25.10.2003 GABRIELE TARQUINI ALREADY SPORTING NO 1 AS ALFA ROMEO TEST MICHELIN'S 2004 CONTROL TYRES

The two-day testing in Vallelunga, organised by Michelin in order to deliberate the new 17-inch control tyre for the FIA ETCC, has been reduced by the rain to one day. Less then 48 hours after the final meeting of the season in Monza, the teams Autodelta, BMW Team Deutschland and SEAT Sport were ready to start testing ten different types of new slicks.

“They were different evolutions of the tyre we have used in the 2002 and 2003 seasons,” explained Michelin Compétition’s Mathieu Bonardel, adding “The fact that the ETCC is a control-tyre championship, doesn’t mean that we have stopped working. We keep on trying to improve the tyres’ consistency and performance, in order to fit in with the cars’ evolution, and also to give the teams the opportunity of contributing to the championship’s growth. We have prepared a few evolutions for the next seasons, and we tested them in Vallelunga, our traditional reference track for Touring Cars.”

Tuesday, on a dry track, freshly crowned ETCC champion Gabriele Tarquini and his Alfa Romeo 156GTA set the fastest time with a lap in 1:17.3, which was only one tenth of a second faster then the 1:17.4 clocked by BMW Team Deutschland’s Jörg Müller. Dirk Müller set his fastest time at 1:17.7, while Jordi Gené was clocked at 1:18.7 in his SEAT Toledo Cupra.

“However these lap times can’t be compared, because the drivers were using different solutions of tyres,” Bonardel commented. Tarquini’s team-mate Nicola Larini completed only four laps on Tuesday. Heavy rain soaked the track since Wednesday morning, and forced Michelin to stop the test. “It was a shame, but we have managed to do a good job, putting together interesting information. The performance-consistency compromise has been found acceptable by the three teams.

"We still have to examine the tyres we have used, analyze the results and decide whether to organize another test session or not. We will not hesitate to spend some more time to prepare this tyre, because we count on using it in the next two seasons without further evolutions. We would be already able to make a choice, but we always wish to go a little bit further and see if it’s possible to do even better.” Michelin might return to Vallelunga in December or in January.

22.10.2003 MICHELIN TO SUPPLY FIA ETCC CONTROL TYRES IN 2004 & 2005

The FIA has confirmed Michelin as the official tyre supplier of the FIA European Touring Car Championship for the next two seasons, 2004 and 2005. “We are quite happy,” commented Mathieu Bonardel of Michelin Compétition, “because we see the ETCC as a jewel within the LG Super Racing Weekends. Not only this series benefits from an important TV and media coverage, but it also gives us the opportunity to work together our partner car Manufacturers.

"The ETCC is supplied by Michelin since its creation and it took over Super Touring, then we have an historical involvement in this category. All the Manufacturers fighting for the ETCC use the same tyres, but their cars ar very different; therefore for Michelin this remains a technical challenge: to supply different cars with the same tyre. Michelin is in favour of the actions done by the FIA and the promoters in order to limit the costs, because motor racing remains something very expensive, and all is possible to do to reduce the total budgets has to be emphasized and encouraged. The use of the same tyre, not only for all the types of cars and all the teams, but also for all the circuits, despite the differences of track, asphalt and weather, remains the best way to reduce the costs.

"Technically speaking, this demands an important work of design and preparation through test sessions, in order to cover the maximum range of circuits and vehicles, instead of supplying a product that, under cover of passe-partout, does not satisfy anybody. Once we have chosen the tyre, its mass production allows us to reduce the manufacturing costs. This also allows the teams to be well acquainted with the tyres, then, to limit the tests, and, finally, to limit the season’s budget.”