Michelin’s MotoGP crew continues its Pacific Rim tour of duty this week, heading south from Motegi, Japan, to tackle the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island before returning northward for the Malaysian GP on October 19. The 2008 season concludes back in Europe, at Valencia, Spain, on October 26. Michelin’s top MotoGP performers will be looking to score more valuable points at Phillip Island, with the company’s top three riders separated by just 51 points with three races remaining. Rookie Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) is currently placed fourth overall, ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin) and Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin). Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) lies eighth in the points chase. Phillip Island is MotoGP’s fastest and arguably its favorite racetrack. Most riders love the seaside venue’s fast, open curves, which demand total commitment and trust in the tires. The circuit is also the most demanding for tires, because riders spend a lot of time at high lean angles and use big handfuls of throttle coming out of the sweeping corners. MICHELIN AND THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE OF PHILLIP ISLAND “Phillip Island is the toughest track we go to in MotoGP,” says Jean-Philippe Weber, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. “It demands a great deal from the tires. We use very specific rear tires for this track because it’s like nowhere else. It is the layout of the track that is aggressive, not the asphalt. The circuit features a lot of fast left-handers, through which riders use a lot of lean angle and a lot of throttle, which puts a lot of heat into the rear tire. The turns that put the most heat into the tires are Southern Loop and the final corner onto the start-finish. “The other challenge at Phillip Island is the track’s asymmetric layout. It is as asymmetric as Valencia, but more demanding. There are few right-handers, so it’s important to have good warm-up on the right side of the tires. The compound on the left side of the rear tires is therefore really hard, while the compound on the right is medium to medium-soft. The front tires don’t have such a tough time, so we use medium-compound fronts. “The third big challenge at Phillip Island is the weather, which can be a bit unpredictable. Conditions can be quite cool at this time of year, especially in the morning sessions, so this is something else we have to deal with, a big difference in temperature between the morning and the afternoon. Warm-up performance is particularly crucial in the morning sessions.” Recent winners at Phillip Island 2007 Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici), 41:12.244 2006 Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin), 44:15.621 (rain-affected race) 2005 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 41:08.542 2004 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 41:25.819 2003 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 41:53.543 2002 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 42:02.041 2001 Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:22.383 2000 Max Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR500-Michelin), 42:28.792 1999 Tadayuki Okada (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:09.271 1998 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:42.511 1997 Alex Crivillé (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:53.362 Phillip Island Data Lap record: Marco Melandri (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V-Michelin), 1:30.332, 177.266km/h-110.148mph (2005) Pole position 2007: Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin), 1:29.201 Michelin’s 2008 MotoGP riders Randy de Puniet (Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin) Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin) Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin) Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin) James Toseland (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin)