After a short trip from Austria to the Czech Republic this week, Michelin and the rest of the MotoGP™ circus are ready to compete in the HJC Helmets Grand Prix České Republiky, 11e round of the 2016 championship.
After its big debut last week in Spielberg, Austria, the MotoGP championship returns this weekend to a more familiar circuit, which generally offers magnificent races. The Brno track consists of long straights, fast and slow corners, steep climbs and hard braking downhill, all on a moderately abrasive surface. A real challenge for drivers, machines and tires. Michelin offers rubber capable of meeting these constraints, in terms of braking stability and traction when exiting curves. With six left turns and eight right turns, Brno's profile is more symmetrical than some tracks visited recently by MotoGP. But with more right-hand corners, and fast ones at that, Michelin has chosen to provide asymmetrical rear tires with a reinforced right shoulder to meet the excess demand generated by the profile of the circuit.
Michelin offers a range of tires that perform in all conditions, for all riders and all machines with three front tires – soft (white marking), medium (without identification) and hard (yellow stripe). They can be combined with two new rear tires tested for the first time in Barcelona and designed to offer better traction. Available in soft (white stripe) and medium (no marking), these MICHELIN Power Slicks rear tires will be inaugurated in Brno. The range also includes MICHELIN Power Rain and Power Inter tires for changing weather conditions.
Automotodrom Brno, also called Masaryk Circuit, is located in the southeast of the Czech Republic, in the Kyvalka region, approximately 20 km from the city of Brno and 200 km from the capital Prague. It is located on the borders of several countries, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, which explains the crowds, one of the largest of the season. A huge crowd is therefore expected on the natural stands forming an amphitheater around this magnificent circuit. The current 5,403 km long track was built in 1987 near the old road circuit which hosted races from the 1930s until the end of 1986.
Michelin and the MotoGP riders will take to the track on Friday August 19 for the first two free practice sessions. A third is scheduled for Saturday morning before qualifying which will determine the starting grid for the Grand Prix scheduled for Sunday over 22 laps. The start will be given on August 21 at 14:00 p.m.
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:
“The Brno circuit is a real challenge for tires because there are practically all types of turns on a moderate abrasive surface and with a difference in altitude, more than 70 meters between the lowest point of the circuit and the highest. You therefore need tires capable of withstanding all these constraints. The front tires must offer great stability when braking and the rear tires must provide excellent grip, especially when exiting curves. We tested here last year, but in the rain, so we don't really have usable data, except in bad weather! Our range of tires has evolved a lot since the start of the season and all the information collected over the previous 10 races should allow us to offer products adapted to this circuit, despite our inexperience in the dry. Brno is an important date in the calendar as this Grand Prix attracts huge crowds. The weather is often uncertain. We still hope to have good weather and a dry track, unlike some rainy races that we have experienced. »
