For the French Grand Prix of the MotoGP World Championship, which will take place from May 10 to 12 at the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans, Pirelli has decided to reproduce what was adopted for the Grand Prix of the Americas, with the standard 2024 allocation reinforced by the SC3 front compound for Moto2™ riders and the C1096 rear specification for Moto3™.
This choice is dictated by the desire to offer pilots a wide range of options, some of which are particularly wear-resistant and therefore useful in the event of cold temperatures which could trigger excessive consumption.
“Although we have never raced at Le Mans with this Championship, the Bugatti Circuit is not new to us since we have participated in several editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans motorcycle, winning 6 of them in recent years with the Team SRC Kawasaki France always using standard tires regularly on sale on the market. This circuit does not present any particular danger for tires, the only unknown is the weather: even if it is already May, in this region, it is possible to experience significant temperature differences between night and day. The cold could increase tire wear, which explains why, after Texas, we decided to offer the front SC3 for Moto2™ and the rear C1096 for Moto3™ in France as well. It's just a precaution, if it's warm enough I expect everyone to focus on softer solutions. The track layout is a mixture of high speed corners and hard braking, it will be interesting to see which compounds are used the most given it is the first time we have raced at this circuit with these categories. »
- Tire allocation: Moto2 riders™ will have the SC3 (hard) compound at the front (4 per rider), while Moto3™ riders will have the same amount of a development rear compound with specification C1096 (hard). The latter compound has already been allocated to Texas and Qatar. These compounds will be in addition to the standard 2024 allocation, which includes SC1 (soft) and SC2 (medium) compounds up front for both categories. For the rear, the Moto2™ will have the SC0 (soft) and SC1 (medium) compounds, while the Moto3™ will have the SC1 and SC2. In case of rain, there is the DIABLO Rain solution in SCR1 compound for the front and rear for riders in both categories.
- More choices for Q2 : following a change in regulations, from the French GP, the 4 Moto2™ and Moto3™ riders who will move from Q1 to Q2 will be free to choose the preferred compound for the additional clearance provided for access to Q2 . They will no longer be linked to the use of a softer option than that used in Q1.
- Circuit characteristics : inaugurated in 1966, the Bugatti circuit bears the name of the Milanese entrepreneur, naturalized French, Ettore Bugatti, founder of the historic automobile manufacturer. The track measures 4 meters, with a straight line of 185 meters, 674 meters wide. It has 13 turns, including 14 left and 5 right. Partially derived from the classic Sarthe circuit in Le Mans, it is a very technical circuit characterized by numerous medium to high speed corners, such as turns 9, 5, 6, 7 and 10. In addition, it features significant braking zones in turns 12, 8 and 9.
