The MAN of his dreams

Professional driver Cyril Michel did not expect to leave the Truck Race event in Le Mans with his truck as MAN Truck Champion. In the end, the look of his Lion impressed not only him, but also the many fans who voted for his MAN TGX.

More than 3,000 visitors came to the MAN stand at the 24 Hours of Le Mans to admire the 15 French finalists of the MAN Truck Champion competition and, above all, to vote for their favourite. The MAN TGX of Rémi Thomas, Managing Director of TTR, and his driver Cyril Michel did particularly well. Its 510 hp Lion impressed with its special look and ended up as number one on the winner’s podium. Extensively decorated on the outside with generous LED lighting, horns on the roof, a magnificent bull bar and front and rear bumpers, Cyril’s MAN also has an impressive interior: upholstered carpets, high-quality Alcantara seats with decorative stitching and head restraints.

“This vehicle is the truck I’ve always dreamed of. We have worked hard in our small company for ten years to be able to afford this.”

Cyril Michel

The small company is the Vosges-based company TTR of his boss Rémi Thomas, which he founded in 2013 with just one used vehicle with a mileage of 300,000 kilometres. Today, two MAN trucks are on the road for TTR, and Rémi is delighted with the development he sees in MAN vehicles: “Consumption has fallen by several litres compared with the old generation. The gearbox is much more pleasant, and the driving position is really very well thought out and comfortable.”

“The new truck cabs are great,” confirms driver Cyril, an old school friend of Rémi. “MAN has really listened to the drivers and rectified the perceived issues. Especially with regard to the driver’s position or the windscreen at bunk height.” Convinced by the high-quality features of his Lion, the task was then to adapt the MAN in line with what Cyril thought it should ideally look like. He did a lot of research, and spent over a year looking for the right design for his truck. Finally, his chosen design was based on the trucks he encountered on the roads every day. “We created 3D plans so that we could really imagine the look of the truck and invested a lot of time in finding very specific parts,” says Cyril, describing the path to his dream MAN.

The result ultimately won over not only Cyril and Rémi. In a preliminary round of MAN Truck Champion competition, which took place via social networks, the Lion made it into the top 15 most attractive vehicles and was then finally voted into first place at the big Truck Race Event in Le Mans.

Cyril was not expecting that. “I really hoped to be on the podium,” he reveals, “but did not think I would come first.” He and his family are very proud of the result. But what counts for him is that his MAN is simply the best for him, even without the title of MAN Truck Champion.

“All drivers who don’t like the MAN brand have never had a MAN truck with all the options,” he says with conviction. “The trucks are great! I advise everyone not to hesitate and ask for a demonstration vehicle.”