Michelin's investigations have revealed an anomaly in the temperature of Jorge Martin's rear tyre during his accident in Sepang. This discovery could partly explain the reasons for his spectacular fall.
After the accident of George Martin during the Sepang tests, Michelin found a significant temperature difference in the rear tire at the time of the incident. Although Aprilia Racing CEO, Massimo rivola, initially claimed that the tire temperature was surface normal, Piero Taramasso, from Michelin Motorsport, clarified that the temperature of the inner layer of the tire was significantly lower. This played a crucial role in the accident.
According to data provided by Aprilia, Taramasso explained that Martin's rear tire temperature was 15 degrees lower than Marco Bezzecchi's rear tire, his teammate Aprilia, at the same time and with the same medium tires. This temperature difference, equivalent to a drop of 15-16%, was a determining factor, because it led to a lack of grip when Martin lost control of his motorcycle.
Taramasso said the track conditions were also an aggravating factor: " the conditions were very slippery, windy, cold, with a temperature of only 30 degrees, while in Sepang, you usually wait 50 degrés, and rain during the night. » These conditions, combined with a rear tire that was too cold to perform optimally, contributed to the accident.
Piero Taramasso Michelin: “ When Jorge Martin left the box for the last run before the accident, the tire temperature had dropped by 15° and that's a lot »
Michelin had also observed that the use of the medium tire by Martin was strategic. As many teams do at the beginning of testing, Martin had chose the medium to save the soft tires for the later phases of the tests. " Everyone usually starts with the medium, even if it's not the best tire in these conditions, because they want to save the soft tires for later. ", has explained Taramasso.
Taramasso responded to comments fromAprilia, who suggested that the accident Martin was due to a problem with the tire, insisting that the data collected indicates a different situation. It's not my opinion, it's just a number - it's data, and they believe in data." , he said. According to him, the combination of harsh weather conditions and a tire temperature too low was the main cause of the fall of Martin.
Ultimately, although the accident Martin Although it was a bad crash with no apparent error on his part or the bike's, it is clear that track conditions and tyre management played a major role in the incident.
MotoGP, Sepang J3 Test, Final: times
