A COTA of important reactions
The Grand Prix of the Americas took place in a more classic way than the tortuous Argentina event. However, there were once again questions from the manufacturer in charge of MotoGP.
It started with the development, manufacturing and delivery of a new rear tire in record time on COTA despite understandable logistical problems (the 300 tires produced arrived in two stages, and the drivers in FP1 and FP2 only benefited from the softest rubber).
This tire, qualified as Medium and built to resist Ducati and integrating a stiffer carcass, aroused some suspicious preconceptions, particularly among Yamaha riders who, satisfied with the previous version, feared losing performance. These arguments will not hold up in the face of the first revolutions of this new envelope which will immediately reassure: the carcass is certainly more rigid, but the rubbers are softer, and apart from wear which will be corrected by a small increase in pressure, the tire will perform even better in this version.
The times are becoming interesting, approaching to within a second of those of the Bridgestones with the arrival of the medium tires.
Marquez, which we judged to be more accessible on this track with the Michelins, maintains a significant advantage (from 2,5 to 7 tenths of a second) in the FP but sees Lorenzo get closer to 69 thousandths in Q2 and he is actually ahead in the Warm- up by Iannone by two tenths. However, in the race, Marquez won with, once again, a significant lead.
The new Michelin rear tires will in fact behave a bit like Bridgestones in terms of wear by adopting a more comparable construction.
The Bridgestones, equipped with rigid carcasses at the rear, could run with a pressure of 1,3 bars cold at the rear and 1,9 bars at the front and it seems that the Michelins are getting closer to these values.
Whatever the choice of rubber softness of the drivers, we see in fact by observing the curves that they bend after the halfway point.
Marquez, who has analyzed the phenomenon well, then decides to take the risk of leaving soft front tire in order to maximize the advantage that his driving gives him at the start of the race, the reduced acceleration capabilities of his Honda will no longer be a problem as soon as the rear envelopes lose their effectiveness. He can then count on his ability to avoid overheating of his rubber when braking to limit wear and finish the race in acceptable conditions. This apparently risky strategy will pay off, supplemented by the racing events which will eliminate his competitors one by one.
Iannone, restrained in his behavior and by his starting position following his blunder in Argentina, Lorenzo late for the championship, forced to ensure, Dovizioso and Pedrosa which neutralize each other...
The only driver who remains in an attack position will be disturbed by clutch problems, and will fall at the start of the event. Red, who stated: “The Michelin front tire is stiffer than the Bridgestone, and will perhaps solve our wear problems with the M1”
Valentino Rossi, who now relies on his consistency to shine in the championship, was surprised by his front tire. On the strategy side, if he mastered consistency with the Bridgestones, it should be noted that apart from the “flag to flag” race at Rio Hondo, the winners each time took a tire risk…
Lorenzo riding the rear tender in Qatar, Marquez using the front tender at COTA. This remark can be of great importance for the Jerez circuit which we will now approach.
Jerez, difficult?
On paper, Jerez is not a demanding circuit in terms of tires. It's a track with breaks in rhythm and braking, but where fluidity and cornering take precedence over acceleration for the choice of rubber. This is certainly why Lorenzo is generally in his business there.
The track is narrow (11 meters) and is also lined with very high curbs which prevent Marc Marquez from “cutting” the curves as usual.
It is undoubtedly for this reason that turn No. 13 (which bears the name "Lorenzo"), approached at around 75 km/h, is an overtaking spot which traditionally generates dramatic moments just before the finish. of this course where it is difficult to overtake.
The fast curves are mostly taken in third gear, with the big accelerations taking place with the bike upright.
This route requires a rather rigid front tire, to resist braking and have good precision in curves, as well as a rather soft rear tire, which the low tire severity in terms of wear allows.
However, this configuration is not particularly favorable to the Michelins whose grip rear tire tends to push the front at fault. Michelin's tests in Jerez in November 2015 were also punctuated by numerous falls of this type which suggest a delicate choice (even if the envelopes have evolved a lot since) for this event.
It must be said that the Spanish track has very progressive grip: it is often faster in the morning than in the afternoon because the hotter it is, the less grip there is.
The asphalt contains a lot of bitumen and softens when it is hot, also and contrary to popular belief, in Jerez, it is preferable to choose a soft tire in these conditions and a harder tire in cool temperatures where abrasion increases.
This is also why the grip is good in the rain.
For this event, you will have to qualify as best as possible and avoid the typical start-of-race errors, with full tanks forcing you to expand when braking, in order to limit the number of difficult overtakes. Then you will have to maintain a pace, as high as possible until the end of the race, making a judicious choice of tires to avoid being passed in the famous turn n°13 just before the finish.
It is Lorenzo who is now in a position to attack and this race corresponds to his driving quality.
This year Marquez will have a counter-rotating engine which can help him (the reversing torque of the engine opposed in rotation to the inertia forces stored by the wheels, allows for greater maneuverability) in the choice of his trajectories.
Perhaps Rossi will stand out with, finally, a daring tire choice.
The Ducati Desmosedici GP 16 will show if their evolution when entering corners and in curves, with a less rigid frame, is relevant (which will also interest the n°99 whose transfer is effective to the reds!).
Photo: Michelin Rotunda in Jerez
