When it was inaugurated, the Aragon MotorLand track caused a big surprise, with a route made exciting by its relief and its differences in height. Until then the circuits used for the Spanish Grands Prix were of a despairing two-dimensional flatness, without the slightest relief for Jerez, Montmelo and Valencia, while not far away in Portugal Portimao offered a magnificent hairline in the hills worthy of Spa or Brands Hatch.
MotorLand Aragon was inaugurated in 2009 and used for the first time for a GP in 2010. This track is located near Alcañiz, a town in which city races were organized from 1963 to 2003.
The new track measures 5,1 km, with 10 left turns and 7 right turns, for a width of 15 m, and a straight line of 968 m.
For the Christian Gabbarini who works with Jorge Lorenzo at Ducati, “ Aragon has two long straights. The motorcycle must be stable during acceleration. And you need good grip to get good top speed. On the other hand, there are also very fast corners, like 10 and 11, where the bike needs grip, but also needs to be stable at high speed. Additionally, there are quick and slow changes of direction."
According to Manuel Cazeaux, chief mechanicalex rins at Suzuki, “ In Aragon, the balance of the machine is crucial. There are three major braking zones: curve 1, curve 12 and the last curve. But there are also a lot of corners where the driver is on the accelerator. He thus accelerates in an oblique position. That's why you need to find a compromise. »
The opinion of Giulio Nava, responsible for Sam Lowes at Aprilia, says, “ The curvilinear part is the section of the track we need to focus on. Aragón is a longer circuit than, for example, Misano. There are many directional changes. In curve 1 you need a very stable motorcycle, because you have to turn right after several left curves. »
To Esteban Garcia, KTM team leader Bradley Smith recently, " The first part of the track goes uphill, while the second part is downhill. Additionally, there are blind curves growing outward. This makes the route particularly difficult. You need good grip, as several accelerations are quite short. »
Illustrations: Video © Ciudad del Motor, Circuit map © HRC, Photos GP Aragon 2016 © Michelin
Source: Frank Aday for speedweek. com
