There’s no rest for the wicked – or the teams and riders involved in MotoGP it would seem!
Less than a week after Andrea Iannone’s maiden premier class victory in Austria, the series has arrived in Brno for the 11th round of the season, held at the famous Czech Republic circuit.
Built in 1987 next to the old road race circuit, Brno has it all. With long straights, fast and slow corners, big changes in elevation and hard braking zones at the end of downhill sections packed into it’s 5,403m length Brno has a history of producing some close and exciting racing.
This weekend the Michelin tyres will need to offer excellent front end stability under hard braking, whilst also providing the rear grip needed to power out of the corners. With eight right-handers to six-left handers, the manufacturer will be supplying asymmetric rear tyres with a harder rubber on the right shoulder.
A selection of three front tyres in soft (identified by a white band), medium (no band) and hard (yellow band) will be available. These will be matched with two brand-new rear tyres that were first used at the Barcelona test and are aimed at providing the riders with increased traction. Available in soft (white band) and medium (no band), these rear Michelin Power Slicks will make their racing debut at Brno. The full range of Michelin Power Rain and Power Inter tyres will also be available to provide the best options for changeable or inclement weather.
Despite finishing 5th in Austria, Marc Marquez still leads the championship and will be looking to extend his lead over Jorge Lorenzo. The Honda rider is a big fan of Brno, and won their in 2015, although with his renewed confidence Andrea Iannone will be one of several riders looking to challenge for the top step on the podium. It’s also 20 years since Rossi took his first ever win on an Aprilia RS125GP at Brno, and he holds the record for the most MotoGP victories at the circuit although his last was back in 2009.
Piero Taramasso – Manager of the Two-Wheel Motorsport Group commented:
“The Brno circuit is certainly a big test for tyres, as it features just about every type of corner, a medium abrasiveness and lots of changes in elevations, with over 70 metres of difference from the lowest to the highest points on the track, so we need to have tyres that can cope with the stresses that are placed upon them. The front tyre needs to be very stable under braking and the rear has to have a high level of grip to give the best drive out of the corners. We did test at the circuit last year, but it rained so we don’t really have any valuable data – unless it’s wet! We have already come a long way this season with the development of our tyres so we think that with the information we have gained over the first 10 races of the season we are in a good position to supply the correct tyres for the circuit, despite the lack of dry testing that we had when we came here. The Brno event is always a special one on the calendar and attracts a huge crowd, but sometimes the weather can be very unpredictable, we just hope that this weekend stays dry and warm, unlike some of the recent races we’ve had.”
