In the off-season work we often talk about motorcycles, from the engine to the electronics to the aerodynamics. But we don't focus much on the tires. It must be said that with a single manufacturer, one would tend to believe that there is not much to say about it. Disastrous error! All it takes is for Michelin to change the rubber to put to rest all the work of the engineers accomplished so far by the manufacturers. In fact, in 2020, Bibendum is announcing a brand new rear tire. But fortunately, the protagonists have been warned…
Michelin will release a new rear tire in 2020 for the MotoGP surface-to-surface missiles. An initiative which, however, does not take anyone by surprise. The unique manufacturer's man in the category, Piero Taramasso, has already warned everyone for a long time. Now it remains to explain to us how this tire will be different from the previous one. Exactly, here is the idea!
« We will present the new construction in 2020, tested on different tracks in 2019 ", did he declare. “ The level of stiffness will be the same as this year's tire. However, when the motorcycle takes its support in the corner, it will deform more, thus guaranteeing better grip.” It will also be a way to reduce tire wear, especially during racing. A new rear construction therefore, which will however not be used in Grands Prix conditioned by high temperatures, that is to say in Thailand and Austria.
Regarding the results, improvements in terms of chronometric references are expected. Taramasso expects a drop around half a second per lap. Downright ! “ The tire has a much more linear behavior in corners, which allows it to be immediately faster ". And for wear? “ We have seen that the degradation is less than the 2019 tires. Since they provide more grip, they slip less and therefore last longer. »
« We mainly used soft and medium compounds during testing. However, we have verified that the effect applies to the entire range of tires. » After two seasons without much novelty, particularly with regard to the rear tire, here is an important change for the MotoGP category with a view to 2020.
