Michelin and MotoGP™ are done with an overseas start to the season and are back in Europe for the next 11 races, including the first in Spain, the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto .
This is another big challenge that awaits the Michelin technicians on the Jerez circuit which underwent major work during the off-season in order to erase the defects of last year's resurfacing. Many sections have therefore been resurfaced again and this will have to be taken into account in the preparation for this 25-lap long race.
Michelin was kept informed of the work carried out on this 4,423 km circuit, but due to a very busy schedule, Michelin was unable to test on this new surface. The French manufacturer is therefore offering a wider tire allocation than usual, with four MICHELIN Power Slicks front and four rear in order to offer the best choice and the best performance to teams and drivers. The front range consists of a soft, a medium and two hard, all symmetrical. The same goes for the rear, but in an asymmetrical version with a harder right side to meet the requirements of eight right turns, compared to only five on the left.
Located on the outskirts of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia, southern Spain, the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto was built in 1986 and hosted its first Grand Prix the following year. It's a tradition: the first European race of the season always attracts a large crowd all weekend. The weather is generally good in this region, but you never know... MICHELIN Power Rain tires are available in soft and medium for the front and rear, the latter being asymmetrical with a reinforced right side.
Michelin and MotoGP will take to the track on Friday May 3 for two free practice sessions, followed by two more on Saturday before qualifying in the afternoon. The start of the first European Grand Prix of the season will be given on Sunday May 5 at 14:00 p.m.
Piero Taramasso – Two-wheel Manager, Michelin Motorsport:
“This is an important test for Michelin, which reminds us of our return to MotoGP in 2016 when we had no data on many circuits. We are in a bit of the same situation this weekend because the track has been resurfaced a lot since our tests last November. For this reason, we are allowed to offer four front and four rear slick tires. We selected a range based on the information we collected last year, that provided by the project manager and by the circuit. We are confident and looking forward to competing in Europe after two testing sessions and three overseas races.”
