UPDATE: It seems like the single tire supplier in MotoGP is a done deal.
I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but the recent news that Michelin may be out of MotoGP in 2009 finally spurred me to write. I've been a big Michelin fan for a number of years, as I found their car and motorcycle tires to combine the best performance for my needs with the best quality. After only 600 miles I replaced the horrible Bridgestone tires that came on my truck with Michelins, and I also bought mostly Michelin tires for all my motorcycles. Sure, I'd try other brands on occasion (Metzler, Avon), but in this century I always found better and more consistent performance from the Michelins.
At the turn of the century Michelin also was aggressively competing in both F1 and motorcycle racing, taking tire development to new heights and greatly increasing the performance of all the teams that used their rubber. However, the bloom came off the rose at Indianapolis in 2005 when all the Michelin-shod cars had to abort the start of the race because the tires were at risk for exploding on Indy's high-speed corners. Eventually F1 passed a single tire rule, forcing Michelin out of the sport and handing the tire contract to Bridgestone. In the past several years we've also seen a decline in Michelin's motorcycle racing tire performance, with both Bridgestone and Pirelli producing competitive—and often times superior—tires.
In parallel, I've also recently found that Michelin tires on my vehicles no longer provide the cutting edge performance that they once did. They've been eclipsed by Bridgestone (now used on Michelle's car) and Pirelli (now used on my truck and motorcycle). Michelin's offerings have remained amazingly static, especially in the truck/SUV market. I don't see the innovation that I used to; consequently, other manufacturers have earned my money instead.
No one can stay on top forever, so this isn't particularly surprising, but it does seem to be happening rather suddenly for Michelin. I can remember back in the 80's and 90's when Yokohama tires were really shaking things up (A008s and AVS-Intermediates were awesome!), but now Yoko's a rather staid market force and hasn't stood out for a long time. It seems that Michelin may now be entering the doldrums as well. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
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