Hmmmm. I think if you take a look at the nasty old corporate world michelin's withdrawal from motoGp was just part of terminating a fringe marketing strategy. Before they left MotoGp michelin had already pulled out of F1. Since leaving the 2 top levels of motorsport their profits have increased by around 90% (not just from saving on motorsport spending) and they have acheived high sales growth rates in the heavy truck segment - not sportsbikes and cars. ImO the glamour of MotoGp and F1 was something that was just costing money and didn't fit into their longer term business strategy. I do believe that it would be better for MotoGp if we had more variety - including tires - on the grid. If somebody wants to spend the money on SNS - then so be it - less rules and more racing.
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Hmmmm. I think if you take a look at the nasty old corporate world michelin's withdrawal from motoGp was just part of terminating a fringe marketing strategy. Before they left MotoGp michelin had already pulled out of F1. Since leaving the 2 top levels of motorsport their profits have increased by around 90% (not just from saving on motorsport spending) and they have acheived high sales growth rates in the heavy truck segment - not sportsbikes and cars. ImO the glamour of MotoGp and F1 was something that was just costing money and didn't fit into their longer term business strategy. I do believe that it would be better for MotoGp if we had more variety - including tires - on the grid. If somebody wants to spend the money on SNS - then so be it - less rules and more racing.
Austin
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I'm not sure you can take what Michelin has to say at face value or not, but they said they left MotoGP and F1 because they weren't interested in being a sole supplier. I take that with a pinch of salt as they're suppling the CEV, if I'm not mistaken. However, I think there's an element of truth in it. For as long as I've been paying close enough attention (which, admittedly, has only been about a decade), Michelin seemed to have been determined to win tire wars. They made Dunlop nearly obsolete in GP and SBK by the early naughts, and had a serious go at cracking the AMA, which has been a Dunlop stronghold for a long time now.
That said, I think tire wars are a thing of the past. No one seems to be interested in them anymore. And Michelin has taken note, evidence in their participation in the CEV and the rumors of their interest in picking up the MotoGP contract before Bridgestone re-upped. I've been a supporter of MIchelin for a number of years now, personally, I'd like to see them back.
