Bridgestone MotoGP™ preview - Valencia

Valencia is a tight and technical circuit that offers tyres little respite over the course of a lap, so a good bike setup is very important to ensure the most efficient use of the tyres allocated for this Grand Prix. The layout of the circuit means more stress is placed on the left shoulder of the tyres, and an unbalanced bike setup can cause excessive rear tyre temperatures, which can lead to a loss of performance and accelerated tyre wear.

To manage the unbalanced layout and the moderate track temperatures the asymmetric rear slicks at Valencia feature rubber on the left shoulder that is two grades harder than on the right side. This ensures the lesser-used right shoulder of the rear tyre stays in its ideal operating temperature window and that the left shoulder provides the durability and stability needed for the many left hand turns. Additionally, the front slick compounds allocated for this weekend need to provide enhanced warm-up performance and grip in the temperate weather.

The main wet tyre for the Valencia Grand Prix is the soft compound option, with all riders also having access to a maximum of two front and rear wet tyres in the alternative hard compound option.

Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Valencia is the traditional venue for the season finale and is a slow, tight circuit with nine left-hand and five right-hand corners. The frequency of corners at the circuit means bikes spend a lot of time leaned over, so there is not much time during a lap for heat to dissipate from the tyre shoulders meaning excessive rear tyre temperatures are possible if a bike’s setup isn’t optimised. Considering this potential for high tyre temperatures in the left shoulder and also the need for good temperature retention in the right shoulder due to the possibility of cooler weather, we provide asymmetric rear slicks at Valencia with substantially harder rubber on the left shoulder compared to the right.”

Bridgestone slick compounds available:

Front: Soft, Medium

Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric)

Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)

Press release courtesy of Bridgestone.