IMSA Names Michelin Offi cial
Tire Beginning In 2019
Premium Tire Brand Assumes Offi cial Status with IMSA WeatherTech
SportsCar Championship, SportsCar Challenge and Prototype
Challenge; New Entitlement Partner for Endurance Cup
The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) announced
that Michelin will become the “Offi cial Tire of
IMSA” in its premier series – the IMSA WeatherTech Sports-
Car Championship and its two major Challenge series – beginning
next year.
The multi-year agreement calls for Michelin tires to be on
every Prototype (P) and GT Daytona (GTD) race car competing
in the WeatherTech Championship in addition to
its continued participation in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class.
The GTLM class will continue to be open to multiple tire
manufacturers.
The 2019 IMSA Michelin SportsCar
Challenge will feature the Grand
Sport (GS) class for cars built to international
GT4 specifi cations and
Touring Car for TCR-spec race cars.
The IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda, featuring
LMP3 race cars, also will ride on Michelins.
“The signifi cance of this expanded partnership with Michelin,
one of the world’s most recognized premium
brands, cannot be overstated,” said IMSA President Scott
Atherton. “IMSA has enjoyed a long and successful relationship
with Michelin, and we are proud to confi rm this
long-term agreement. Our expanded partnership with Michelin
– which also enjoys strong relationships with many
of our participating automotive manufacturers – will be a
catalyst for accelerating the growth of the WeatherTech
Championship and IMSA as a whole.
“We are extremely grateful for the role Continental Tire
played in helping to grow our racing platforms throughout
our partnership dating back to 2010,” Atherton added. “Continental
has been an outstanding partner and was instrumental
in elevating the status of the WeatherTech Championship
and Continental Tire Challenge to new heights. We
extend heartfelt appreciation to our friends at Continental
for their unwavering support.”
As the “Offi cial Tire of IMSA,” the WeatherTech Championship,
IMSA Michelin SportsCar Challenge and IMSA Prototype
Challenge, Michelin also becomes the entitlement
partner of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup beginning in
2019. The four-round competition recognizes top competitors
in each class in the four WeatherTech Championship
major endurance races. The Cup consists of Daytona, Watkins
Glen, Sebring and Road Atlanta.
“We are tremendously pleased by today’s announcement,”
said Scott Clark, executive vice president and chief operating
offi cer of Michelin North America. “The continued growth
and success of the WeatherTech Championship and IMSA’s
related series provides a great platform for us to engage
performance enthusiasts and showcase our MICHELIN® Pilot
® Sport family of ultra-high performance
tires.
“Michelin does not enter into longterm
collaborations lightly or solely
for our own benefi t,” Clark added.
“We are committed to IMSA, the competitors and fans to help
continue the growth and success of the series on and off the
track.”
Michelin’s increased IMSA presence in 2019 includes becoming
the exclusive tire for the IMSA Prototype Challenge
– which utilizes global LMP3 race cars – and the IMSA Michelin
SportsCar Challenge.
Michelin has supported IMSA since the founding of the
predecessor American Le Mans Series in 1999 and is the
current technical partner of choice of BMW, Chevrolet Corvette,
Ford Performance, Porsche GT Team and the Risi Competizione
Ferrari in the WeatherTech Championship GTLM
class. Michelin is also the offi cial tire of Sebring International
Raceway.
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 22,650 and operates 20 major
manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
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