This week Michelin and the MotoGP paddock have traveled across a large swathe of Europe to Brno in the Czech Republic for the third round of this Covid-19 affected season.
Officially known as the Monster Energy Grand Prix České Republiky, it is one of only a handful of races set to run on its original date, but it’s now the third race of the season instead of the twelfth.
The trip to Brno comes off the back of an impressive start to the season in Spain with their latest Power Slick rear tyres, which feature a new construction. Records fell in Spain and the grip and performance provided by the latest evolution rear slick will now be given a thorough examination on a track that lends itself well to open racing due to the hard-braking and acceleration zones and the undulating nature of the track.
Front slicks will be available in soft, medium and hard symmetric design for the medium abrasive circuit, whilst the new construction rears with have an asymmetric finish with a harder right-hand side.
Situated approximately 200km from the country’s capital Prague, Brno is a circuit that is prone to seeing some wet weather. As such, this weekend’s tyre allocation will feature a range of Power Rain tyres in soft and medium compounds for the front and rear, the fronts will be symmetric and the rears will have an asymmetric design, just like the slicks.
The higher temperatures generated in the right hand corners place additional strain on the right hand side of the tyre, and the harder compound on that shoulder will help to combat this for more consistent performance levels during the race duration.
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager commented:
“Brno is usually the circuit we head to after the summer break, so it will be unusual going there as only the second venue of the season. All the protocols that worked so well in Jerez are still in place in Brno, so it will seem strange seeing the large areas around the track not full of people on race-day, but we will be determined to put on a good show for all the fans watching at home. We had a good start to the season in Spain, we broke some records and the new tyres performed very well in the extreme conditions. Brno is a wide track and has lots of hard accelerating sectors that need a lot of grip from the rear to give the riders the best propulsion possible, this is something our new rear tyres have been designed for, so it will be good to see them perform at a circuit that is ideal for their characteristics.”
