A third win for Viñales #10 michelin Moto GP TM o o t MAG agence cha
contents 3 - foreword 4/5 - overview Jerez & Le mans 6 - Readily available on-screen information 7 - Zarco goes from strength-to-strength 8 - Getting to grips with a new track surface 9 - A new front tyre for Mugello 10 - Lorenzo s first podium for Ducati 11 - Wet-weather tyres put to the test 12 - Farewell champion 13 - Nicolas Goubert says...
foreword The start of the European leg of the 2017 campaign took the MotoGP TM protagonists to Jerez and Le Mans, against the backdrop of an intense Yamaha/Honda duel that had been brewing since the beginning of the season. That theme very much continued in Spain and France, with Honda dominating at Jerez before Yamaha fought back at Le Mans
OVERVIEW After the first five grands prix of the season, the top eight contenders in the MotoGP TM classification all have at least one DNF against their name. Ninth-placed Jonas Folger is the only rider to have scored in every race to-date, with a tally of 38 points thus far. This general absence of consistency speaks volumes for the calibre of competition in the premier class in 2017 not to mention the risks that many are now prepared to take in their pursuit of the coveted world championship crown. Having arrived at Le Mans at the top of the table, Valentino Rossi found his position usurped by his team-mate in a Grand Prix de France that will go down in the history books as the two Yamaha riders duelled tooth-and-nail right the way down to the very last lap. Following a late mistake, Rossi made one final effort to wrest the lead back away from Maverick Viñales only to come unstuck at the Bleus Esses. After crashing out in Texas and managing no better than sixth at Jerez, the Spaniard duly returned to the top step of the rostrum at La Sarthe scene of his maiden MotoGP TM podium a year earlier with Suzuki. In so doing, he snatched the championship lead back away from his team-mate, who had supplanted him at the summit of the standings in Austin. Three out of five for Maverick
OVERVIEW Having claimed three victories from the opening five races, Viñales is unquestionably the man to beat at this early stage of proceedings, with the Yamaha rider currently sitting 17 points clear of Gran Premio de España winner Dani Pedrosa in second. Firmly back in contention this season, the Honda rider is reaping the rewards of a change in approach and the appointment of a new management team with a hat-trick of podiums to-date and only one failure to score, in Argentina. That is a better record than compatriot Marc Márquez, who has already made a couple of costly mistakes at Termas de Rio Honda and Le Mans. Just fourth in the standings, the defending champion is 27 points adrift of leader Viñales slightly more than the value of a race win but with 13 grands prix still to run, there is plenty of time to catch up yet.
TECHNOLOGY Readily available on-screen information Since the beginning of the season, MotoGP TM television viewers can see in real time which compound of tyre each rider is using in the race courtesy of innovative new graphics: S for soft, M for medium and H for hard. The wheels are depicted along with the appropriate rider s name when the producer chooses to display the information on the screen. This data is provided by the compulsory pressure sensor on all MotoGP TM bike wheels, and is verified by Michelin s technicians after the tyres have been fitted for practice and qualifying sessions, and for the races themselves.
CHAMPION Just as he had done in Qatar back in March, Johann Zarco led the opening six laps of the Grand Prix de France. This time, however, the Yamaha Tech 3 rider succeeded in remaining upright. After having to give best to his factory Yamaha counterparts Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi, the Frenchman concentrated his efforts on holding onto third place, before the nine-time world champion s last lap accident elevated him to the second step on the rostrum. Third was already good, but second is obviously even better, he agreed after delighting the partisan crowd by securing the best premier class finish for a Frenchman on home soil since Christian Sarron at Paul Ricard back in 1988. At Le Mans, Zarco took full advantage of the work accomplished during the test at Jerez. We focused on improving drive out of the corners, reveals his crew chief, Guy Coulon, and the results were immediate. Having made consistent progress since the first race in Qatar, there is now just one remaining step for Johann to take the one required to become a MotoGP TM race-winner. Zarco goes from strength-to-strength Could that breakthrough victory come soon? We re getting closer, but we still have improvements to make in terms of the general management of the bike, grip and acceleration, he muses. One thing I did learn at Le Mans is that starting on the front row of the grid is key to a good finish. The reigning Moto2 world champion will clearly be aiming to practise what he preaches next time out in the Gran Premio d Italia at Mugello.
ADAPTATION Last winter, Le Mans Bugatti Circuit was completely changed no small task given that it involved laying down more than four kilometres of new asphalt. The objective was to smooth out the bumps to improve grip something that had been distinctly lacking in recent years, particularly in wet conditions. Michelin organised a special test day just before the Gran Premio de España to learn as much as possible about this new surface, attended by Yamaha duo Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales, KTM team-mates Bradley Smith and Pol Espargaró and Cal Crutchlow for Honda. This was an important fact-finding exercise to enable us to take the most appropriate tyre allocation to the Grand Prix de France, explains Nicolas Goubert. In preparation, Michelin s engineers had already gleaned a lot of information from the 24 Heures Motos held at the Bugatti Circuit in April, through the Clermont- Ferrand based manufacturer s relationship in the FIM Endurance World Championship with Yamaha teams Viltaïs Experience and LMD63. That meant we already had some feedback about the gap between the new and former grip level, wear rates, optimum working temperature and the time taken to reach that stage, adds the man in charge of Michelin s MotoGP TM programme. Getting to grips with a new track surface
TYRES A new front tyre for Mugello From the Gran Premio d Italia, MotoGP TM riders will have access to a new type of front tyre benefitting from a slightly stiffer construction an architecture that most notably enhances stability under braking. This tyre was first used at the final grand prix of 2016 in Valencia, but following complaints from a number of competitors about chatter, Michelin s engineers developed it into the front tyre that has been available since the beginning of this year. With several riders having subsequently revised their opinions, we took the decision to give them all the opportunity to re-evaluate the architecture trialled at the end of 2016 during the test at Jerez the day after the Gran Premio de España, states Nicolas Goubert. To make it a relevant comparison, we offered this construction with two different compounds, to allow everybody access to the same compound that they had run in the race. The conclusion was a clear advantage for the stiffer construction. We didn t have time to get this tyre ready for use in the Grand Prix de France, but it will be fully available for the next race at Mugello.
