Michelin: The Spark of Movement and Innovation Lights Dakar

Since 1982, the Michelin Group has been actively participating in the Dakar Rally. The Dakar Rally is particularly important to the Michelin Group. The Michelin and Dakar Rally have common values, and this has given rise to a three-year cooperation between the two sides since 2013.

Challenge: Explore the new limits with the top drivers and heroic knights of cross-country rally

After many years of operation, Dakar has developed into one of the most prestigious off-road rally in the world. This year's event has been held in this South American country for the sixth time - it is considered the crown jewel of the same level event.

Drivers and teams will be on a thrilling journey. Their superior racing ability, off-road orientation ability, navigation, stability and endurance will be tested and the most dangerous terrain on the earth will be overcome. The Dakar event is undoubtedly an arduous challenge.

Heroes from each class in the same class once again gathered for the 36th Dakar Rally, waiting for the moment from the start to the finish line. Since January 2013, both the top teams and drivers have been ranked. There have been major changes in adjustments. Among them, the most obvious one is the motorcycle team. The original driver Marc COMA lost his game last year and returned with David Camestu of the KTM team this year. Cyril DESPRES also took the opportunity to defend the Yamaha team's glory.

In addition, there will be a car group, headed by Team X-Raid Minis. Drivers include Stéphane PETERHANSEL, Nasser AL ATTIYAH, Nani ROMA and Krzysztof HOLOWCZYC. They will tighten every nerve. Beware of the threat of championships from Carlos SAINZ (SMG team desert quadricycle), Giniel De VILLIERS (Toyota pickup), Carlos SOUSA (Hall team) and Robby GORDON (Next Generation Hummer).

The competition in the truck group is also becoming increasingly fierce. Iveco hopes to overturn the dominance of the Champion Kamaz in 2013.

As a global tire technology leader, Michelin decided to cooperate with the best teams and provide the latest innovations to make the team even more powerful. The group’s ultimate goal is to consolidate the winning record in this level of competition by winning: 30 motorcycle and truck group championships, 16 auto group championships, and another 11 championships from BF Goodrich tires. This is the extraordinary extreme performance of Michelin tires in extreme driving environments.

In order to realize the development of tire technology and mobility, new solutions for extreme environments are proposed

In motorcycle racing, Michelin has always wanted to challenge the most extreme environment to expand and prove the Group's innovation and technical strength. Off-road rally is to face the extreme competition environment, which makes the Dakar tournament become the most unique and most practical product laboratory.

During a 13-day trip totalling 5,000 kilometers, riders will ride through the hard terrain that Argentina, Bolivia (the first time in 2014 in the Dakar stage) and Chile, the participants can experience Drive from smooth and smooth tracks to rugged trails and vast deserts.

Michelin has no fear of the daunting challenge of the Dakar Rally and has developed tire products that incorporate the most advanced technologies.

“The experience accumulated in the annual Dakar Rally allows us to fully realize the limits of tire technology, while at the same time improving the dual performance of tires and run-fla systems,” says Mr. Gu Anlong, Michelin Motorsports Director.

In off-road rally competition, the participants will encounter various unforeseen circumstances due to the complex and varied terrain, coupled with the extreme temperature difference driving environment, will make the tires face the most severe test that human beings can imagine. The choice of tires is strategic for the victory of the game. This is exactly what the Dakar Rally has contributed to Michelin's development of a new generation of tire products today.

The road network in South America is rapidly developing, so the demand for high-strength tires is also increasing. Thanks to our experience accumulated in the multi-stage sections of the Dakar Rally (rock pavement, gravel, sand, etc.), Michelin has improved its toughness and durability in recent years. At the same time, more endurance means lower competition costs and no compromise on security, which has become another key feature of Michelin's product solutions.

These equalization features are embodied in the MICHELIN Latitude C tire developed by Michelin for the 2014 Dakar Rally. At the same time, the new Bach A/T KR2, which was newly developed for the 2014 Academia Rally ATV level and the prestigious American Baja cross country rally, also inherited the balanced characteristics of the Group's tire R&D. The tire product designed and developed specifically for cross-country rally competition has made the racers in South America and even the world. Indeed, the 36th Dakar Rally provided Michelin with the opportunity to develop and test innovative technologies for its own tires in an unparalleled environment, while product toughness, durability and safety have improved the mobility of the fleet and events.

It is Michelin tires that have achieved a balance between excellence, innovation and mobility, allowing drivers to perform well. Indeed, combining these three seemingly contradictory performance factors (competitiveness, toughness, and durability) to ensure security is the most central part of the Michelin Group's strategy.

