When approaching a Grand Prix weekend, there are many elements that are useful to have in mind, including old records, races from the previous year or the physical characteristics of the circuit.
To find out a little more about this last point, and go a little further than the number of turns or the length of the straight line, we wanted to interview professionals in order to try to find out the important elements that an experience of several decades allows them to bear directly in mind when arriving at a circuit.
Guy Coulon, the wizard of the Monster Yamaha Tech3 team, who was kind enough to answer our questions for the first circuits of the season, addresses here the Jerez de la Frontera Circuit, in the south of Spain.
Guy Coulon: “The Jerez circuit is made up of very fast curves, which constitute very sharp breaks, but also slow turns, like the right which is at the end of the return straight. You have to be able to be stable when braking, to be able to trigger when you want and as needed to turn into this right turn. Another problem, the break to the left followed by the long left in acceleration where you have to manage to have good traction and position yourself well for the right/right afterward. Then, there are breaks #11 and 12 at the finish which are dry breaks, but fast and with a lot of angle. Finally, you have to be stable and keep your speed for the last turn where there are often confusions.
More general particularity, when we go to Jerez, there is often a precarious grip. Jerez, like many tracks in Spain, actually works best in winter, when it's cold, say between 6 and 10°, and then you can have fantastic times there. On the other hand, when you go there in May, you drive a second and a few seconds slower. As in Valencia, the English call it “greasy feeling”. It is typical, when it is hot, of Barcelona, Valencia and Jerez. »
What is this due to?
“Spain is a hot country and the slopes can reach high temperatures. The tires therefore heat up a lot and the part of the rubber concerned becomes very mobile. This therefore gives a feeling of floating.
Like with a soft eraser. Contrary to popular belief, a soft rubber is not a panacea. It's okay on a qualifying-style lap because even if it moves a lot, there is grip, but very often, and particularly at the front, a soft rubber doesn't work at all when braking. As soon as you put a little effort on the rubber, and even if it doesn't heat up and corresponds to the grip and wear levels you need, the bike will be unstable, because the entire rubber moves on the carcass.
This is a bit like the problem you encounter when you have tires that match what you need to ride on hot tracks. The surface of the rubber itself becomes a little too mobile, and this is what gives this instability, therefore this lack of reaction to the driver's actions. »
