He is mute. He has dark skin. He is delicate. He makes no excuses. He shows no joy.
It’s the tire. black and round. If you win, the team and the driver will be congratulated. If you lose, you will be held responsible. But he endures in silence. He’s backstage. No, this time he strongly appealed to his presence as a leading role on the front of the stage. Without him, there would have been no Nissan Z 1-2 finish. He made a big difference in 3rd place and below, and 5th place and below were overtaken. It’s a Michelin rain tire.
Last weekend’s Super GT Round 6, Sportsland SUGO. Typhoon No. 14, which was raging in the far south, hit the Tohoku region, and the race was hectic. Its existence was noticed in the joint test before the start of the season and in the wet conditions. He showed incredible speed. But he never had the chance to show it in front of his fans.
The winning car, #3, failed to make it through Q1 and started in 11th place. The #23 car in 2nd place started from 6th position. The forecast called for rain, but it started raining earlier than expected. Around lap 12 of the 84-lap race, the raindrops began to wet the track surface, then got stronger, then thinned out, then stopped, repeating the race at its mercy.
It became a wet condition and the main role of this era was introduced. The two cars lined up as if traveling on a fluid escalator at high speed. A third of the way it was 1-2. No one could follow both. Both cars changed position due to their different strategies, but it wasn’t just about tire performance.
The brave do not speak. Because tires are stupid.
For competing tire manufacturers, the current Michelin rain tires have the same speed as the monsters.
Jiro Takahashi
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