After seeing a seventh race winner of the season last weekend at Le Mans, Michelin depart home soil and head for Spain and the next exciting double-header of this shortened MotoG season.
This weekend the paddock heads to Motorland Aragon near Alcañiz for the Gran Premio Michelin de Aragón, and then there’ll be the inaugural running of the Gran Premio Liqui Moly de Teruel the following weekend.
This is the second season that Michelin has been the title sponsor at the 5,078m anti-clockwise circuit. Motorland Aragon has an interesting and complex layout, which features 10 left- and 7 right-hand corners, comprising of tight hairpins and fast flowing turns, so a front compound to meet these demands and give the riders the confidence through a variation of bends is very important. The main straight also comes in at over a kilometre in length, so high speed stability and plenty of traction to drive out of turn 15 and onto the straight are both equally key to a fast lap.
Located high above sea level in the dry, rocky Teruel area of Spain hot daytime temperatures can be expected, but due to its location, Motorland Aragon can also have very cool mornings, so a range of tyres that can cope with the fluctuations in temperature is key.
Michelin’s Power Slick front selection in soft and medium will be symmetric in design, whilst the hard front and the rears medium rear will feature an asymmetric finish with a harder left-hand shoulder to handle the extra stresses from the increased number or corners that go in that direction, with the soft and hard rear having a symmetric finish.
Due to the track’s inland location there is also a high likelihood of rain and thunderstorms over the two weekends, so Power Rain tyres will be available in soft and medium compounds for both the front and rear. The front will be symmetric whilst the rears will have an asymmetric design,and again it will have the harder left side like their slick counterparts.
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:
“It’s always special to be at the Michelin Grand Prix and this is the second time we’ve had the event at Aragon. Last year was a big success and many people from the factories visited us, sadly that won’t be the case this year due to the protocols, but we still aim to put on a good show and make Michelin and all its staff proud. Aragon is always a challenge, with the difference in temperatures from cool mornings to hot afternoons, although we are going there slightly later in the year, so possibly we won’t get the extremes in temperature that we have had before, plus we also have the sand to contend with, which is blown on the track from the surrounding countryside, making it very abrasive. We have chosen a range that will give the riders the confidence in all conditions, so now the thing is it to make the Gran Premio Michelin® de Aragón a special event for all.”
