The Rolex 24 At Daytona 2026, the opening round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, marked a major milestone for Michelin with the first race appearance of the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance range, developed for Hypercar/GTP-category cars.

On the demanding Daytona International Speedway circuit, after 24 hours of intense racing marked by cautions, temperature variations, and complex strategies, Michelin tires fully delivered on the objectives set during their development. Teams and drivers praised the performance, consistency, and versatility of this new generation of tires, which incorporates 50% renewable and recycled materials.

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An iconic endurance benchmark in North America, the Rolex 24 At Daytona imposes specific constraints, combining long full-throttle phases on the oval, technical road sections, and extended stints. These conditions enabled the first conclusions to be drawn regarding the qualities of this new range, which is set to be used in both the IMSA championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Let us recall the ambitious objectives set during the development of the 2026 MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance Hypercar/GTP range:

• Integrate at least 50% renewable and recycled materials, compared with 30% previously, while improving the tire’s overall environmental footprint across its entire life cycle.
• Accelerate the warm-up phase in a context where tire preheating has no longer been permitted for several seasons.
• Further improve longevity and consistency, with particular focus on the Medium specification, the most widely used by teams in IMSA and WEC.
• Broaden the temperature overlap range between the Medium and Soft compounds in order to encourage strategic diversity during races.
• Confirm the very high-performance level of the previous generation.

A positive assessment after the Rolex 24 At Daytona 2026

At the end of this first race, the takeaways are encouraging:

• Tire warm-up was up to eight seconds faster than with the previous range, enabling Hypercar/GTP cars to reach peak performance more quickly after each pit stop.
• The versatility of the new tires has improved, with a wide equivalence window between the Medium and Soft compounds around a 20°C track temperature.
• Overall performance (lap times) and consistency proved to be equivalent to the previous generation, while benefiting from a 20% increase in renewable and recycled materials.
• The longevity and consistency of the Medium compound are in line with development targets, and teams regularly doubled stints during daylight hours. The behavior of the Soft compound, however, will need to be confirmed over double stints, as nighttime safety car periods did not allow teams to complete two consecutive stints on this specification.

Finally, it should be noted that Michelin introduced an evolution of its tire for GTD-category cars at Daytona: the new MICHELIN Pilot Sport Pro GT H1+.

To provide easier mounting and increased thermal resistance, Michelin focused on two areas. First, bead adjustment for the various GT wheel rims. Second, a modification of the tread profile to better meet the demands imposed by the most challenging circuits.

As with the new Hypercar/GTP range, initial feedback has been particularly positive.

Matthieu Bonardel, Director of Michelin Motorsport

“Daytona is always a key event, and this 2026 edition was particularly important for Michelin with the race debut of our new MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance range for the Hypercar/GTP category. The performance observed is very encouraging, even though we remain in a learning phase. We are now looking forward to feedback from other circuits in order to further strengthen our analysis.

Nevertheless, we are pleased to have reached this level of performance while integrating a greater proportion of renewable and recycled materials into our tires.

This first race reinforces our conviction: through innovation, performance and environmental responsibility can move forward together.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Porsche Penske Motorsport on their overall victory, which comes in addition to their Michelin Sustainability Award. The presence of several manufacturers at the front throughout the race illustrates the sporting fairness and the robustness of the technical solutions provided by Michelin.”

About Michelin

Michelin is building a world-leading manufacturer of life-changing composites and experiences. Pioneering engineered materials for more than 130 years, Michelin is uniquely positioned to make decisive contributions to human progress and to a more sustainable world. Drawing on its deep know-how in polymer composites, Michelin is constantly innovating to manufacture high-quality tires and components for critical applications in demanding fields as varied as mobility, construction, aeronautics, low-carbon energies, and healthcare. The care placed in its products and deep customer knowledge inspire Michelin to offer the finest experiences. This spans from providing data- and AI-based connected solutions for professional fleets to recommending outstanding restaurants and hotels curated by the MICHELIN Guide. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 175 countries and employs 129,800 people. (www.michelin.com).