There are no secrets in racing, except when there are. The 2012 ALMS at Long Beach race was over, the podium ceremonies completed and the champagne sprayed before two little words that were a key part for the Muscle Milk Pickett HPD-Honda’s victory were uttered aloud.

“The Michelin street soft tires were a key to our success,” said winning co-driver Lucas Luhr. “The track grip level was low, but the street softs helped us dramatically with braking and handling. We give a big thanks to Michelin for providing us with that new tire.”

“I have been racing with Michelin tires for several years and they have very high standards,” said Luhr. “We did a test and we didn’t run long, but we were absolutely sure that they would do the job. As we saw today, the Michelin tires were perfect. They were just great. We looked at the tires that came off the car after my stint and they were still perfect.”

Michelin first developed street soft tires for ALMS in 2008 to provide its technical partner prototype teams with extra grip, braking and turn in while still maintaining Michelin’s extended wear. The latest generation tires were developed this past winter in collaboration with the Muscle Milk HPD team.

Michelin and the team had not commented on the development or appearance of the new street soft tires until nearly an hour after the race.