MotoGP: ‘Special demands’ on Michelin at Silverstone

This weekend’s British Grand Prix will place ‘special demands’ on Michelin’s tyres, as the 2017 MotoGP championship heads to one of the fastest, bumpiest and longest tracks of the season – coupled with the unique demands of the British weather.

That’s the view of Two Wheeled Motorsports Manager Piero Taramasso, who nonetheless is confident that they’ll be well equipped for the Northamptonshire circuit given last year’s experiences with it.

“Silverstone is one of the fastest tracks on the calendar and gives the riders one of the few opportunities to fully open-up a MotoGP bike. This puts special demands on the tyres and when it is added to the 10 right and 8 left corners it makes for a very technical circuit, which needs some special attention to produce a good lap.

“It’s also very open, with little elevation, so wind can be an issue and it can make the track surface quite cool, and as always, we have the threat of changeable weather in England, so we must be prepared for all eventualities, because it has also been known to be very hot at Silverstone at this time of the year.

“We believe our range of tyres will be ideally suited to the track’s layout, and its asphalt, and look forward to our first oversea trip since we went to America!”

To cope with Silverstone, the French firm will bring soft, medium and hard compound tyres for both the front and rear, with the front soft and all the rears having an asymmetrical design. The right side of those tyre will be a harder compound, with the softer shoulder on the left designed to warm up quicker and give the riders greater feel and confidence.

They’ll also bring both soft and extra soft wet tyres, with all the rain rubber being symmetrical.