Michelin returns to Spain for the fourth and final time of the season. Sunday, Valencia hosts the 18e round of the MotoGP World ChampionshipTM 2016, the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana.
The traditional closing Grand Prix takes place on the Circuito de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo located near the village of Cheste, on the outskirts of Valencia. It is the only circuit in the championship to be entirely laid out in a stadium. Grandstands line the entire track, so fans can follow the action in its entirety. The route is very particular over the 4,005 km. The anti-clockwise direction offers 14 turns, 9 left and 5 right, and a straight line of only 650 m which the drivers enter after a very fast left. With more left turns, Michelin offers a range of MICHELIN Power Slicks with an asymmetrical design – reinforced left shoulder – for the front and rear. The front is available in medium (without stripe) and hard (yellow stripe) and the rear in soft (white stripe) and medium (without stripe). This range will allow drivers to choose different centerings suitable for cool temperatures on November mornings, to higher temperatures at race time.
Michelin's package also consists of MICHELIN Power Rain in extra soft (light blue stripe), soft (blue stripe) and medium (no stripe) for the front and rear, plus Power Inters dedicated to changing conditions and to a drying track.
The last meeting of 2016 will begin on Friday with two free practice sessions. Further practice sessions are scheduled for Saturday before qualifying in the afternoon which will decide the starting grid for this 30-lap race on Sunday. Many fans are expected on the circuit at the start scheduled for 14:00 p.m. To celebrate the MotoGP, Moto2 championsTM and Moto3TM, fireworks will be set off at the end of each race.
Piero Taramasso – Two-wheel Manager, Michelin Motorsport:
“Valencia is the last race of 2016, but it is also the start of 2017 because we have very important tests planned for the following week. We have had a very interesting season with many challenges to overcome, most of them due to the weather. So we hope for a little leniency this weekend! We learned a lot from the post-Valencia Grand Prix tests last year; they put us on the right track for 2016. But our range has evolved and we are back in Valencia with very different products from last year. The mornings can be chilly and the grip quite weak. We offer a range which should cover all conditions. With so many curves, the shoulders of the tires will have little time to cool, and due to the greater number of left turns, especially the last very fast one, we brought asymmetrical tires with a reinforced left shoulder for the front and the back. »
