Michelin tires allowed Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda CASTROL) to triumph at Termas do Rio Hondo during the Gran Premio de la República Argentina, one of the most improbable races in MotoGP™ history.
Crutchlow kept his calm and made the most of his MICHELIN Power Slicks on this very complicated circuit to score a superb victory, take the First Independent Team Rider award and take control of the Drivers' and Manufacturers' championship for LCR Honda. He surged into the lead at the perfect moment thanks to his Michelin tires to claim his third MotoGP victory and become the first Briton to lead the world championship since another famous Michelin rider, Barry Sheene, in 1979. Honda won its 750e Grand Prix, most on Michelin tires.
The winner started from 10e place on the grid, while Jack Miller (Alma Pramac Racing) had taken pole after a judicious choice of tires yesterday in qualifying where the Australian switched to slicks on a wet and drying track. Despite a few slips on puddles, he was able to control his mount to set the best lap in MICHELIN Power slicks in the wet. His efforts the day before almost paid off today when the rain started to fall just before the start. Miller was one of the few to show up on slick tires at the start, most of them on wet tires. As the start time approached, many riders said they wanted to return to the pits after the reconnaissance lap to change bikes equipped with MICHELIN Power Slicks tires. This forced Race Direction to delay the start and reward Miller with a start from the front row while the rest of the pack lined up on the fifth row.
Then the outgoing champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) stalled on the starting grid. He managed to restart, set off to find himself at the forefront from the start. But the Race Direction intervened again to give him a drive-through which relegated him to 19e place. But the Spaniard did not stop there. He slipped through the peloton: after a new penalty for daring overtaking, he received another drive-through – transformed into a 30-second penalty – when overtaking Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) during which the 'Italian has fallen. Marquez demoted to 18e rank. The only consolation: the best lap signed on Michelin tires, under 1min39s over the 4,806 km of the Argentinian circuit.
The Termas circuit, recently re-surfaced, offered many challenges this weekend and Michelin's decision to provide four different front and rear compounds for its slick tires was justified to offer drivers the choice best suited to the machines, and this despite the little driving in the dry. With very changeable weather on race day – after torrential rain the night before and a downpour before the start – the race started on a wet track with a dry trajectory. This time – unlike the day before – the drivers opted for MICHELIN Power slick tires, a correct decision despite the lack of dry driving and the new surface of the circuit. All the drivers started the 24-lap long race on medium tires at the rear, except four of them equipped with soft, and at the front.
The tires behaved very well and four drivers put on a superb show. Crutchlow, Johann Zarco (Monster Yamaha Tech 3), Alex Rins (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR) and Miller exchanged the lead. Crutchlow won ahead of Zarco and Rins who won his first podium. Miller concluded at 4e rank ahead of Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP). Followed by Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), Tito Rabat (Real Avintia Racing), Andrea Iannone (Team SUZUKI ECSTAR), Hafizh Syahrin (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) (his best performance as a rookie) and Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Ducati) in the top ten.
Direction North America for Michelin for the next round of the championship, and the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, Sunday April 22. The track has been modified to smooth out its famous bumps. A new unknown for drivers, teams and Michelin.
Cal Crutchlow – LCR Honda CASTROL:
“I think we managed the situation well, even if it was difficult for everyone and Michelin. Michelin gave us good advice on tire choices. I don't know if the front was the right one for me, maybe I should have opted for harder, but at the start, I didn't want to take too many risks and I went for medium. The rear tire worked well, especially given the track conditions which were very dirty with alternating dry and wet. We managed to be fast and competitive at the end of the race, I am very satisfied. »
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:
“What an incredible race! Our tires performed very well today. We had little data on resurfacing and little dry driving, but thanks to the expertise of the technicians, we were able to give good advice to the drivers on the best choice for each. This made for a great race, notably with three satellite teams and four different manufacturers in the top four, which underlines our desire to design tires for all machines. The weekend was difficult because of the conditions. It started well with Marc who set the best lap on the circuit in FP1, and then the weather took a turn for the worse. That said, it allowed us to ride in the wet and Jack did an incredible lap on slicks in the wet. This is a new demonstration of the grip offered by our tires in all conditions. We are satisfied because it is a circuit where we were not performing very well and we wanted to improve our performance. Now it's time for Austin with a new challenge with this circuit which has undergone recent work. »
