#8 michelin Moto GP MAG TM o o t The contenders in 2017 agence cha
Contents 3 - Foreword 4/5 - Interview: Loris Capirossi 6 - ViŃales in the starting blocks 7 - Marquez eager to defend his crown 8 - Lorenzo starts afresh 9 - Rossi the omnipresent threat 10 - Automatic tyre detection 11 - Slicks or rain tyres 12 - Nicolas Goubert says... 13/14 - Sepang, Philip Island & losail tests
FOREWORD Over the past decade, in an effort to curb inflation and control costs in a championship that is always striving for technological innovation, MotoGP s lawmakers have significantly reduced the number of authorised pre-season test days. In 2017, riders and teams were permitted just three three-day tests ahead of the start of the campaign. The first took place in Malaysia, the second in Australia and the third in Qatar, at the same circuit that will host the curtain-raising grand prix on March 26.
INTERVIEW LORIS capirossi Nine test days to prepare for 2017 Fully recognising how vital these pre-season tests are, the championship s teams, manufacturers, Dorna Sport and Michelin worked together to select the three circuits to be used, explains MotoGP Safety Advisor Loris Capirossi, who is now also a representative for Dorna Sport in Race Direction. In February and March, the only realistic options are in either the southern hemisphere or the tropics. As a venue for pre-season testing, Sepang is non-negotiable, continues Capirossi. Even if it frequently rains, we know it will be hot and the track layout is both technical and fast, with two long straights followed by heavy braking zones. That makes it an all-round challenge, with the type of extreme conditions that put engines, tyres and riders alike thoroughly through their paces.
After Sepang, MotoGP s travelling circus headed en masse to Phillip Island, where mid-february meant summer in Australia. Phillip Island is a very different proposition to Sepang. With an average lap speed of 182kph, it is one of the quickest circuits on the calendar and, instead of heavy braking zones, it offers long, sweeping corners that truly test chassis and tyres. Finally, competitors travel to Losail for a dress rehearsal just a fortnight before the season officially revs into life. These last three days of testing in Qatar are essential, since it is at this point that the teams must confirm certain technical decisions. After that, manufacturers must seal the engines that will be used over the course of the entire 18-race campaign.
THE YOUNG PRETENDER Viñales in the starting blocks Recruited to replace Jorge Lorenzo at Movistar Yamaha, it evidently did not take Maverick Viñales long to get to grips with the new M1. Having already impressed by posting the fastest lap during the test in Valencia the day after the final grand prix of 2016, the former Suzuki rider similarly starred in Malaysia, Australia and Qatar by topping the timesheets on all occasions to set out his stall as a serious MotoGP title contender. Four test sessions and four fastest times. maverick Viñales
THE CHAMPION Having claimed three world championship titles from just four seasons in the premier class, Marc Marquez is unquestionably the man to beat in MotoGP. Despite seeing his supremacy come under threat during the winter from Maverick Viñales, the Honda rider has refused to be rattled and has instead calmly focused his efforts on developing the new RC213V. Whilst acknowledging that the Japanese manufacturer s latest bike will likely still require some fine-tuning at the opening grands prix, Marquez has vowed to make the most of the bad weekends, which last year proved to be the key to his championship triumph... Marquez eager to defend his crown
NEW YEAR, NEW CHALLENGE Lorenzo starts afresh After nine seasons competing for Yamaha, Jorge Lorenzo faces a new challenge in 2017 with Ducati. The Italian manufacturer whose first and to-date only MotoGP title was secured by Casey Stoner in 2007 is counting upon the Spaniard to provide the final missing link after returning to the top step of the podium in 2016 for the first time in six years. Not yet completely comfortable aboard the Desmosedici, Lorenzo has maintained a conspicuously low profile during winter testing. I still need to adapt properly to the characteristics of my new bike, he remarked, but the main thing is that I have the full support of the team behind me as I learn.
THE VETERAN Rossi the omnipresent threat At 38 years of age, Valentino Rossi is preparing to embark upon what looks set to be his penultimate campaign of grand prix racing. Having finished as world championship runner-up in 2014, 2015 and 2016, can the Yamaha rider finally clinch the tenth title that he has been chasing for the past seven years? That is the clear objective, asserts Yamaha Team Manager Massimo Meregalli. He may no longer be a young rider, but Valentino remains as competitive as ever and his tremendous experience is a key weapon in his armoury. Not to mention the opportunity to exploit the growing rivalry between Marc Marquez and Maverick Viñales...
SENSORS Compound information Until now, the only way of telling what type of compound riders are running has been via the different coloured strips on the tyre sidewalls. From this season, however, every wheel will additionally be listed by Michelin as a function of the tyre that has been fitted, and this information will be communicated to Race Direction the tyres compulsory pressure sensors. In turn, TV production companies will simply need to collate the data and transfer it to the screen.
