True to FIA World Endurance Championship tradition, the 2016 season kicks off this weekend with the 6 Hours of Silverstone. The British round is frequently marked by varying conditions and cold temperatures which can make it a particularly complex exercise for the teams and drivers. Anticipating shifts in the weather is always key to having the right tyres ready at the right time and having the ideal car set-up.

The first WEC clash of the year on Sunday will be preceded by the opening round of the 2016 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) which will use the same 18-turn, 5.89km track as the world championship.

The new season marks the introduction of a number of new cars and even fiercer competition between tyre firms. Michelin consequently used the winter break to work on new developments which were signed off at the FIA WEC and ELMS pre-season Prologue test at Le Castellet, France, in March.

Michelin Motorsport focused its efforts for 2016 on the development of a new range of slicks for its LM P2 partners. Early results have been positive, including the times posted by the Michelin-equipped cars at the official pre-season test at Le Castellet, France, last month. Detail changes have also been made to the rain tyres which proved strong in 2015.

At Silverstone, Michelin’s partners will be able to choose from the following tyres as a function of their respective strategies which will, of course, depend on the weather and temperature:

• Soft ‘cold weather
• Soft ‘hot weather’
• Wet
• Full Wet

Michelin is also the exclusive tyre supplier to the ELMS’s LM P3 class for which the Clermont-Ferrand-based manufacturer recently introduced new front tyres to enhance the balance and performance of these prototypes.