Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) and Valentino Rossi (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) have secured second and third places in the 2007 MotoGP World Championship for Michelin. And although the renowned French brand has lost this year’s crown, after scoring an unprecedented 15 consecutive title victories from 1992 to 2006, the company is already planning its fight back for 2008. “Michelin has been involved in the premier-class of motorcycling since 1973,” says Frederic Henry-Biabaud, Michelin Competitions Director. “During that time we have won 26 world titles and we have learned that sometimes you learn more when you lose. This season we have taken second and third places in the MotoGP championship, which gives us huge motivation to reach our target of reclaiming the crown in 2008. “The authorities who organize and promote this spectacular sport have decided to allow competition to continue between the tire companies because they believe this to be good for MotoGP, not only for sporting reasons but because it maintains competition between the tire manufacturers which promotes technological progress. We would like to thank them for this decision. This perfectly fits Michelin’s philosophy that competition is all about competing, between riders, manufacturers and the tire companies. “Motorcycle riders know that their choice of road tires is more closely linked to racing results than in any other area of motoring. That’s another reason why it’s so important to maintain competition between the tire companies in MotoGP, because the performance technologies developed in racing will, in time, benefit the production tires that riders use on their street bikes. “We would like to thank our 2007 MotoGP partners and welcome our 2008 partners, especially the young riders coming into MotoGP, and we look forward to working with them all. “The MotoGP tire rules have been modified slightly for 2008, which we believe will add some extra motivation to next year’s competition. As always, we will be aiming to prove that tires are a vital element of performance in the trilogy of bike/rider/tires.”