plants in 16 locations.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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