The new Michelin Green X Challenge logo was unveiled with trophy on Tuesday at Le Mans. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Tuesday featured no on-track activity at Le Mans, but that did not mean the Circuit de la Sarthe was quiet. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), sanctioning body of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, held a gathering event in partnership with the Michelin Green X Challenge where the new logo for the challenge was unveiled. A number of sports car key figures attended the event, including the heads of both Audi and Peugeot’s respective motorsport programs. Serge Grisin, head of four-wheel competition for Michelin, spoke at the event along with ACO President Jean-Claude Plassart.

New for 2012 is that this year’s Michelin Green X Challenge season-long champions in the American Le Mans Series will earn an automatic invitation to the 2012 24-hour race. In the race within a race to be as environmentally conscious as possible, Le Mans is a proving ground for teams who want to travel the fastest, farthest and with the least amount of energy use.

Additionally on Tuesday, the winning team from 2010, Audi’s Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller, received go-karts as a prize. Images from all of Tuesday’s activities as captured by ace photographer Rick Dole are now live in the “Galleries” section of michelinracingusa.com.

Mike Rockenfeller, Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas have a toast at the Michelin hospitality unit after their 2010 Le Mans win. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America