By Nicolas GOUBERT
Competitions Technical Director, Michelin Group
Research and development is an ongoing process at MICHELIN and several factors played a part in the development of the tyres we have produced for this year’s World Rally Championship.
The first is the enormous amount of data our engineers were able to collect at each round of the 2011 championship which marked MICHELIN’s return to the WRC after a five-year absence. This valuable information included the degree and type of wear, running temperatures and an analysis of the carcasses as a function of each stage’s profile, surface type and prevailing conditions.
This work was done in collaboration with our partners, and we have worked with them closely to match our tyres to the latest-generation cars which are both powerful and highly demanding, yet also very different in terms of their design and handling characteristics.
The dialogue between our technicians and the drivers at every event during 2011 proved invaluable, too. It’s as though each one of the latter was a MICHELIN test driver. They all brought their ideas and recommendations to the table, based on their personal experience and individual driving style.
This feedback served as a treasure-trove of information which was fed into the design of our new tyres as a function of the latest WRC regulations. Indeed, the new year brings with it a reduction of almost 20 percent in the number of tyres that crews may use during an event, and that’s no mean challenge!
Priority 1 and 2 drivers will only be able to use five tyres per tyre-change opportunity (instead of six previously), plus a further five for shakedown. For example, on an event which provides six tyre-change opportunities, plus a pre-start shakedown session, the total quantity each WRC driver will be able to use has come down from 42 to 35 tyres. 
This measure will reduce the number of tyres that will actually be used over the year by an estimated 3,000 units. That’s a huge saving in terms of natural resources and energy, as well as a big reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their production and transport.
In 2011, MICHELIN signed a partnership agreement with the FIA which included a review of the WRC’s carbon footprint, and this factor was taken into consideration during the development of our range for the 2012 championship. Compared to last year, the latest MICHELIN tyres stand out through their longer durability, greater robustness and enhanced performance.