Michelin has been confirmed as the exclusive tyre partner to the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport starting with the 2008-09 season.
The French company, which has a vast motorsport heritage, has signed a three-year deal to provide tyres for the new A1GP Powered by
Ferrari car.
Michelin tyre technicians started working with A1GP technical personnel to provide the best possible rubber a few months ago and since the Powered by Ferrari car had its first run in Fiorano in late May, it has been using the company's tyres and has clocked up over 4,000 kilometres on tracks in Italy and Spain.
Feedback from testing, during which A1GP has been able to tap into the vast experience of Andrea Bertolini, Patrick Friesacher and Marc Gene, has been very positive.
"We are very pleased to be working with Michelin for the next three seasons. Michelin has a vast amount of experience in motorsport and will enhance the competitive nature of our series," said A1GP general manager, technical and operations, John Wickham
"We commenced the test programme at the beginning of June and have now specified the most suitable tyre compound and construction for our new A1GP Powered by Ferrari car.
"We have run 29 sets of slick tyres and three sets of wets so far. There are small differences between the spec of the slicks, about 50 per cent are 'control' spec so 15 or so 'test' sets."
The Michelin tyre design for the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport apparently stems from
F1 technologies seeking to offer 'both optimal performance and safety to the driver'.
Full rubber serration tests has been performed on various tracks including Fiorano, Imola,
Jerez and Mugello resulting in the 'best possible compromise between grip, endurance and wear'.
"Michelin is extremely honoured to be associated with the fast-growing A1GP series and is looking forward to playing a part in the championship's expansion," added Michelin Group Motorsport director, Frédéric Henry-Biabaud.