Michelin's strategy of integrating the various properties of tires plays an important role in the Group's research and development work. It is also known as the Michelin Universal Performance concept.

In the end, Michelin teamed up with the International Automobile Federation to provide road safety training. The propaganda measures jointly proposed by both sides in the training activities include 'FIA Action for Road Safety', which simplified the road safety regulations into 10 gold rules. Michelin and the FIA ​​promoted these safety rules with the help of several of the most prestigious racing events in the world. As a result, these security laws have been derived from the '2011-2020' Global Campaign for a Decade of Road Safety, which is expected to save 5 million lives.

Michelin launches a series of products for the 2014 Dakar Rally

The Michelin partners of the 2014 Dakar Rally will be awarded a new series of heavy-duty tire products assembled from a series of competitive automotive and motorcycle tire products (including new Belcherchi tires assembled on desert four-wheeled vehicles) and participating trucks. The most tangible benefit.

Thanks to years of cooperation with the Dakar Rally, Michelin is able to prove to its partners and even the entire automotive industry that its tire products can simultaneously have key advantages in many fields. This is showing the essence of the "Michelin Almighty Performance" strategy.

This all-round performance is reflected in the tire production, using the most cutting-edge technology at the same time integrates seemingly incompatible performance characteristics such as safety, speed, durability and toughness.

The "Michelin Almighty Performance" strategy is a solemn commitment to all Michelin tire products, regardless of whether the product is used for racing vehicles, private cars or business vehicles.

A tire suitable for three types of terrain

The road surface of the Dakar Rally can be divided into three categories, each with its own unique challenges:

Smooth and fast track allows the driver to open to the maximum speed. The rising temperature of tires places high demands on endurance.

Rough and rough paths lead to significant forces and large impacts, so the tire formulation and its structural composition must be strong enough to withstand the test of this terrain.

Driving in the desert requires excellent traction, so the carcass and pattern must be able to operate normally at low pressure.

The participants of the Dakar Rally can only select one type of tire to face three distinct terrains, which means that multi-purpose tires are crucial.

Truck Group

In the 2014 Dakar Rally Truck Group, the race route was the same as that of the car group, with five special stages exceeding 500 kilometers. Due to the high speed (limited to 140kph this year), the truck has become a pure racing machine. Responding to hilly terrain requires extreme reliability, while the vehicle also faces special limitations and loads. In view of this, Michelin has exclusively developed Michelin's new XZL+ tires.

More than 70% of trucks participating in the 2014 Dakar Rally are equipped with MICHELIN XZL+ tires. The French company Michelin, which has won the victory over MICHELIN XZL tires for decades, has launched an evolutionary flagship product. This heavy-duty tire is as highly rated in off-road pulling as it is in the engineering field and can guarantee excellent carrying performance at very low tire pressures. The product is structurally stronger and quite sturdy, capable of carrying heavy loads and traveling thousands of kilometers long distances. Because it is designed to provide sufficient traction on loose terrain, the tire is easy enough to cross the desert tracks and bad roads.

On-Site Support Services - Michelin Dakar 24-hour Service Center

Michelin also established the Dakar Service Center. Michelin has provided tire assembly services in camps on various stages, allowing participants to enjoy Michelin's most professional tire advice and support services.

The 10 assembly workers at the Michelin Mobile Truck Service Station will provide participants with more than 3,000 service items throughout the event.

The Michelin team set off on rest days to ensure that the camp arrived on time before the end of the stage. When the participants arrived at the camp, Michelin technicians immediately assisted the team in analyzing the tire wear and provided advice to the participating drivers. The technicians passed the relevant information to Michelin's Rado R&D center in France. The R&D personnel set up the database and immediately began to develop the tires for the next year.

During the two-week competition, the technical staff of the Michelin team will provide tire selection advice to the contestants who arrive at the camp at any time based on the length of the stage, terrain and road conditions.

Michelin's Dakar Record

16 championship titles in the car group

30 championship titles for motorcycle group

Truck Team 30 titles

2014 Dakar Rally

70% of 2014 racing cars assembled MICHELIN Latitude C tires

80% of the 2014 event motorcycle assembly MICHELIN Desert Race tires

About 70% of 2014 racing trucks are equipped with MICHELIN XZL+ tyres

2 trucks used to transport tires and service maintenance equipment

A total of 10 staff members serve the event (assembler, technician and manager)

Thirty times won in the motorcycle category since 1982

30 championships, truck group 1980-present

16 times to win the championship, car group (plus 11 wins with Bailu Chi tires)

3,000 tires installed and replaced

30 years of off-road rally experience

In 1982, Michelin first participated in the Dakar Rally