Michelin happy with win return and looking to further improvement

Repsol Honda´s Dani Pedrosa returned Michelin to the top step of the podium in Catalunya, after a three-race run of dominance from Bridgestone-shod Valentino Rossi. Four of the top six riders in Catalunya had Michelin tyres at their disposal, but the manufacturer are refusing to rest on their laurels as the tyre war with Bridgestone continues to be evenly matched.

`It´s great when a rider can choose hard tyres that still allow him to be fast at the start, because that way you know you will have a good pace to the finish, which is the most important thing. We are also very happy with the speed of our other riders. Andrea Dovizioso rode a brilliant race and thanks once again to the Tech 3 guys who were great, just like they were at Mugello last weekend,´ said Michelin Motorcycle Racing Director Jean-Phillipe Weber.

Two victories from Pedrosa, and one from Fiat Yamaha´s Jorge Lorenzo, have given Michelin a positive start to 2008 in terms of race performance. In qualifying, only the last two Grands Prix have seen Bridgestone take pole position, with Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Tech 3 Yamaha rider Colin Edwards representing Michelin at the head of the grid in the opening five races.

In the fast changing world of MotoGP, rubber suppliers are always looking for the extra grip and endurance to take things to the next level. Such issues will be addressed by Michelin on Monday and Tuesday in Catalunya post-race testing, as Weber explains.

`For the next couple of days we have brought some important things, so these two days will be really important. Two days of testing, then not any opportunity until after the Czech race in Brno means that in this session of testing we are really looking to improve the performance of the tyres.´