Tyre war heats up

American Colin Edwards believes it is too early to gauge whether Michelin’s new 16-inch front tyre will be a match for its Bridgestone rival in the 2007 MotoGP world championship.

Michelin is pushing for its riders to switch to the new 16-inch front, believing it will be better suited to the new generation 800cc machines than the old 16.5 front.

With the 800cc machines allowing increased corner speeds and later braking with less horsepower on the straights, Michelin is experimenting with the new 16-inch front in a bid to try and close the gap on rivals Bridgestone.

Edwards described Bridgestone’s front tyre as ‘gold’ at the end of 2006, and while he was an instant fan of Michelin’s new 16-inch front he said: “I’m not sure we are there yet. I’m not sure if we have that standard, we think we do and think we are on to something but we never really spend any time with the Bridgestone riders or around them to understand whether they have got an advantage.”

“Time will tell but at the next test they’ll have new stuff again. I think it will be even better by the time the season starts.”