MotoGP increasingly loaded with support on the front axle, drivers and teams who have to deal as best they can with front tire pressure which reduces the feeling when it rises too much, controls which are slow to be put in place: We had every reason to take advantage of this Grand Prix break to take stock with Piero Taramasso, manager of Michelin's two-wheel competition.
And we were not disappointed: Clear and precise, even exclusive and reassuring information regarding a future on a subject which, until then, constituted a real headache for MotoGP teams !
Thanks to him !
Piero Taramasso : " Yes, it's true that after 5 GPs there is a little break, so that also allows us to look at the results, how it went and draw conclusions. I recall the changes made. A reduced range of tires, since we had reduced the catalog by 3 or 4 fewer specifications, we had eliminated the mixtures which were a little less constant or a little more difficult to set a rev. Then we removed a slightly softer front, and we introduced a slightly harder front. This is to respond to the modifications and evolution of motorcycles, machines which always have more load on the front, with aerodynamics and Ride Height Devices. We had clearly seen in previous seasons that there was always more stress on the front tire, so here, let's say that we reinforced the choice a little. And at the back, we eliminated the mixtures which were a little less interesting. And then, in agreement with Dorna and the teams, we reduced the rear allocation: we went from 3 specifications to only 2, distributing more quantity on the soft, with 7 softs and 5 mediums. , so let's say that that was also a choice. With the experience of seven seasons in MotoGP, we knew we could do it: we know that with 2 rear specifications, you manage to cover all possible temperature zones, and let's say that until now, it has worked well walk. The rear tires did their job well, in terms of performance, since we broke all the records in Portimão, we broke the records in Austin too. In Argentina and at Le Mans, the conditions weren't great, we didn't break the records but we were still close and the tires were there in terms of grip, and above all consistency. Consistently, we have seen that the drivers can really attack from the start to the end of the races. Well, the Sprint is not very representative because it is not a lot of laps, but in Sunday's race, we saw that the drivers can attack from start to finish and we saw races quite pretty, with overtaking and spectacle.
So for us, the objective has been met and I hope it will continue like this »
« And after, yes, over 2 or 3 races, we heard a few drivers who always talk about the temperature and the pressure of the front tires. It happens that it fluctuates a little bit and it's difficult to keep under control, but that happens on circuits where it was really hot, where we had really hot track temperatures, and then, as I said before at the moment, it is really the evolution of the motorcycle which means that there is now this problem. As soon as we realized that motorcycles were evolving so much at the front, we immediately got to work to make a new front tire. So, we tested the first prototypes of this new front tire at our home in Ladoux, at Michelin, then we tested them this week at Mugello internally. So the results are encouraging and positive, so we will soon offer them to the Factory test teams. We will give the same quantities to Ducati, Yamaha, Honda, KTM and Aprilia, so they will be able to test it in private testing and if the whole plan is on schedule, we will be able to offer it to the official riders at the IRTA test in Misano. It is therefore on the right track and the objective of this tire is to be less sensitive to these temperature and pressure fluctuations, pilots will be able to use it at lower pressures: The objective is to use on track at 1,7 bar. Today, we are at 1,88 bar, so it is a significant drop, but it also gives more support when the drivers brake and enter the corner. It's a new carcass and a new profile. »
New carcass and new profile, but with the tires you already know?
« Right, right! »
This actually leads to my 2nd question, even if it already partially answers it in the medium term. We were supposed to have a tire pressure check in Jerez but that was postponed until at least Mugello. Where are we on the controls that need to be put in place?
« Yes, so I have some information. It's not Michelin that manages this, but of course, we follow it closely because it's something that directly concerns the tires. So it's true that it was more difficult on a technical level to set up than everyone imagined. But what I can say is that today the system is 99% ready, so soon I think there will be 2 or 3 Grand Prix trials in real time with the new software, the good algorithms and the whole system which works well since it is 99% finalized, and at the end of these 2 or 3 Grands Prix, it will be put in place. So I can't comment on a date, but at the latest I would see him at the start at Silverstone or just before. But here, I think we have practically reached the end and we are talking about 2 or 3 test Grands Prix. »
The system is based on French sensors manufactured in Toulouse. Who chose them and why, instead of McLaren sensors?
« Yes, last season there were McLarens and there were LDL, the French company. The choice fell on LDL (editor's note: from now on LID Technologies) because it is very reliable equipment and many teams knew them. DORNA also knows this material because it is already used in MotoE. MotoE is already equipped with LDL sensors and there is already pressure control which works very well, and these are also the same ones that are used in Moto2, where there is also pressure control. So because it was equipment known by DORNA, reliable, recognized by all the teams and Michelin, the choice was easy. It is therefore the reference sensor to ensure compliance with the minimum pressures that we give. And what must also be said is that the McLaren sensors had another advantage: with these sensors, you can take the temperature. They have infrared inside, they have 5 infrared rays which go on the tire, so on the Max angles, at mid-angle and in the center, and so we can have with these sensors, we can have the info of instantaneous temperatures of the tire, inside. The LDL only measures the cavity temperature, the air inside. So that's the big difference and today almost all teams use both sensors. If you look, there are 2 sensors on the wheels, 2 valves that are opposed to balance the wheel. So everyone uses both, but the reference sensors for pressure are LDL. And then, we had to set up communication between the sensors and the ECU box which has a Magneti Marelli Software, all of that had to work also for DORNA, Time Keeping and company. So it wasn't easy. I expected it to be easier and faster, but when I really saw the complexity and all the work they did, either on the DONA, Time Keeping side, or on the LDL side, the work done is truly exceptional! »
