• Michelin's decision to increase the hardness of the three rubber compounds intended for the front tire was the right one: several records were broken.
• The consistent performance of Michelin tires allowed all the drivers to battle it out from the first to the last kilometer.
The first of two race weekends scheduled at Misano in the 2024 FIA World Championship calendar MotoGP ™ took place in the presence of a very large audience. The "Misano World circuit Marco Simoncelli", located 50 km from Urbino, the birthplace of the most successful motorcycle champion Valentino Rossi, is a breeding ground for very committed fans. It is also here that several riders present on the starting grid have taken up residence, with a shared desire to offer a weekend of intense emotions to their fans. This communion between riders and spectators created a real party atmosphere, and the show on the track was sumptuous. The weather was surprising at times, but the Michelin tires were "present" in all configurations, to allow the riders to express themselves and put on a show.
On Friday, when Michelin's partners set off for the first test session at 10:00, the ground temperature was already 32°C. In the afternoon, the mercury rose to 39°C on the track surface, and the bikes' set-ups were refined. However, it was on Saturday morning, during qualifying, that the final settings were made, allowing the riders to push their machines to their limits, in preparation for the Tissot Sprint on Saturday, then the Grand Prix on Sunday.
At Misano, all Michelin partners were able to benefit from the level of performance, but also from the consistency of the tires selected by the French manufacturer's engineers. Regardless of the number of laps completed or the temperature variations depending on the positions, the versatility of Michelin's rubber compounds allowed them to achieve the best times at any time.
"Our choice to select a notch harder for the front tire compounds paid off", indicate Piero Taramasso, manager of Michelin's two-wheel competition. “While the first day was dedicated to cleaning up the line and finding the best choice of tyre for both the front and rear, we were then able to see metronomic performances during qualifying and the two races. Regardless of the number of laps, our tyres always allowed us to maintain a high pace, and I will remember that the record for the fastest lap in the race, set by Marc Marquez, came on the 20th lap (out of a total of 27) of the Grand Prix. We also saw that several tyre combinations were possible. While all the riders chose the Medium compound for the front and the Soft compound for the rear during the Sprint race, some (a little less than half) switched to Medium at the rear for the Grand Prix. This was the case for Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, first and second respectively. But we also had a “Medium/Soft” combination on the podium with Enea Bastianini’s third place. We can be satisfied to have made available to our partners a tire package perfectly adapted to the situation, depending on the set-ups of the motorcycles and the riding style."
For the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini 2024, Michelin Motorsport had provided its partners with three symmetrical rubber compounds (Soft, Medium and Hard) for the front wheel. At the rear, they had the choice between two rubber notches, Soft or Medium. The latter are asymmetrical, with the right shoulder reinforced (the circuit has ten right-hand turns and six left-hand turns, for a length of 4,226 km).
In case of rain, and while a few drops fell during the first minutes of the Grand Prix, Michelin had prepared its MICHELIN Power Rain ranges in Soft and Medium rubber, for the front and the rear, also reinforced on the right side. But the debates finally took place in MICHELIN Power Slick.
On Saturday afternoon, the Sprint race was won by Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac Racing).
Sunday's Grand Prix saw the victory of Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), followed by Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and his teammate Enea Bastianini.
MotoGP weekend records
In the second phase of qualifying, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) set the new circuit record, in 1'30.304. He slightly improves on Jorge Martin's mark (1'30.390), set in 2023.
Other records were also broken during the weekend. First of all the duration of the Sprint race, reduced from 19'58.785 to 19'56.502, and also the lap record in the Sprint race, attributed to Francesco Bagnaia with a time of 1'31.236.
In Grand Prix, the fastest lap in the race is now set by Marc Marquez, in 1'31.564.
The next round of the MotoGP World Championship will once again take place at the Misano circuit (Italy). Michelin and its partners will be there in two weeks, from September 20 to 22, for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
