In the European Rally Championship, the first Tire Manufacturers' Cup was awarded

In the European Rally Championship, the first Tire Manufacturers' Cup was awarded

Автор: Mosautoshina

Michelin has become the first winner of the Tire Manufacturers' Cup, which starting from 2024 is awarded in the European Rally Championship (ERC). After the Silesia Rally, which was the final stage of the season, Michelin overtook Pirelli, which had earned more points for two races in a row, but ultimately took second place in the tire suppliers' standings.

In Poland, Andrea Mabellini won his first rally, using tires from the Indian brand MRF, and the champion title for the second year in a row was awarded to Hayden Paddon, whose Hyundai i20 N Rally2 was equipped with Pirelli tires. Hankook also achieved success, marking its first victory in ERC2 thanks to the excellent performance of Swedish driver Mille Johansson.

"From the very beginning of the season, we said that the Tire Manufacturers' Cup has changed our goals in the championship," noted Tim Hoar, manager of the motorsport division of Michelin. "Although tire sales remain a priority, now it's not just about participation, but about pursuing results, and winning the title is a great achievement and means that we have fulfilled our tasks."

According to him, "ERC is a leading platform where tire manufacturers can directly compete, and the variety of road and weather conditions allows us to fully demonstrate the universality and depth of our range of rally tires." "The fact that all manufacturers have won at least one stage this year speaks to the high level of competition, but it's the range, not tires suitable for a particular stage or type of surface, that is key, and that's why Michelin won this prestigious title in ERC. Although we were fully confident in the quality and characteristics of our tires, from the very beginning it was clear that we needed the right drivers, and we were lucky to have several excellent drivers using our products this season."

Matthieu Franceschi, who finished second in the 2024 season, thanked Michelin and noted that "with their tires, we can be competitive in any rally, and I'm glad they won this award." "I've been working with Michelin since the beginning of my career, so it's great that we helped win this title," he added.

After eight stages, the places in the tire suppliers' standings were distributed as follows:

Photo: ERC.

PirelliMichelinHankookMotorsportrallyEuropeMRFEurasian conformity mark, also known as EAC mark or EAC logo, is a certification mark to indicate that goods conform to the requirements of the Eurasian Custom Union (EAC) technical regulations, which are the standards for the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation.