NEWINGTON, N.H. (November 16, 2015) — SIG SAUER, Inc., congratulates Team SIG Captain Max Michel, Jr., on winning the Steel Master title, along with all three division titles, at the World Speed Shooting Championships this past weekend. Michel set a world record in his first-ever Production Division win using the SIG SAUER P320®.
Michel set the Production Division record with an overall time of 87 seconds flat. En route to the victory, Michel set a world record on the Smoke and Hope stage, the first time a world record has been held by a Production gun. This time was also fast enough to earn fourth overall, which means Michel took two of the top five spots against dedicated Open Division guns.
“All of us at SIG SAUER are proud to have Max represent our brand, both as a competitor and as a role model for the shooting sports,” said Tom Taylor, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for SIG SAUER, Inc. “His drive, focus and commitment to excellence match our goals and values here at SIG. It is an honor for us to call him our team captain, our ambassador and our friend.”
Known as the “Steel Challenge,” the World Speed Shooting Championships draw the fastest competitive shooters in the world to race against the clock. With his overall win in the centerfire division, Michel notched his record sixth Steel Challenge title. Michel also notched a win in the Rimfire Division, giving him the overall title of Steel Master.
“Taking on Production was definitely a new experience for me, but with the incredibly smooth and crisp trigger in the SIG P320 I was able to compete against the custom race guns with no disadvantage,” Michel said. “Thanks to my friends at SIG SAUER, I have been able to add another world record along with the Steel Master title to my resume.”
In the Open Division, and the overall standings, Michel’s 78.04 seconds gave him a winning margin of almost a full second, which is a solid cushion in the fast-paced Steel Challenge format.
In Rimfire, Michel set another world record with his 60.75 finish. The margin of victory was almost three full
seconds, in a sport where victory can be measured in tenths of a second.
Along the way, Michel also claimed world record times on stages Showdown and Five to Go with his Open gun, giving him the record on six of the eight stages. With this performance, Michel becomes the only person in Steel Challenge history to hold the course world records in all three divisions at the same time.
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About Max Michel, Jr.
By anyone’s account, Max Michel, Jr. is one of the best shooters in the world of competitive shooting. He is the current International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) World Champion as well as the only shooter in history to hold six World Speed Shooting Championships (2015, 2014, 2013, 2009, 2007, and 2005). Michel also owns eight USPSA National Championships (2014, 2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004); five U.S. Steel National Championships (2015, 2014, 2011, 2009, 2008); three Pro-Am Championships (2015, 2013 and 2012); more than 50 USPSA Area Championships and more than 100 major championship wins. Max Michel has become a dominant force in the pistol shooting sports. Michel also owns multiple World Speed Shooting records as well as being the only action shooter to win all eight USPSA Area Championships in the same season (2010). As an international competitor, Michel has represented the United States in the last six International Practical Shooting Confederation World Shoots and has brought home gold medals every time.