Following on from Brad Binder’s thrilling victory at Brno, Michelin have made the short trip from the Czech Republic to Austria where they’re all set for some demanding back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring at Spielberg.
This weekend will see the running of the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich, which will be followed seven days later by the inaugural staging of the BMW M Grand Prix von Styria.
The 4,318m long circuit is located within the picturesque mountains and forests of the Styrian region, and it has a reputation as one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar for Michelin.
With just two distinct left turns and a further fast left-hander, it is the remaining seven right-handers which put huge stresses on Michelin’s Power Slick tyres, and can cause excessive heat build-up on the right hand side of the tyre.
Michelin has a special rear tyre construction, designed specifically for these conditions, and it is also designated for use at Buriram in Thailand, although there will be no race there this year. The use of these special tyres will mean that the new rear construction, with its improved grip and performance as seen at Jerez and Brno, won’t be used at Spielberg.
For such a demanding track the Power Slick range – in soft, medium and hard compounds – will have an asymmetric finish on the special rear construction, with a harder compound on the right-hand-side which will help to manage the high temperatures which can build-up over a lap of this unique track. The front Power Slick tyres in the allocation will include soft, medium and hard compounds in a symmetric design.
Since MotoGP returned to the circuit in 2016, the Red Bull Ring has also shown a propensity for wet weather conditions. With this in mind, the allocation will feature Michelin’s Power Rain tyres in soft and medium compounds. The fronts will be symmetric, whilst the rears will be asymmetric and they will feature a harder right-hand side just like the slicks.
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager commented:
“The races are certainly coming along at a fast rate, as this double-header will make it five races in six weekends since the start of the season, but this one is a little bit different as we have to change the construction of the rear tyre. Spielberg is a very fast and demanding and the tyre builds up a lot of heat, so we use a tyre that can cope with that and give the riders the control from the rear that they need. We have witnessed some exciting races here at Spielberg in the last few years and hope that this season, with two ahead of us, it will be a similar result. We have supplied the tyres that will ensure that the riders have the best grip and performance at their disposal, so now we wait to see what they can produce
