Press Release – SHARK Grand Prix de France 2023 – R5

Press Release Sunday 14 May 2023 The SHARK Grand Prix de France delivers on its promise! • Changeable weather conditions gave competitors the opportunity to test all of the tyres brought to the track by Michelin • The Soft rear tyre contributed to superb battles throughout the Grand Prix • MotoE got off to an excellent start in its first event as an official world championship, with the series' new electric Ducati bikes – fitted with Michelin tyres strengthened by sustainable materials – proving to be on average a second a lap faster than their Moto3 counterparts MotoGPTM descended upon Le Mans' Bugatti Circuit in France's Sarthe region for the fifth round of its 2023 campaign this weekend (May 12-14) – and the 1,000th since the world championship began back in 1949. The SHARK Grand Prix de France was eagerly-awaited by fans who turned out in great number, with a record 278,805 spectators pouring through the gates over the course of the weekend – 90,000 of whom enjoyed Saturday afternoon's 'Sprint' race. This marks the largest single-event attendance in MotoGP history. "What an amazing weekend!" applauded Piero Taramasso, Manager of Michelin's two-wheel motorsport programmes. "It was incredible to see so many fans at Le Mans, where MotoGP had already set a new attendance record in 2022. Not only that, but they were all treated to a first-class show. The weather changed frequently from Thursday to Sunday, which allowed our partners to try out multiple tyre combinations and, in so doing, perfect their bike set-ups for both the Sprint and the Grand Prix itself. This landmark 1,000th race had everybody on the edge of their seats right the way to the end, while demonstrating the consistency of our tyres. The choice of front tyre varied depending on riding style and strategy – with 12 riders opting for the Soft compound, four plumping for the Medium and five the Hard – but all 21 competitors elected to bolt the Soft tyre onto the rear. The versatile nature of our tyres allowed all of our partners to push hard from lights-out to chequered flag, offering excellent grip and modest wear as the laps ticked down. In terms of both outright performance and durability, we were able to truly showcase our vision for the ultimate in two-wheel competition."   Le Mans, Michelin's 'home race' With Michelin's Clermont-Ferrand factory located just four hours down the road from Le Mans, MotoGP's Grand Prix de France is regarded as the manufacturer's home event. That being the case, the pressure was understandably a little higher than usual, but the MICHELIN Power Slick and MICHELIN Power Rain ranges performed flawlessly around the undulating, 4.185km circuit that is narrow in places. Featuring nine right-hand corners, five left-handers and a 674-metre straight, Michelin selected a tyre with a symmetric tread pattern in three different compounds for the front wheel, and Soft and Medium asymmetric options for the rear. Due to the higher number of right-hand turns, the right-hand side of all tyres incorporated a harder compound. During a weekend characterised by celebrations and superb racing, Jorge Martin (Ducati/Prima Pramac Racing) won Saturday's Sprint race ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati/Lenovo Team). Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati/Mooney VR46 Racing Team) emerged victorious in the main event – Sunday's Grand Prix – leading home Jorge Martin (Ducati/Prima Pramac Racing) and the Spaniard's team-mate, Johann Zarco. Michelin's MotoE tyres contain up to 52% sustainable materials – to the benefit of the planet, performance…and pulsating on-track battles This season, the MotoE World Championship will be fought out over 16 races, separated into eight double-headers on MotoGP weekends. Eighteen riders representing nine teams will do battle for glory, all competing on new electric motorbikes built by Italian manufacturer, Ducati. These bikes run on Michelin tyres made up of 52% sustainable materials at the rear and 34% at the front – underscoring the French brand's commitment to a more sustainable future. MotoE's first appearance of 2023 also presented the opportunity to assess the improved performance of these new machines, which posted lap times around a second quicker than were seen in the Moto3 category. The first of the two MotoE contests at Le Mans was won by Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team), with Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE duo Hector Garzo and Randy Krummenacher rounding out the rostrum. A few hours later, the second race saw Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) prevail, as he narrowly pipped Torres and Garzo to the chequered flag. Over the weekend of June 9-11, the Gran Premio d'Italia Oakley will play host to the sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship and the second outing of the FIM MotoE World Championship campaign at Mugello, close to the Italian city of Florence. About Michelin Michelin's ambition is to sustainably improve its customers' mobility. The leader in the mobility sector, Michelin designs, manufactures, and distributes the tires best suited to their requirements and uses as well as services and solutions to improve transport efficacy. Michelin also puts forward offers that allow its customers to enjoy unique moments when traveling. Michelin also develops high-technology equipment intended for multiple fields. Based in Clermont-Ferrand, Michelin is present in 175 countries, employs 132,200 people and operates 67 tire factories that, together, produced approximately 167 million tires in 2022. (www.michelin.com). Download the PDF For further information on Michelin Motorsport please visit:   www.michelinmotorsport.com     Alessandro Barlozzi - alessandro.barlozzi@michelin.com - Phone: +33 6 42 23 55 93 Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe?