The last of three consecutive MotoGP™ races, following Aragon and Motegi, the Michelin Motorsport team and the rest of the MotoGP paddock is now heading to the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand as it plays host to the OR Thailand Grand Prix.
Situated in the Isan region in Northeast Thailand around 480km from the country’s capital, Bangkok, the race is taking place in what is recognised as the cool season, but with average temperatures of more than 30°C it is far from the cool weather that is experienced elsewhere on the MotoGP calendar.
The OR Thailand GP will be the 17th round of the 2022, and this is the first visit to Buriram for MotoGP since 2019 due to the pandemic. Being the precursor to the final two races in Asia Pacific, in Australia and Malaysia, this a very busy time in terms of logistics, and Michelin has already dispatched its allocations of tyres for these races using a mixture of sea and air freight. For these long-haul, or ‘flyaway races’ as they are known, the Michelin tyres travel in temperature-controlled containers, to ensure they arrive at the circuits in optimum condition ready for the weekends’ track action.
The 4,554m (2.83 miles) Buriram circuit has a fairly even split in terms of its corners, with five left-handers and seven right. Along with two main straights, the longest of which is 1km (3,281ft), the modern facilities of the 100,000-capacity venue provide fantastic viewing opportunities for the fans.
The high temperatures and high-speed layout demand a special rear tyre casing to manage the potential heat build-up, so they use a different construction to that used at other race tracks throughout the season, with the exception of Red Bull Ring in Austria. These two tracks share similar configurations and use this specific construction to control the temperatures that are generated and give the riders the stability and confidence they need. The Soft and Medium compound rear Michelin Power Slick tyres are asymmetric, with a harder right-hand side, while the Hard rear is symmetric. To accompany these special rear tyres, the three front Michelin Power Slicks are symmetric, and all compounds have been selected using the data collected during the previous races and tests at the Thai circuit.
During the months of late August to mid-October it is the rainy season in this region, so the chance of precipitation is high, meaning the range of Michelin Power Rain tyres could be called into action during the weekend. Available in Soft and Medium compounds for the front and rear, the front options will all be symmetric, as is also the case for the Medium rear. However, the Soft rear option will be asymmetric, with a harder right-hand-side.
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Two Wheel Motorsport Manager: “This is our fourth visit to Buriram, including one test, so we have built up some good data on what is required from our tyre allocation. However, with such a long gap since our last visit in 2019 it will be interesting to see if the grip levels of the asphalt have changed at all. As a result, my team and all of the MotoGP teams, will no-doubt be eagerly awaiting the first Free Practice sessions of the weekend.
“As has been mentioned many times in the past, this is a very severe track for rear tyres, as it generates a lot of heat in the rubber. For this reason, we have an allocation featuring a special casing construction, which we also use in Austria, to counteract this situation. There have always been big crowds at Buriram ever since MotoGP arrived here in 2018, and the local fans are extremely passionate. I’m sure it will be the same again this year, especially after the break, and we will do our utmost to help put on a great show and make this a memorable weekend.”
The on-track action will kick-off in Thailand with the first two Free Practice sessions on Friday 30 September. This will be followed on Saturday by two more Free Practice sessions, and the all-important Qualifying to decide grid positions. The MotoGP riders will take to the track on Sunday, with the lights due to go out to start the 26-lap race at 14:00 local time.