TYRES Slicks or rain tyres The major tyre change ahead of the 2017 MotoGP campaign is the absence of intermediates. We supplied intermediate tyres in 2016 at the request of the championship promoter, to enable riders to run on a partially wet circuit and safeguard the spectacle for television and trackside spectators, reveals Nicolas Goubert, Deputy Director of Michelin Motorsport. As it turned out our hard-compound rain tyres worked extremely well in drying conditions. The regulations now stipulate, however, that there must be an additional front and rear slick option, which will make for a total of three different dry weather tyres. An extra rear soft will also be made available to each of the fastest two riders in Q1 who progress on to Q2, to ensure that they are not unfairly disadvantaged in the race the following day.
NICOLAS GOUBERT SAYS... A year on from returning to the MotoGP grid, we are continuing to develop our tyres by making full use of all the experience we gained in 2016. Since August, we have been working on a new front profile, which has considerably enhanced grip at maximum lean angles. As the title was already decided, we elected to debut it in the final race of last season in Valencia. Ninety per cent of the riders opted to use it, confirming to us that it was the right direction to be pursuing, which in turn made our lives easier at the start of this year. Over the winter months, we offered the riders a number of variations of this profile to test, with different architectures and new rubber compounds to continue improving grip levels and the speed at which our tyres reach their ideal working temperature. As regards the rear, the major innovation is a new casing in a bid to enhance overall performance with a particular focus on traction. Generally speaking, the target this year is to be stronger at the circuits where we struggled slightly in 2016, like Jerez, Sachsenring and Motegi.
tests sepang LAP TIMES 1 - maverick ViŃales (Yamaha)... 2 - andrea IANNONE (SUZUKI)... 3 - marc marquez (Honda)... 4 - andrea dovizioso (Ducati)... 5 - Dani Pedrosa (Honda)... 6 - valentino Rossi (Yamaha)... 7 - alvaro bautista (DUcAtI)... 8 - casey stoner (DUcAtI)... 9 - cal crutchlow (honda)... 10 - jorge lorenzo (DUcAtI)... 1:59.368 1:59.452 1:59.506 1:59.553 1:59.578 1:59.589 1:59.628 1:59.639 1:59.728 1:59.769
tests philip island LAP TIMES 1 - maverick ViŃales (Yamaha)... 2 - marc Marquez (Honda)... 3 - Dani Pedrosa (Honda)... 4 - jonas folger (Yamaha)... 5 - cal crutchlow (honda)... 6 - alex rins (suzuki)... 7 - andrea Dovizioso (Ducati)... 8 - jorge lorenzo (DUcAtI)... 9 - jack miller (honda)... 10 - Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia)... 1:28.549 1:28.843 1:29.033 1:29.042 1:29.101 1:29.103 1:29.248 1:29.342 1:29.358 1:29.361
tests losail LAP TIMES 1 - maverick ViŃales (Yamaha)... 2 - andrea Dovizioso (Ducati)... 3 - Dani Pedrosa (Honda)... 4 - jorge lorenzo (DUcAtI)... 5 - alvaro bautista (DUcAtI)... 6 - valentino Rossi (Yamaha)... 7 - scott redding (Ducati)... 8 - jonas folger (Yamaha)... 9 - cal crutchlow (honda)... 10 - johann Zarco (yamaha)... 1:54.330 1:54.401 1:54.469 1:54.519 1:54.714 1:54.732 1:54.750 1:54.807 1:54.821 1:54.900
CALENDAR / STANDINGS 2016 Championship 1 - Marquez (Honda)... 2 - Rossi (Yamaha)... 3 - lorenzo (Yamaha)... 4 - Vińales (Suzuki)... 5 - dovizioso (Ducati)... 6 - Pedrosa (Honda)... 7 - crutchlow (honda)...... 298 249 233 202 171 155 141 Date Grand Prix circuit pre-season sepang, philip island & Losail mag 8 1 26/03 Qatar Losail International 2 4 09/04 07/05 Argentina Spain Termas de Río Hondo Circuito de Jerez 3 5 23/04 21/05 Américas France Circuit Of The Americas Le Mans mag 9 mag 10 6 04/06 Italy Mugello 7 11/06 Catalunya barcelona-catalunya 8 25/06 Netherlands TT circuit Assen mag 11 9 02/07 Germany Sachsenring 10 06/08 CZECH REPUBLIC automotodrom Brno 11 13/08 austria Red-bull ring mag 12 12 27/08 GREAT BRITAIN Silverstone 13 10/09 San Marino Misano 14 24/09 Aragón MotorLand Aragón mag 13 15 15/10 Japan Twin Ring Motegi 16 22/10 Australia Phillip Island mag 14 17 29/10 Malaysia Sepang International 18 12/11 Valencia circuito ricardo tormo