We must not forget, but this year, there was a motorcycle Grand Prix. It took place in Qatar which hosted the Moto3 and Moto2 races which the MotoGP riders had to watch from their sofa. Since March 8, we have become better acquainted with the coronavirus which now confines us to our own homes, while challenging the system and its actors to survive it. But let's return to this first Sunday of competition, which experienced its controversy: the performance of Dunlop tires in Moto2...
The race of Moto2 took place on the Losail route for a Qatar Grand Prix of which she was the highlight of the show. The MotoGP were already, in fact, confined, thus opening a anxiety-provoking period whose ending is unknown. An astonishing event which saw the first parties finish far behind. A drop in performance is quickly blamed on the tires Dunlop. And more particularly on the front tire, a new product offered this year by the unique manufacturer which manufactures its casings in Montluçon.
This, wider, went from 120 (KR 106) to 125 (KR 109) and is largely responsible for the improvements in the records we experienced during winter testing. It is therefore with confidence that Dunlop distributed its MS2 Medium and MS3 Tendres in Qatar. For the Losail race, given the night temperature which had dropped to 25°, the vast majority of drivers chose the soft MS3s to complete the 20-lap race, apparently against the recommendations of Dunlop who recommended the Medium . In any case, this is what we were told by the manufacturer.
In summary, some drivers finished their event with tires in tatters, while within the teams, the differences could be great between the two drivers. Thus, at Ajo, Nagashima won while Martin had to settle for the 20e place. How to decode these events after the fact?
The boss of Speed Up, Luca Boscoscuro, who saw his pilots NAVARRO et By Giannantonio suffer from halfway through, sheds some light and removes certain doubts about the quality of the products supplied: “ the fact is that at the opening of the season we saw abnormal tire wear. He who knew how to wait won. Everyone was aware of the situation, the pilots had to wait. " That is clear. NAVARRO finished sixth and Di Giannantonio thirteenth their performance in Qatar. Which remains for the moment the only one of the year…
