The career of Michel Cosson, born on 4 August 1931, led him first to the National Office for Aerospace Studies and Research, then to the Mutuelles du Mans where he held the position of Managing Director from 1986 to 1992. He succeeded Raymond Gouloumès as President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) in 1992.

Cosson's presidency was marked namely by a successful partnership with American entrepreneur Don Panoz which led to the creation of the Petit Le Mans race at the Road Atlanta circuit in 1998, then to the inception of the American Le Mans Series the next year. Cosson and Panoz built the foundations of what was to become the current endurance pyramid: from the Michelin Le Mans Cup to the FIA World Endurance Championship, by way of the European Le Mans Series and the Asian Le Mans Series.

Cosson also oversaw the first ACO endurance race organised in Japan, the 1000 km of Fuji in 1999, and the creation of the Le Mans Classic in 2002. In 2000, he set up the highly successful French Moto GP.

With the current convergence between the ACO and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship surrounding the new Hypercar class, and with the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year, the partnership between Cosson and Panoz nearly a quarter century ago will be remembered as a great pioneering moment in the Franco-American endurance racing collaboration.

The Automobile Club de l’Ouest offers its sincerest condolences to Michel Cosson's family and loved ones.