The MotoGP™ World Championship heads to Europe this weekend for the Gran Premio Red Bull de España at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto. As a result of the track being resurfaced over the winter months, Michelin are providing a larger allocation to the eleven premier class outfits due to the French tyre manufacturers not getting the opportunity to test the new surface.
Massive repair work during the close-season to fix the issues with the surface following last year’s resurfacing are sure to offer another aspect in the preparations for the 25-lap race for all concerned, especially the Michelin technicians.
Four front and four rear tyres are available this weekend, with the front range available in soft, medium and two hard compounds - all in a symmetric design. The same compounds are available for the rear but in an asymmetric finish, with a harder right-hand-side to cope with the eight right turns compared to just five left corners.
The forecast for the whole weekend looks good, however Michelin are prepared for any possible inclement weather by bringing soft and medium compound wet tyres for both the front and rear, with the rears having an asymmetric design with a harder right-hand-side.
Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager, believes the new surface will make it a challenging Grand Prix: “This weekend is another big test for us and has echoes of our return to MotoGP in 2016. Then we were going to many tracks where we had no data and this weekend is similar as the track has had a lot of resurfacing since we tested there last November.
“Because of this we are permitted by the regulations to take four front and four rear specifications of slick tyre, so we have selected a range we believe will be ideally matched to the circuit’s asphalt from the information we have from last year and have received from the company that has done the work, and from the circuit.
“We are confident we have the right compounds for the new surface and are looking forward to racing in Europe after a hectic start to the season with the two fly-away tests and three fly-away races.”