• The Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España 2024 was spiced up by capricious weather and by very evolving grip depending on the humidity and temperature of the track.
• During the Friday practice session, Francis Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) improved its own absolute circuit record by completing the 4,423 km of the Andalusian track in 1'36.025. Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) and Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP) were also faster than the 2022 record.
• On Saturday, Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) won an incredible Sprint race, contested on a dry track, but still wet in places. While on Sunday, under clear skies and 38°C on the ground, Francesco Bagnaia won at the end of a thrilling Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España 2024, setting the lap record in a two-man race laps from the finish (1'37.449).
Unexpectedly for Jerez de la Frontera, a city renowned for the mildness of its climate, the weather was cold and capricious throughout the weekend of the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España 2024. The grip evolved strongly depending on of the humidity and temperature of the track, sometimes giving unpleasant surprises to the drivers. The MICHELIN Power Slick and Power Rain tires gave the entire field the performance, consistency and confidence needed to overcome these difficult conditions.
The action kicked off in Jerez on Friday under partly overcast skies. The alternation between sun and clouds, combined with the cold wind, caused significant fluctuations in air and track temperatures. On a perfectly dry track, the drivers took advantage of the exceptional grip of the new MICHELIN Power Slick 2024 range, which allowed them to break the absolute circuit record. Francesco Bagnaia thus improves his own reference for 2022 (1'36.170) by stopping the clock at 1'36.035. Maverick Viñales and Marc Marquez were also faster than the previous record.
The bad weather set in in Jerez during the night of Friday, and on Saturday morning the paddock woke up to pouring rain, while the mercury column stagnated below 15°C. Free Practice 2 and Qualifying took place without incident on a cold and wet track, with motorcycles equipped with MICHELIN Power Rain tires.
As the day progressed, the dark clouds dispersed in favor of the sun and the start of the Sprint race (12 laps) was given according to the program at 15:00 p.m., at 23°C in the air and 35°C on the ground. .
On a track washed by rain but dried on the surface by the sun, all the drivers selected MICHELIN Power Slick Medium tires at the front and Soft tires at the rear. But appearances are sometimes deceiving... because “spots” of humidity, particularly at turns 5,8, 10 and 3, have trapped many drivers. With the race pace slowed by a second per lap due to precarious grip and on a track swept by gusts of cold wind, the drivers encountered difficulties in generating temperature in their tires. At the end of the Sprint race, some drivers even received a penalty for too low front tire pressure. Jorge Martin won at the end of the Sprint race, ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GAS GAS TechXNUMX) and Dani Pedrosa (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
For Sunday's Grand Prix (25 laps), the weather was milder. Although a light but constant cold wind did not allow the thermometer to exceed 23°C in the air, the asphalt heated by the resplendent sun rose to 38°C at the time of departure. After an initial battle with Jorge Martin, Francesco Bagnaia took control of the race by taking advantage of his opponent's fall. The adrenaline kicked in again eight laps from the end, when Marc Marquez put together a series of fast laps and caught up with the leader. A duel lasted until the end, which ended with the victory of the resilient Francesco Bagnaia. The Italian driver also set the race lap record in 1'37.449 with two laps remaining and also established the race duration record by completing the 25 laps of the Jerez circuit in 40'58.053. Marco Bezzecchi (Petramina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) completes the podium of the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España 2024.
« What a great weekend of sport and entertainment! Although we were expecting warmer weather. »Says Piero Taramasso, manager of the Michelin Two-Wheel competition. “ I would first like to highlight the very good performance of the MICHELIN Power Rain tires in the rain on Saturday morning. Once again, our rubbers prove to be very effective when grip is precarious. A performance due to both the grip of the tires and the confidence they inspire in the drivers. As for the 2024 MICHELIN Power Slick tires, our partners welcomed in Jerez the significant increase in grip compared to the 2023 range. To be fully exploited, this additional grip requires fine-tuning work on the motorcycle. This activity could not be finalized on Saturday in preparation for the Sprint race due to the rain that fell during the morning. On the other hand, the short Warm Up session on Sunday was very useful to the teams in preparing for the Grand Prix. The MICHELIN Power Slick Medium tires provided very good support at the front and good traction at the rear during the 25 laps of the Spanish Grand Prix. Their consistency was exceptional, allowing Francesco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez to battle with fast laps until the end of the race. »
Remember that Michelin offered a MICHELIN Power Slick range in Jerez made up of three specifications for the front tire, all symmetrical (Soft, Medium, Hard), and two asymmetrical tires for the rear (Soft and Medium), with a more straight side. hard to compensate for the number of turns on this side.
In the rain, the MICHELIN Power Rain range was offered in Soft and Medium rubbers for the front and rear. The latter were also asymmetrical, with a harder right side, like the slick ranges.
The next race is the Michelin Grand Prix de France, which will take place at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans between May 10 and 12.
