The MICHELIN Power Rain hard tires front and rear were highlighted by Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) who won his first MotoGP victoryTM in changing weather conditions which marked the HJC Helmets Grand Prix České Republiky in Brno.
Crutchlow was one of three riders to opt for hard MICHELIN Power Rain front and rear tires after torrential rain drenched the 5,403km circuit this morning. The 22-lap race was declared “wet”. But the tire choices were going to be crucial because the track was starting to dry and the cumulus clouds were gradually moving away. Crutchlow started from 10e place on the grid and was relegated to 15e rank at the end of the first lap, the time necessary for him to find the limits of his tires and ideally warm them up. The Englishman then began an incredible comeback to take the lead at 16e lap in front of last weekend's winner Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team), and escape in front to take a historic victory. Crutchlow became the first British rider to win a Grand Prix in the premier category since Barry Sheene in 1981. This victory is also associated with the First Independent Team Rider award and comes just three weeks after the birth of his first child!
The battle for the other podium places was simply epic. Several drivers exchanged places of honor. Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) finally took 2e place thanks to its hard rear rain tire – combined with a soft front – after having been downgraded to 13e position at 7e round. Championship leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) completes the final podium. Equipped with soft front and rear rain tires, he had to save his rubber on the drying track to achieve a nice 3e place. Loris Baz (Avintia Racing) demonstrated all his abilities in the rain by taking 4e place (also fitted with two hard tires) – and leads a quintet of Ducatis with his teammate Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) 5e, Eugene Laverty (Pull & Bear Aspar Team) 6e and Danilo Petrucci (OCTO Pramac Yakhnich) 7e and Austrian GP winner Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) 8e. Maverick Viñales (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) brought his Suzuki back to 9e place ahead of Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS), on 3e driver equipped with hardware at the front and rear.
The weather conditions pushed several riders to opt for soft tires at the front and rear because they were waiting for either the return of rain or good weather and therefore a change of bike. But the weather decided otherwise and the longevity of the tire was a key factor, especially on a drying track. These particular circumstances forced some drivers to preserve their soft rain tires which are not designed for drying asphalt, while others were able to take advantage of their good choice of rubber. In any case, this race was very interesting and excited the 82 fans who came. Note that no fall was to be deplored over the 066 laps of the race.
Michelin remains in Brno for a day of testing on Monday, before crossing the Channel for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday September 4.
Cal Crutchlow – LCR Honda:
“I am very, very happy to get this victory today. It's an important moment in my career. I had come close several times… I am really very satisfied with my choice of tires. We made this bet after discussing the starting grid with Michelin. I said I was going with two hard guys and they said they thought it was the right choice. I found out after three or four laps, but it was still difficult to manage the tires at the start of the race because we had to warm them up. I am very happy, for me and my team. »
Nicolas Goubert - Deputy Director, Technical Director and MotoGP Program Supervisor, Michelin Motorsport:
“We had another strange race today with changing conditions and tire choices which played a key role in the final result. The first three had opted for different front-rear combinations between soft and hard and made the most of it on a drying track. Cal Crutchlow made a courageous choice with two hards. As the race progressed, it seemed clear that it was the best choice for him. Other drivers suffered significant wear on the soft version on a dry track, this tire is designed to operate on wet asphalt. »
“Before this Grand Prix, we were satisfied with the performance of our slick tires on the Brno circuit. The new rear tire that we brought here gave the riders more traction and allowed Marc Marquez to set the best motorcycle lap ever on this circuit. Jorge Lorenzo improved the record. We have reached a new milestone this season. We now have a day of testing here during which we will work on strategies for the rest of the season and also on new things for 2017.
