Michelin ready for any challenge Phillip Island can throw at it
Friday, 20 October 2023
There will be a lot of talk about tyres at the MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, and Michelin is ready for almost anything the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit can offer.
During the season, one of the talking points has been the minimum pressures of the tyres, and while the numbers can seem confusing, it is one of the most important aspects of racing at the 4.45km Phillip Island circuit.
A MotoGP™ rider can choose between 22 slick tyres to use during Practice, Qualifying and the 27-lap race and during the race, the minimum pressures are stipulated at 1.88bar front and 1.68bar rear (27.27psi and 24.36psi respectively).
Advertisement
Dropping below that minimum will result in a warning and, for subsequent offences, a penalty for the rider concerned.
This is so important this season because of the increase in aerodynamics over recent seasons. While the 300 horsepower motors have not been developed much, the increase in aero means that braking distances are shorter than ever, and riders can get stuck behind another bike – and stuck in its hot air.
Michelin says that the peak operating temperature of the tyres is 100˚ C front and 120˚ C rear; if they go above that, the rider will lose grip and, therefore, corner speed – and could increase the risk of crashing out of the race.
While the company’s ‘hot weather’ tyres, used recently in India and Indonesia, are not required at Phillip Island, the track’s long corners and anti-clockwise layout demand a harder tyre on the left side than on the right.
Michelin Motorsport’s Two-Wheeled Manager Piero Taramaso explained, “At Phillip Island, the combination of the highly asymmetrical layout and the changing weather frequently pushes the tyres to their limits.
“The versatility of tyres and the teams' responsiveness will be crucial; with very changeable weather and cool temperatures, the right choice of tyres will be essential.”
All that means that the teams and riders will have some very important choices to make before Saturday’s Tissot Sprint and Sunday’s 2023 MotoGP™ Guru by Gryfyn Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix.
