MotoGP: The MICHELIN® Grand Prix of Styria opens a series of two consecutive races at the Red Bull Ring [CP]

After the MotoGP™ summer break, the Michelin Motorsport team heads to Spielberg in Austria for two races in a row at the Red Bull Ring, first the MICHELIN Styrian Grand Prix, and seven days later the Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich which also hosts the fifth round of the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup.

First big change: After long months spent behind closed doors or with limited numbers of spectators in Doha, Catalunya and Assen due to Covid-19, the public will once again be admitted to Austria to encourage its heroes and ensure an inimitable atmosphere around the track.

The 4,318 km circuit, one of the most demanding of the season for tires, is nestled in the heart of the picturesque mountains and forests of the Styrian region. The seven right-hand corners, compared to just two left-handers and one very fast left-hand corner, put a lot of stress and temperature into the MICHELIN Power Slicks tires. The longest of the three straights, separated by uphill right curves, is 626 m, while the elevation on one lap is 65 m.

As was already the case here, Michelin offers rear tires with a construction designed specifically to withstand all the constraints of the circuit. Registered on the 2021 calendar, this structure will also be used in Buriram in Thailand where the circuit presents the same difficulties.

The MICHELIN Power Slicks tire allocation includes a Soft, a Medium and a Hard, all in an asymmetrical version for the rear with a harder right side. The fronts, also in Soft, Medium and Hard, are symmetrical and designed to guarantee rapid changes of direction and maximum grip when braking on this fastest circuit in the championship.

In case of rain, always possible in this region in August, the allocation includes MICHELIN Power Rain in Soft and Medium for the front and rear. The fronts are symmetrical and the rears are asymmetrical with a harder right side like the slicks. The tire allocations are identical for both races.

Before this double Austrian meeting, Piero Taramasso, Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager, said: “ After the summer break, it will be a difficult recovery because of this very particular route of the Red Bull Ring. The three short straights in the first half of the circuit maintain very high speeds before a series of fast downhill curves that complete the lap. »

« The construction of the rear tires for these two races is defined to handle the stresses of the track, to resist the heat and wear generated during the event. Apart from the construction, the tires have been selected to offer constant grip and maximum agility over the different sessions, from Free Practice to Qualifying, as well as over the 28 laps of the race. »

The drivers will take to the track for this double Spielberg “thriller” on Friday August 6 for the first Free Practice sessions. They will be followed by two more on Saturday before Qualifications. The MICHELIN Styrian Grand Prix will start on Sunday August 8 for 28 laps at 14:00 p.m. local time.

The following weekend, the Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich will follow the same program from Friday August 13. MotoE Free Practice sessions will be added to the schedule on Friday and Saturday, followed by the EPole. The MotoE race, 7 laps long, will start on Sunday August 15 at 15:30 p.m., after the MotoGP race.