MICHELIN MOTORSPORT – MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2020
2020 MOTOGPTM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Joan Mir followed in the footsteps of Marc Marquez by topping the 2020 MotoGPTM Riders’ standings. The Spaniard took Michelin’s score in motorcycle racing’s premier series to 31 titles and is the 15th different rider to have secured the crown on the French firm’s tyres.
The 2020 championship featured a shortened calendar of only 14 rounds (all in Europe) which saw nine different riders and four bikemakers win races. No fewer than five riders enjoyed victory for the first time (a new record), while seven different riders qualified on pole position.
As of end-2020, Michelin’s score stands at 447 GP500/MotoGPTM wins.
2020 LE MANS 24 HOURS
Michelin and its partner Toyota Gazoo Racing claimed their third straight Le Mans victory together thanks to the N°8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid of Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Kazuki Nakajima. The N°7 sister car shared by Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez came second.
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s third consecutive one-two finish took Michelin’s unbeaten run at Le Mans to 23 wins and its total score to 29 victories since the inaugural 24-hour classic in 1923.
For the second year in a row, Michelin runners topped all four classes: United Autosports took the top prize in LMP2, while Aston Martin finished first in both LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am.
2019/2020 FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP (FIA WEC)
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose-Maria Lopez clinched the 2019/2020 FIA WEC Drivers’ title at the final round in Bahrain.
2020 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP (FIA WRC)
Michelin claimed its 28th FIA World Rally Championship Drivers’ crown thanks to seven-time champions Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia (Toyota Yaris WRC).
Hyundai topped the Manufacturers’ order for the second year running to earn Michelin’s 30th Manufacturers’ title since the championship’s creation in 1973.
Michelin runners also won the WRC2 and WRC3 trophies with Mads Ostberg (Citroën Racing) and Jari Huttunen (Hyundai) respectively.
At the end of the season, Michelin bowed out of the championship with an unrivalled record:
- 347 individual rally wins
- Almost 8,000 fastest stage times with 58 different drivers
- More than 1,000 podium finishes
- 30 Manufacturers’ titles with 11 different carmakers
28 Drivers’ titles with 12 different drivers
2020 NÜRBURGRING 24 HOURS
Michelin and its partner BMW overcame horrendous weather to take their respective Nürburgring 24 Hours scores to 20 victories. The 2020 race was won by the N°99 BMW M6 GT3 of Sims/Catsburg/Yelloly, ahead of eight other Michelin Pilot Sport-equipped GT3 cars.
2019/2020 FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP
Antonio Felix da Costa took over from team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne as the 2019/2020 FIA Formula E Champion after the season’s finale in Berlin, Germany. DS Techeetah claimed the Constructors’ crown for the second year running.
The Michelin-developed Michelin Track Connect system made its international racing debut to provide key tyre-related data in real time.
2020 WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP (IMSA)
Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor claimed the DPI Drivers’ title in the N°7 Team Penske Acura ARX-05. Acura topped the Teams’ standings.
2020 FIM ENEL MotoE™ CUP
The second FIM Enel MotoETM World Cup was won by Pons Racing 40’s Jordi Torres. The seven-round season produced five different race-winners.
Michelin innovated with a selection of new tyres incorporating bio-sourced and regenerated materials in keeping with the Michelin Group’s Everything Sustainable plan. The company effectively sees MotoETM as a valuable high-tech laboratory that contributes to the development of increasingly efficient, environmentally-friendly and long-lasting road tyres.
2020 FIM TRIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Toni Bou (Montesa/Michelin) took his personal score to 14 straight FIM TrialGP (outdoor) and 14 consecutive FIM X-Trial (indoor) crowns. The Spaniard has won more motorcycling world titles (28, all on Michelin rubber) than any other rider.
