Set in the heart of Australia, the Finke Desert Race has a reputation as one of the most challenging off-road courses in the world. For the Michelin Group, this provides an excellent opportunity to put their tires to the ultimate test explained the company's Australian Managing Director, Cedric Binoit.
"When we heard what Toby was going to attempt our first thought was that he was crazy, but then excitement about the challenge took over," said Mr Binoit.
"For us, the best test bed for our new technology is racing - what we learn at the highest level is used to design and develop our non-competition tires. This is clearly seen in the transfer of technology such as Core Guard from our KR2 race tires into the BFGoodrich All Terrain KO2.
"The MICHELIN StarCross 5 tires were designed based on feedback from riders of all levels, including World Champions, who shared their experiences in extreme conditions with Michelin Motorsport and world-class research and development teams that jointly worked on its development.
"The demands Finke places on the tires fitted to any vehicle, be it a bike, buggy, or truck, are extreme, so to win requires the best equipment. We have a long history of success there with both BFGoodrich Tires and Michelin and we hope our tires deliver Toby the performance he needs."
Trophy Truck: BFGoodrich Baja T/A KR2 (37×12.50R17):
The BFGoodrich Baja T/A KR2 is an evolutionary design of the most successful tire in SCORE desert racing history, the BFGoodrich Baja T/A KR. It features a new tread pattern, profile, and sidewall design for improved traction, steering response, and overall performance.
It has multiple wins around the world, including the Baja 1000 in 2014 and 2015. The tire made its Australian debut at Finke last year, with Jack Rhodes and David Pullino finishing second in their Rhodes Racing Jimco buggy. They claimed the tires first victory on Australian soil in the following round of the Australian Off Road Championship.
Bikes: MICHELIN Desert Race / MICHELIN StarCross 5 + the MICHELIN Bib Mousse
The MICHELIN Desert Race's advanced technology has helped it to win the last six Dakar titles, including this year with Toby Price. True to Michelin's reputation for durability and versatility, the Desert Race provides grip and manoeuvrability on all types of terrain, even on rocky ground.
These will be combined with the MICHELIN Bib Mousse run-flat system which replaces the air inside the cover with a foam insert that simulates a tire pressure of 1.2 bar. This simple, high-tech solution is lighter than an inner-tube and is capable of withstanding the high temperatures generated by bikes' high speeds, while at the same time soaking up the inevitable repeated knocks.
