Dunlop creates a surprise by bringing to the Spanish Grand Prix a new rear tire in size 200/75R17 with new compounds. This model, whose diameter has been increased by more than 10 mm compared to the old one, is now better suited to Moto2 machines whose 600 Honda engine has been replaced by the much more efficient 765 Triumph.
The weekend is not going to be easy for the teams and for the Dunlop technicians because the Jerez circuit underwent major work during the off-season in order to erase the defects of last year's resurfacing. Many sections have therefore been re-surfaced again and everyone will have to adapt to the new tire, the new coating, all this with chassis and engines that have only been used in racing during the three first Grands Prix. It will take great adaptation skills and a lot of reactivity.
According to Dunlop, more power, more torque, more grip justifies a new, larger rear tire for the Moto2 category. The provision of an entirely new tire in Moto2 is rare because the British manufacturer, a subsidiary of the American Goodyear, has no absolute reason to spend fortunes on research and development for this category of which it is the sole supplier, therefore without adversity and with the certainty of winning everything.
This year, the Moto2s benefited from an increase in power and torque thanks to the switch to the Triumph engine. Dunlop has chosen to supply the 2018 specification tires for the first races of the year, so that teams can focus on adapting to the new engine. For the start of the European season, starting with the Spanish Grand Prix, Dunlop presents a brand new 200/75R17 rear tire which replaces the old 195/75R17.
Stephen Bickley, lead race engineer, explained why the new tire is being introduced at Jerez: “ The 2018 tire has proven to be more than capable of meeting the performance of the new bikes. By using it in the first rounds, the Dunlop technical team was able to gather information and determine the impact of the new bikes on tire performance, checking whether more heat was being generated, providing us with valuable data to the larger rear tire of 2019. The 200/75R17 is a physically larger tire than the 195/75R17, increasing in diameter by over 10mm. This improves traction in both longitudinal and lateral directions ».
Also new in Moto3
Since being appointed as official tire partner in 2012, Dunlop has always brought to Moto3 at least two different dry weather compounds to each race, but the teams have all tended to choose the same one, usually the medium compound.
Starting in Jerez, Dunlop is offering teams the choice of two new rear tires, in addition to the launch of a new folding tyre.
The rears, soft (code S2) and hard (code H4) have a greater gap in performance than previous tire specifications. According to Gary Purdy, Dunlop's track support engineer for the Moto3 program, teams will think more about their strategy: “ Tests showed that the soft tire could be faster in the first laps of the race with a short warm-up time. But in the final stages the hard tire can be the fastest. Both tires are capable of performing consistently over a race distance, but the difference in characteristics will add an extra factor in planning race strategy. ».
Photos © motogp.com / Dorna
