Michelin Green X Challenge sees opportunity on real world streets at Baltimore

The streets of downtown Baltimore will see some different traffic this weekend as the Prototype and production-based GT cars of the American Le Mans Series take to the 2.0-mile temporary circuit and the “race within the race,” America’s premier environmental motorsports competition, the Michelin Green X Challenge.
 
“Racing on a downtown street circuit in Baltimore is the closest that we come to the stop, start, constant braking and acceleration that consumers face every day in the real world,” said Scot Elkins, COO of the sanctioning International Motor Sports Association.
 
Overseen by the Green Racing steering group comprised of representatives of the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, SAE International and IMSA, the competition recognizes clean, fast and efficient performance at each ALMS event.
 
Michelin Green X Challenge results continue to prove that being clean and efficient doesn’t come at the expense of winning performance. Consider:
 
·         The ALMS Prototype Championship-leading Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD Honda leads the Michelin Green X Challenge Prototype championship, with the team’s three  wins coming in its five race wins.
 
·         The two cars of the ALMS GT championship-leading Corvette Racing team also lead the Michelin Green X Challengee GT championship. The No. 3 Corvette has scored four  wins while teammates in the No. 4 Corvette have four –second-place scores and stand second in Michelin Green X Challenge points. The car positions are reversed in the ALMS GT championship.
 
·         Michelin Green X Challengee Prototype wins by Muscle Milk Honda (3), Conquest Endurance Racing Nissan (2), Dyson Racing Mazda (1) and Level 5 Performance Honda (1) through the first seven races of the 2012 ALMS season were also paired with a class win on track.
 
·         Chevrolet’s Corvette Racing (4), BMW Team RLL (2) and Extreme Speed Motorsports Ferrari (1) have each claimed Michelin Green X Challenge GT honors. All race on E85R fuel.
 
“Accelerating new technologies, energies and the awareness of performance capabilities drives the Michelin Green X Challenge,” said Silvia Mammone, Michelin motorsports manager. “Racing on real world streets in a major city is an opportunity to face new technical challenges and to enhance awareness that clean and efficient vehicles can perform at incredibly high levels.”
 
ABOUT THE MICHELIN GREEN X CHALLENGE
The American Le Mans Series is the only series currently recognized as “Green Racing” by the U. S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and SAE International.
 
In 2010, the season-ending Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta marked the first time that all five energy sources identified in the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy policy were represented in competition. The five energies are E10 ethanol-blended gasoline, E85R second-generation cellulosic ethanol, GTL (natural gas to liquid) biodiesel, E10-electric hybrid power and Iso-butanol gasoline.
 
The Michelin Green X Challenge trophies are presented to the respective Prototype and GT winners. The bases for the unique Michelin Green X Challengee trophies are made of rubber recycled from Michelin Green X labeled consumer tires.
 
ABOUT MICHELIN GREEN X TIRES
Michelin Green X  labeled consumer tires are optimized for fuel economy by reducing their rolling resistance and weight without compromising other key performance factors such as traction, grip and tread wear. Each tire is marked with Michelin’s “GREEN X” symbol on the sidewall, indicating to consumers a level of energy-efficiency that reduces CO2 emissions.