It's quite an adventure to compete in a Grand Prix for the first time on a new track, especially on the other side of the world. Gilles Bigot, who has a lot of experience since he was Alex Criville's team leader when he won the 500 cc world crown in 3, discovered Buriram during this Thailand GP with his current driver Tom Lüthi and Team EG 1999 Marc VDS.
How did the tests go?
“More complicated than expected because the level of grip with the new Michelin tire specifications was lower compared to the tests carried out in February, so a lot of work to find grip.”
How was the race?
“Tom made a big mistake by missing his braking cue coming into the final corner, made worse by the crash of Takaaki Nakagami who was in front of him. We were hoping to have a pace that could put Tom in a group close to the points. He had this pace and so did his opponents, so the time lost affected his position at the finish, a shame but that's the race. »
Were the 3 days of testing in February to discover the track useful, knowing that the weather was different during these tests than last weekend during the GP?
“It is always useful for the rider to know where he is going and for us also to the technique for the gearbox ratios, the geometry and the suspension of the bike, but the surprise was the level of grip much lower than this we could hope for. »
The World Superbike Championship teams have been racing in Buriram since 2015. Was their experience useful to you? Were there any exchanges or advice?
“During testing in February, HRC gave us a basis for the gear ratios so could be from the Superbike teams equipped with Honda machines. This was the only advice received. For the chassis settings it was up to each team to make their own program. »
Are some drivers better than others at going fast quickly on a new circuit? Do you have one or more examples?
“Yes, it is certain that several drivers have a greater ability to find rhythm more quickly than others. Marc Marquez as Casey Stoner have quite an exceptional ability. This lasts for a number of rounds before it stabilizes. If the races were to take place without prior testing, we could see quite surprising differences between drivers! »
Piero Taramasso (Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager) declared: “ We bring specific rear tires for this race, specially designed for this track, as we do in Austria and Australia because these are very atypical circuits which require special tires. These rear tires were developed after testing ". So there was a whole part of the work done during the tests to be redone?
“Um yes, everything had to be redone! There was a big imbalance of grip between the front tire and the rear tire. We no longer had any mass transfer caused by the lack of grip, so we had to research and adapt the bike to each session, warm-up included, geometry, suspension, gear ratios, electronics…”
What is the most complicated thing when you race for the first time in MotoGP on an unknown circuit?
“To put it simply, if the driver has a great ability to adapt and a very good feeling, this makes the task at a technical level a little less complicated. On the contrary, if the pilot is a little lost and lacks sensations, you quickly find yourself in difficult situations, you very quickly lose time to validate the direction to take, without forgetting to mention that the pilot who has difficulties also risks losing time. have less time to properly evaluate the tire he will have to select for the race. »
Photos © Team EG 0,0 Marc VDS and Michelin / title: Tom Lüthi and Marc Marquez / Above: Gilles Bigot on the left
