MICHELIN and its partner HUSABERG claimed two titles at last weekend’s Enduro World Championship meeting in Brignoles, in the south of France (Var). Pierre-Alexandre RENET secured the E2 crown, while Mathias BELLINO sealed the EJ title. The two HUSABERG riders were competing on the MICHELIN Enduro VI front tyre and the Enduro III at the rear, a combination developed specifically by MICHELIN to deliver first class safety, traction and rideability.
For this decisive two-day event, RENET and BELLINO both chose to equip their respective bikes with the MICHELIN Enduro VI at the front. This tyre has been the talk of the paddock since its release and has been widely adopted by the most experienced riders in every one of the off-road discipline’s four classes (E1, E2, E3 and EJ). The Normandy-based RENET, 28, who collected his first E2 success, described the MICHELIN Enduro VI as the “top tyre in terms of comfort and safety in the sort of stony conditions we faced in Brignoles. I was very happy with my tyre choice, because I had put a great deal of thought into it.”
The MICHELIN Enduro VI is one of the three front tyres that were available. It is particularly versatile and was developed to cover a broad spectrum of conditions, from soft and sandy ground, to mixed and hard terrains.
On rough ground, the Enduro VI is a reassuring choice which is highly resistant to wear, while its taller, reinforced tread blocks enable riders to take maximum advantage of its potential in terms of grip. The riders are also quick to underline how comfortable it is when it comes to soaking up knocks, a quality which is particularly appreciated in quarries, for example. Its users benefit from a wider operating window, very low wear and good resistance to wear in abrasive conditions.
The Enduro World Championship features open competition between several tyre manufacturers but also dictates that the tyres used must be freely available for sale. It was with this ruling in mind that MICHELIN’s developers focused on a range of three front and two rear Enduro tyres in order to cover all the different types of terrain and riding styles.
To do this, its development programme is ongoing from one season to the next and off-road competition serves as a valuable, real-world proving ground where the extreme conditions allow valuable data concerning different surfaces, weather conditions and wear to be collected. This information is then analysed and goes on to contribute to the design of new tyres. As a consequence, MICHELIN’s partners in the sport, as well as its road-tyre customers, benefit from ever more innovative tyres which deliver an even more effective combination of safety, resistance, grip and performance.
This policy has resulted in a highly successfully season of off-road competition for the French firm in 2012. MICHELIN claimed further success in the Indoor and Outdoor Trial with more titles for the incredible Tony BOU. MICHELIN also came out on top in European MX250 Motocross Championship with Mel POCKOK, as well as in the 850cc World Championship with Brian HSU.
In Enduro, MICHELIN collected two of the four titles up for grabs in the World Championship (E2 and EJ). “It’s been a very satisfactory season,” underlines Piero TARAMASSO, manager of the MICHELIN group’s two-wheel competition programmes.
In the world of cross-country rallying, MICHELIN rubber also won the 2012 Dakar and the Cross-Country World Championship with Cyril DESPRES and KTM.
Meanwhile, the 2013 Dakar is approaching fast!
Communication Michelin - www.michelin.com -