Michelin 'official tire' of Sebring thru '17

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2015) — The Michelin brand will continue as the official tire of Sebring International Raceway through 2017, extending a deal first signed in 2011.

Michelin North America Inc. and the raceway announced the deal March 17 at Sebring, prior to the start of practice for the 63rd running of the Sebring 12-hour endurance race.

“Sebring has a great tradition and a distinct character that presents a wide range of technical challenges,” said Chris Baker, director of motorsports for Michelin.

“Virtually our entire portfolio of Michelin Pilot ultra-high-performance tires can trace its technical heritage to innovations and insights gained through open competition in endurance racing at tracks like Sebring and Le Mans.”

He noted that the Michelin Bridge at the track's Turn 17 “is a great reminder of how we link our race tire technology in the Sebring pits to our tire technology in the paddock at BMW, Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche car corrals and to consumers on the street.”

The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race — which takes the green flag at 10:15 a.m. on March 21 — will “provide a robust test of the balance of tire performance as exceptional handling, braking, power down and extended wear all contribute to overall performance,” Michelin said.Tres Stephenson, Sebring president and general manager, said the raceway is “proud to continue our relationship with Michelin as the official tire of Sebring.

“Michelin technical partner teams have enjoyed great success at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida for many, many years. Our Sebring fans know and respect Michelin.”

Michelin said car makers and top independent teams representing the Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Nissan, Porsche and Toyota brands have chosen Michelin as their technical partner for the 2015 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and/or FIA World Endurance Championship competitions.

Michelin and its technical partner teams have claimed the overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the past 17 consecutive years, and Michelin said it became the first tire maker and just the fourth manufacturer — joining Audi, Ferrari and Porsche — inducted into the Sebring Hall of Fame in 2010.

The Twelve Hours of Sebring race will be broadcast live on March 21 on FOX Sports.