On 23 August 2019 in New York, Gran Turismo announced that they will be welcoming world renowned French tyre manufacturer Michelin as their Tyre Partner, having a role in both the FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships as Official Tyre Supplier and in Gran Turismo Sport as Technical Partner of Tyre Technology.

In the days and years following the ‘World Tour 2019 - New York’ live event for Gran Turismo Sport that is being held this weekend, Michelin will become an official tyre supplier for the FIA GT Championships, as well as appearing in various forms with free downloadable content planned for the game by October:

・ A new 'Michelin' section will be added in Brand Central

・ Tyre Selection in Car Settings will present Michelin as Tire Technology Partner

・ Michelin logo's will appear on some tracks to celebrate the partnership

Beginning in 1895 when they built a car for the legendary Paris – Bordeaux race to prove the performance of their innovative pneumatic tyres, Michelin has continued to be active in a variety of tough race competitions throughout history. Seeing motorsports as their laboratory for development, the knowledge they have gained through their racing activities have been applied to their world class products and tyre development, and now will also be applied to 'Gran Turismo'.

Please look forward to the ongoing collaboration between Gran Turismo and Michelin.

Scott Clark, Executive Vice President of the Americas Region for Michelin Group, Responsible for the Company’s Global Automotive, Motorsports and Experiences Business Segments:

“This relationship is a perfect match, connecting the most successful virtual driving experience with the global leader for high-performance tyres, Michelin leads the industry in tire simulation. Michelin develops and tunes virtual tyres on virtual vehicles before the tyres are even produced, with extremely accurate translation to real tyres on real vehicles. Combining this technology with real motorsports data will enable Polyphony to bring more tyre strategy into the game, and in the longer term, also to help more people understand the critical role that Michelin tyres play in optimising vehicle performance.”

Gran Turismo Series Producer, Kazunori Yamauchi:

“The FIA Certified Gran Turismo Championships is founded on a technical base established through 25 years of automotive physics simulation within Gran Turismo, and the unique automotive culture that it has achieved over the years. Having MICHELIN, the world’s leading tyre brand with its passion for motorsports and solid engineering knowledge coming on board as an Official Tyre supplier of the Championships and Technical Partner of the game itself, helps us continue in our vision of bridging the gap between virtual and real racing, and highlights these events as the future of motorsports”