The MotoGP™ paddock, along with this weekend's title sponsor Michelin, are Australia bound for the second leg of the three-week flyway tour as Round 17 comes from the phenomenal Phillip Island circuit.
4.448kms of fast, flowing turns makes it one of the quickest tracks on the calendar and its high-speed nature puts a huge amount of stress on the tyres, with the final corner the bend that puts the most amount of heat through the tyre across all 287 turns the premier class riders tackle over the 19-race Championship.
Therefore, the Michelin Power Slicks will be asymmetric design on both the front and rear tyres, with only the Sachsenring and Valencia seeing this type of selection during the year. To cope with the demands of Phillip Island, the left-hand shoulder of the soft, medium and hard compounds will feature a harder rubber, with the right-hand side consisting of a softer rubber.
Due to the time of year in Australia, rain is a likely possibility. The Michelin Power Rain tyres will be available in soft and medium forms, the front being symmetrical in design, while the rear will be asymmetrical - just like its slick counterpart.
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager: “Phillip Island has a special significance for all involved with Michelin, as it is the one race of the season where we have the title sponsorship, so it feels very much like ‘our’ race and with the whole Asian-Pacific market being so important to Michelin, it gives the event an added meaning. The track is one of the most challenging throughout the year, it puts stresses on the tyres that we do not see anywhere else. Our tyres need to contend with high lap-times, a very asymmetric layout and some extremely fast corners, so they need to perform at all those levels, as well as having the ability to warm-up quickly, because it can be very cool there, as we have seen in recent seasons. This is a circuit we are always very respectful of and one that we don’t take lightly, that is why we have a tyre that is particular to Phillip Island, it is important for us to perform to the best of our ability at the Michelin® Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and we will certainly be doing that – and although last year’s race was extremely exciting, we will be trying to make it even better!”