• After the trip to Texas (United States), the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España inaugurates a series of five races in Europe.
• Between accelerations, braking and continuous lateral forces, the very winding route leaves no respite for the tires.
• Michelin Motorsport is bringing a front tire to the race for the first time with a new compound, harder than the one used last year.
Located in the south of Spain, in Andalusia, the Jerez circuit is a historic MotoGP venue. The Michelin Motorsport team knows him well, as do the teams involved. The championship has in fact gone there every year since 1987 - just one year after its opening - and Michelin's partners regularly organize private tests there. It is a mecca for world-class two-wheel competition, where crowds of enthusiasts flock every year.
4,423 km long, the Jerez circuit is winding. It has five left turns and eight right turns, but also two short straights, the longest of which measures only 607 meters. This is a difficult configuration for the tires, even on asphalt which is not considered very demanding on the rubber.
« The Jerez circuit is not aggressive for our tires, but it puts permanent stress on them "Indicates Piero Taramasso, manager of the Michelin Two-Wheel competition. “ As soon as a motorcycle enters the track, the various stresses are continuous, and the two small straight lines are not enough to allow the tire to rest. This relentless demand has led us to introduce this year a new compound of rubber for the front tire which will be a little harder than before. This tire, which provides additional stability and consistency, has already been tested by our partners in Malaysia and Qatar, but this is the first time we have used it in racing. The feedback having been excellent during testing, we are confident that it will also be satisfactory in Jerez. »
For the 2024 Gran Premio de España, Michelin will offer its partners a MICHELIN Power Slick range composed of three compounds (Soft, Medium, Hard) for the front tire, and two compounds (Soft and Medium) for the rear wheel. The front tires are all symmetrical, and the rears are asymmetrical, with a harder right side to compensate for the greater number of turns on this side.
In the event of rain, the MICHELIN Power Rain range will be offered in Soft and Medium rubbers for the front and rear. The latter are also asymmetrical, with a harder right side, like the slick ranges.
In Jerez, the on-track action will begin on Friday April 26, at 10:45 a.m. (local time) with Practice 1 (45 min). A second session, this time qualifying (the first 10 will go directly to Q2) will then be held at 15:00 p.m. The next day, after Free Practice, qualifying will take place in two sequences, between 10:50 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. The first two drivers from Q1 will also qualify for Q2 (12 drivers in total). The Sprint race (12 laps) is scheduled for 15:00 p.m., while the start of the Gran Premio Estrella Galicia 0,0 de España 2024 will be given on Sunday April 28 at 14:00 p.m., this time for 25 laps.
As always, the technical teams and engineers from Michelin Motorsport will be there to support the partners of the Clermont-based manufacturer. The new rubber compounds launched at the start of the season have already broken numerous records.