HAPPY Lorenzo s first podium for Ducati Following a trio of challenging overseas races to start the season, Jorge Lorenzo claimed his first podium of the 2017 campaign at Jerez and his first aboard the Ducati Desmosedici. The three-time world champion couldn t have wished for a better gift to celebrate his 30th birthday, at the same circuit where 15 years earlier he had made his very first grand prix start in the 125cc category. Whilst he could only qualify on the third row, the Spaniard had advanced to fourth place within just six laps before relieving Johann Zarco of third. I think I made the right choice in terms of the front tyre, the Mallorca-born rider reflected. I m delighted to be able to share this first podium for Ducati with all my fans who have turned out to support me at this fantastic circuit one that has rarely smiled upon Ducati in the past. That proves that we are heading in the right direction, even if my acclimatisation to the Desmosedici has been a bit more complicated than I d anticipated.
TYRES Wet-weather tyres put to the test Hot on the heels of the test held after the Gran Premio de España at Jerez, Michelin organised another session in Valencia, with the intention of trying out new wet-weather tyres on an artificially soaked circuit. This year, Michelin is nolonger offering the option of intermediates, after the French manufacturer s wet-weather tyres demonstrated their capabilities last season in conditions ranging from a sodden surface to a drying track with just damp patches remaining. Such attributes clearly require continuous evolution and a tireless development ethos. In what was a particularly busy period for the MotoGP TM competitors, only the Honda Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS team was able to take part in the Michelin test. It s a shame that there were not more participants, acknowledges Nicolas Goubert, but we were still able to carry out a number of very specific analytical tests, all of which yielded useful results. This helped us to pinpoint a good direction to pursue for both the front and rear tyre.
NICKY Farewell champion Following a collision with a car whilst out training on his road bike, Nicky Hayden sadly succumbed to his injuries on Monday, March 22 at Cesena Hospital in Italy at the age of just 35. The American s passing has left the world of motorcycle racing in mourning. Born in Kentucky to a family of motorbike enthusiasts, Hayden achieved his life s ambition when he clinched the MotoGP world championship crown with Honda in 2006. A brave fighter on the track and the perfect gentleman off it, he was unanimously popular. After 13 seasons in the premier class, he made the move to the World Superbike Championship at the end of 2015 although he did return to MotoGP briefly towards the end of last year as a replacement for the injured Dani Pedrosa. We are all very sad and shocked by Nicky s passing, said Michelin Motorsport Director Pascal Couasnon. Nicky was a fierce competitor, a true champion and a very kind, generous and well-loved man. Michelin had the privilege of working with him during the season when he won the world title in 2006. His loss is a tragedy for his family and friends, quite clearly, but also for the world of motorcycle racing in general. So long, champion...
Nicolas Goubert says... At Jerez, our priority was to avoid the same kind of criticism that had been directed at us last year. The riders complained of too much wheel spin. This time, it was an entirely different story although as always at Jerez, we encountered variations in temperature between the morning and afternoon sessions. The lap times in the race were not quite as quick as we had been hoping for, and it is difficult to understand exactly why the grip of the track behaved differently from one session or one day to the next. We are still wondering if the rubber laid down by the Moto3 and Moto2 riders earlier in the day didn t have an effect on the performance of our tyres as some people say? We can t know for sure why but the surface gave very little grip at 2pm Sunday and that can only be explained by the climb in track temperature. The following race weekend at Le Mans, we found ourselves faced with a new asphalt surface. The changeable weather didn t grant the teams much time to set their bikes up for dry conditions but, from our side, we were able to gather plenty of data on our wet tyres, which worked very well during practice. We were similarly satisfied with the performance of the slick tyres we brought along. As anticipated, the lap times were significantly faster than last year and a number of riders even posted their quickest efforts towards the end of the race, which ensured a spectacular show from lights-to-flag.
calendar / ranking 2017 Championship 1 - Vińales (Yamaha)... 2 - Pedrosa (Honda)... 3 - Rossi (Yamaha)... 4 - Marquez (Honda)... 5 - Zarco (YAMAHA)... 6 - dovizioso (Ducati)... 7 - crutchlow (honda)...... 85 68 62 58 55 54 40 Date Grand Prix circuit pre-season sepang, philip island, losail 1 26/03 Qatar Losail International 2 09/04 Argentina Termas de Río Hondo 3 23/04 Américas Circuit Of The Americas 4 07/05 Spain Circuito de Jerez 5 21/05 France Le Mans 6 04/06 Italy Mugello 7 11/06 Catalunya barcelona-catalunya 8 25/06 Netherlands TT circuit Assen 9 02/07 Germany Sachsenring 10 06/08 CZECH REPUBLIC automotodrom Brno 11 13/08 austria Red-bull ring 12 27/08 GREAT BRITAIN Silverstone 13 10/09 San Marino Misano 14 24/09 Aragón MotorLand Aragón 15 15/10 Japan Twin Ring Motegi 16 22/10 Australia Phillip Island 17 29/10 Malaysia Sepang International 18 12/11 Valencia circuito ricardo tormo mag 8 mag 9 mag 10 mag 11 mag 12 mag 13 mag 14 mag 15