• The changing weather conditions offered drivers the opportunity to test all the tires offered by Michelin
• The Soft tire for the rear wheel allowed extraordinary battles throughout the Grand Prix
• Excellent start to the MotoE World Championship, where the new Ducati electric motorcycles, equipped with Michelin tires enriched with sustainable materials, are on average one second per lap faster than the Moto3
The MotoGP™ riders returned to the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans (Sarthe) for the 5th round of the season, the 1th of the championship since its creation in 000.
A round highly anticipated by the French public, who largely responded. The 2023 SHARK French MotoGP Grand Prix indeed, for the first time, brought together 278 spectators throughout the weekend, including 805 for the Sprint race on Saturday afternoon alone. This is the highest figure ever recorded by the championship organizers.
« Such enthusiasm is historic! ", noted Piero Taramasso, manager of Michelin's two-wheel competition. “ We had never seen so many fans at Le Mans, where MotoGP had already broken its attendance record in 2022. In addition, the spectacle was there. With the weather changes we observed between Thursday and Sunday, our partners had the opportunity to test multiple tire combinations, which allowed them to refine their setup in preparation for the Sprint race, then the Grand Prix. A 1th edition which kept us in suspense until its conclusion, and which demonstrated the consistency of the performance of our tires. If the choice of front tire had been different depending on driving styles and strategies (000 drivers in Soft, 12 in Medium and 4 in Hard), the Soft tire was chosen by the 5 starters for the rear. The versatility of our tires allowed all our partners to attack from the start line to the finish line, with an excellent level of grip and measured degradation over the laps. Between pure performance and longevity, we were really able to express our entire vision of two-wheel competition. »
Le Mans, “Michelin’s home race”
For Michelin, whose headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand is around a four-hour drive from Le Mans, the French MotoGP Grand Prix is considered a home race.
The pressure was logically a little higher than usual, but the MICHELIN Power Slick and MICHELIN Power Rain ranges (in case of rain) worked perfectly on this circuit with a narrow layout in places, relatively hilly, and which displays a length of 4,185 km. With nine right turns and five left turns, but also a straight line of 674 meters, Michelin had selected a tire with a symmetrical tread using three different rubber notches for the front wheel, and an asymmetrical tire with Soft and Medium for the rear. Considering the number of different turns between right and left, the right side of the set of tires was harder.
At the end of a weekend of festivities and exciting races, we will note the victory of Jorge Martín (Ducati/Prima Pramac Racing), ahead of Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati/Lenovo Team) during the Sprint race.
The Grand Prix was won by Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati/Mooney VR46 Racing Team), ahead of Jorge Martín (Ducati/Prima Pramac Racing) and his teammate Johann Zarco.
Results of the French MotoGP Grand Prix at Le Mans:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
In MotoE, up to 52% sustainable materials in Michelin tires: For the planet, for performance... And for great sporting battles
This season, the MotoE World Championship takes place over 16 races, with two editions over eight MotoGP weekends. It features 18 riders (9 teams) riding new electric motorcycles manufactured by the Italian manufacturer Ducati. These motorcycles are equipped with Michelin tires incorporating 52% sustainable materials at the rear, and 34% at the front, reflecting Michelin's commitments to a more sustainable future.
This first weekend of MotoE also highlighted the increased performance of these new machines, which achieved lap times around a second faster compared to the Moto3 category.
At Le Mans, the first of the two MotoE races was won by Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team), ahead of Héctor Garzó (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE), and his teammate Randy Krummenacher.
A few hours later, the second round allowed Matteo Ferrari (Felo Gresini MotoE) to climb to the top of the podium, again ahead of Jordi Torres (Openbank Aspar Team) and Héctor Garzó (Dynavolt Intact GP MotoE).
From June 9 to 11, the Gran Premio d'Italia Oakley will bring together the sixth round of the MotoGP World Championship and the second round of the FIM MotoE World Championship on the Mugello circuit, not far from Florence (Italy).
