They call it the "Petit Le Mans," but the 10-Hour/1000-
mile race at the hilly, 2.54-mile, red-clay-lined
circuit in northern Georgia looms large for Michelin and
its racing teams.
The final race of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS)
season and penultimate round of the Intercontinental Le
Mans Cup (ILMC) brings together a wide array of cars,
teams and drivers; championships will be decided.
Bringing a deeper field than most of the other ALMS
season events, Michelin is the technical partner for 34
entrants in the 58-car field, which includes
representatives of 13 major vehicle manufacturers and
drivers from 22 countries.
Road Atlanta is much shorter (2.54-miles vs. 8.469-
miles) than the 24 Hours of Le Mans for which this race
is named. Along with the shorter circuit, different
rules for pit stops will impact race strategy. ALMS
rules permit two pit guns and four crew members to
change tires compared with one gun and two crewmen at
the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“The extended runs – like five stints on one set of
MICHELIN tires for Audi and three for Corvette at Le
Mans – are far less likely here,” says Karl Koenigstein,
Michelin’s ALMS technical team leader. “The shorter
track and ALMS pit rules will result in faster and more
frequent pit stops.”
Leading the attack in the Michelin Prototype category
are Audi Team Joest, winner of the 24 Hour of Le Mans in
June; Peugeot Sport Total, which leads the ILMC
championship; Muscle Milk Aston Martin Racing, winners
of four ALMS races this season; and Team Oreca Matmut
Peugeot, winners of the Twelve Hours of Sebring in
March.
Another Michelin technical partner, the Rebellion Toyota
team, claimed the win in Sunday’s Le Mans Series event
in Estoril, Portugal. Michelin has achieved overall
victories in six of the eight ALMS races so far this
year and at all five ILMC events, including the 24 Hours
of Le Mans.
Looking to help Michelin claim its 12th consecutive ALMS
GT category tire championship are the Le Mans GT-winning
Corvette Racing, the Road America-winning Risi
Competizione Ferrari, and the Monterey-winning Flying
Lizard Porsche. The ILMC championship-leading AF Corsa
Ferrari and Labre Corvette are also Michelin technical
partner teams.
“The development cycle for new cars and tires has
accelerated dramatically in the past 12 months, and that
will make tire management very important for everyone,”
says Koenigstein. “At Road Atlanta, a 10-hour race, the
track conditions tend to heat-up throughout the day and
then cool in the final two or three hours. You really
have to work hard to keep the car matched up to the
track for the entire race.”
For more information, visit www.michelinman.com.
