When, last week, we published an article titled “MotoGP: Why the rear handlebar brake? », we did not think that Danilo Petrucci was going to make his contribution so quickly by publishing an “educational” video on the subject…
Here is one more element to put in the file, a video that we will also integrate into our original article.
Danilo Petrucci: " Hi guys! Today I will explain to you how the rear thumb brake works. Not everyone has this kind of brake. Normally only taller riders have it, or those who are not able to brake in right turns since, as you know, the rear brake is on the right.
So when you're really leaning (these bikes take a lot of angle), the pedal is very close to the body, far from the ground, you're not able to brake and lean at the same time. So, like some other riders, I have a thumb brake on my motorcycle and basically it works like a normal brake. It works by pushing the lever, not by pulling the lever because the lever is that of the clutch, since, as you see, it is not a stock motorcycle.
Normally I use it when I'm leaning, when I cut the throttle and my feet are like that, so they don't bend and I'm not able to brake. To be able to use this brake while setting the angle, I would need a larger angle, which is not possible. So since the middle of last year I had a thumb brake installed.
I think the first rider to use this type of brake was Mick Doohan. His right leg was weakened so he must have had a brake placed elsewhere. I saw that many pilots had this little lever installed now. I really like the thumb brake and I'm also thinking about having a small lever put in here, as it gets a little tiring with the clutch.
The circuits where you use this brake the most are often the most difficult for the bike, as well as tight circuits. Jerez is a circuit where you use it a lot because there are many right-hand corners that you enter after an uphill straight, like #1 and 2. It's in these corners that the bike works hard.
I also use it to manage acceleration, because in this case the bikes struggle a lot so I use it a lot. Generally speaking, you use this brake on many circuits and it also depends a lot on how you adapt to using and mixing the two rear brakes. »
