Michelin has it’s sights set on one of the most highly anticipated rounds of the year this weekend, as MotoGP™ arrives at the stunning Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello for the Gran Premio d’Italia Oakley.
Nestled in the Tuscan hillsides, Mugello offers 15 corners, 6 left and 9 rights, whilst also throwing up a little bit of everything in between. Elevation changes, flowing and fast corners, slow turns and the fastest straight on the calendar, where riders can reach speeds in excess of 350kmh.
And here's the challenge facing the @Michelin_Sport tyres this weekend in Italy. ???????? pic.twitter.com/aNmsE3RGUm
— Repsol Honda Team (@HRC_MotoGP) May 28, 2019
As a result, it can be one of the most testing weekends of the year for the French tyre manufacturers with hard-braking zones, heavy acceleration areas and off-camber corners, plus a medium-severity surface, all adding to the challenge.
The choice to all the riders of soft, medium and hard slick compounds will feature the new technology rubber on the rear allocation – as will the range for the rest of the season – the rears will also have an asymmetric finish with a harder right-hand-side, whilst the fronts are symmetric. There’s also a wet allocation of an asymmetric soft and medium rear compound and symmetric soft and medium front tyres.
Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager: “Mugello is certainly one of the special tracks on the calendar, its magnificent location makes it stand out, but it is also one of the most demanding. The tyres really have to work hard through the whole weekend, and we have to have a selection that can cover lots of eventualities. It can be cold in the mornings, before the sun gets above the hills and warms the asphalt, and then when it does the track can get very hot, so we need a selection to cover that.
“Plus, it has many different aspects, from hard braking to very high speeds, so we have to select tyres for the allocation to meet those demands, for stability, as well as giving consistency and good grip, which the new technology tyres have already proved they can do. We are looking forward to what Mugello has for us, as we are certainly up to the task.”