Michelin’s transatlantic tour continues this weekend when the MotoGP™ paddock descends on the northern part of the American continent, as the Championship heads to Austin in Texas for the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas.
Michelin’s range for the weekend will feature soft, medium and hard compound Michelin Power Slick tyres for the front and rear to contend with this challenging layout. These will be symmetrical for the front, whilst all three rears will be of an asymmetric design, featuring a harder right-hand side to combat the added work which that section must contend with. The COTA track also has a notoriety for having a very bumpy surface, which the organisers have tried to rectify for this year’s race by using industrial smoothing machines to grind the bumps away. This alteration to improve the surface is yet another unknown entity that Michelin, the teams and the riders will have to face over the weekend.
The weather at the Texan circuit is usually very favorable – with only two sessions in its five-year history ever being classed as wet – but that doesn’t dismiss the chance of rain. Therefore, Michelin will be prepared with soft and medium Michelin Power Rain tyres for the front and rear, with the rears having an asymmetrical design featuring a harder right-side.
Piero Taramasso – Manager of the Two-Wheel Motorsport Group:
“This is another demanding track and one that deserves respect. It has many aspects to it and we have to make a tyre that can cope with all the different turns, hard-braking zones and the challenge of the surface. The circuit has tried hard to get rid of the bumps that have been caused by other events using the track, so it will be very interesting and important for us to understand how this will affect the tyres. COTA is one of the circuits where we are determined to make improvements at, as we believe we have not demonstrated the true potential of our tyres around there, so we are looking for some positive results and a chance to show what we can do.”