Michelin will remain in rally after leaving WRC

After leaving the WRC, the company will concentrate on other rally competitions.

At the end of the current season, Michelin will withdraw from the World Rally Championship (WRC), as Pirelli won the tender for the supply of tires for the WRC, WRC2 and Junior WRC for the next four years, but this does not mean that the French company will stop participating in the rally.

“We are leaving the WRC as well, but Michelin has no plans to stop rallying,” said Rally Program Manager Arnaud Remy. - In fact, rally is the most significant motorsport for us in terms of attracting attention to the brand and the volume of tire production. At the same time, the championship only accounted for 5% of the production of racing tires. Our departure means that we will be able to focus on other championships taking place on different continents of the world. "

Remy said the WRC required a lot of resources, and now the company can start competing in rallies in the Americas, where the sport is gaining popularity again, as well as in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Michelin will also be more active in the European ERC Championship, where the company intends to increase supplies to private teams.

Remy also said that development of rally tires will continue at this level. “At the beginning of next year, we will introduce new asphalt tires for Rally2 vehicles, which will create many new opportunities for us,” he said.

Michelin has competed in the WRC every year since 2011, when Pirelli ceased to be a supplier of control tires. Prior to that, the company had a short run in the championship with its BFGoodrich brand, and overall, the French tire manufacturer has been present in 41 of the 48 seasons since the series was created in 1973.

“Of course, we will miss the WRC, but this opens up new opportunities for us,” concluded Remy.