Bridgestone MotoGP Preview – Round 5: Great Britain, Silverstone Tuesday 15 June 2010 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard (asymmetric) For the first time since 1986 motorcycling’s premier class returns to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix on 20 June. Not only has the circuit not been on the calendar for the past 14 years, the track’s layout has been changed for this year too meaning it will be a new challenge for every team and rider on the grid, and for Bridgestone. Bridgestone’s task of tyre compound selection started upon Silverstone’s appointment as the host of the British Grand Prix and the completion of construction of the new circuit, and since work has been underway to ensure the best compounds are selected for an exciting race. Compound selection is a decision based mainly upon the layout and speed of the circuit, the abrasiveness of the tarmac, and the expected track temperature and weather conditions. The new Silverstone Grand Prix circuit has been designed with a fast and flowing layout, leading to the expectation that it will be one of the highest speed circuits on the calendar. Straight line speed stresses the centre section of the tyres, the rears in particular, whereas fast corners clearly stress the tyres’ shoulders. Silverstone features eight left-handed corners and ten rights, and so demands more from the right side of the tyres. Asymmetric rear slicks will be used to improve durability on the right shoulder whilst maximising warm-up performance of the left shoulder. The track itself is reasonably abrasive which generates higher tyre temperature and wear. However, the track temperature in the region is expected to be cool, so for these reasons the medium and hard compound slicks have been chosen. The wide temperature operating range of Bridgestone’s tyres is of great help in selecting the correct two slick tyre compounds for the two new circuits on the calendar this year as this wide range means that the tyres are able to perform well across a broader range of conditions. Hiroshi Yamada Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “It is exciting to be going to Silverstone as it will be the first time in the premier class for most of the people in the paddock, including Bridgestone. Being a totally new circuit, it is a tough challenge for us but one that I am looking forward to with confidence. It should level the playing field for all the teams and riders as none have recent experience there. Those who can get to grips with it first will really shine, so I am looking forward to some good racing. Of course, the weather can often play a large part in the British Grand Prix, but it could be especially critical this year because of the limited track time the riders will have in which to learn the circuit and find a good setup.” Tohru Ubukata Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department “I think that even though Silverstone has been modified since last year we have a lot of good track experience from our Formula One activities, and we can use this data to predict the severity of the circuit on our tyres. Our Formula One experience at the circuit helps us enormously with our MotoGP tyre selection, and our engineers have also checked the tarmac just after the new circuit construction was completed to verify this data. “Silverstone is a fast circuit with some high lateral loads on the tyres, especially through corners such as Maggotts and Becketts, but there are also some areas of heavy braking such as for Stowe which focuses pressure on the centre section of the front tyre. “This is the first visit for Bridgestone to Silverstone in motorcycling’s premier class but, based on the data we have collected on the tarmac’s character, expected temperature, the new circuit layout, and our F1 experience, I am confident that we have selected the correct tyre compounds to provide an exciting race.” More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications: A fantastic new Silverstone awaits MotoGP for round five of the 2010 FIM World Championship as the redeveloped circuit plays host to the AirAsia British Grand Prix from June 18th-20th, the first time the World Championship will be staged at the Northamptonshire venue since 1986. The track has been widely noted as one of the fastest circuits on this year’s calendar and Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo will be looking to capitalise on the potential speed as he bids to further strengthen his hold on the top spot in the standings. The Fiat Yamaha rider, who has a 25-point lead heading into round five, will be facing the unknown however as he and his fellow premier class riders take to the track for the first time in its current form. Now locked onto his fellow Spaniard and sitting in second place, Dani Pedrosa will be going for his first back-to-back premier class wins after victory at Mugello. Having finished ahead of Lorenzo in the last race the Repsol Honda man secured his ninth win in the elite category, but he will have to contend with team-mate Andrea Dovizioso who has also enjoyed a strong start to the campaign. The Italian won the British GP at Donington last year in a rain-affected contest his first and to date only premier class victory and has been on the podium in three of the four rounds so far in 2010. Ducati Marlboro’s Nicky Hayden will be aiming to bounce back from the disappointment of not finishing the race in Italy as he looks to close a 19-point gap to fourth-placed Dovizioso, whilst Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) will draw on the inspiration of his British-based podium last year as he goes for consolidation as his status as the highest place private rider. Marco Melandri (San Carlo Honda Gresini) will want to build on his best result of the campaign so far in the last round (fifth), and Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro) also scored his highest placement of the season yet with fourth in Italy. The Australian will be eager to get his first podium of 2010 and improve on his standing of eighth. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Marco Simoncelli currently leads a group of three rookies that includes Ben Spies (Monster Yamaha Tech 3) and Héctor Barberá (Páginas Amarillas Aspar) and all will continue their education at Silverstone. Colin Edwards (Monster Yamaha Tech3), Hiroshi Aoyama (Interwetten Honda MotoGP Team), Aleix Espargaró (Pramac Racing) and Loris Capirossi (Rizla Suzuki) will all be targeting progressive points hauls, whilst Mika Kallio (Pramac Racing) and Álvaro Bautista (Rizla Suzuki) will hope their respective injuries do not hinder their early season progress any more than has already been the case. In missing the last race at Mugello Valentino Rossi failed to start a Grand Prix for the first time in his career, bringing to an end a record sequence of 230 successive Grand Prix starts. The World Champion continues his recovery from his broken leg, with the Fiat Yamaha team opting to not field a replacement rider at Silverstone. The Italian’s garage will be set up however with both his YZR-M1 machines on display for fans to see. Moto2 UK fans will also get the chance to see the Moto2 class up close in its debut season as the early Championship battle develops, and as each round goes by more and more riders are contributing their names to the fight for the inaugural 600cc title. Toni Elías (Gresini Racing Moto2) arrives at Silverstone having stretched his lead at the top of the standings by a single point to 19 with his fifth placed finished at Mugello, with Shoya Tomizawa (Technomag-CIP) and Simone Corsi (JiR Moto2) separated by just four points after placing sixth and third respectively in the previous round. Andrea Iannone’s (Fimmco Speed Up) home win and Sergio Gadea’s (Tenerife 40 Pons) second place mean they have both also moved up the standings and will aim for further points and momentum. So far Elías, Corsi, Gadea and Gabor Talmacsi are the only riders to have scored points in all four rounds, and Fimmco Speed Up rider Talmacsi is scheduled to mark the milestone of 150 GP starts at Silverstone. Marc VDS Racing Team rider Scott Redding will be optimistic that home support can help him to a strong result. The British rider will be hoping for a repeat of his home GP win at Donington in the 125cc class in 2008, when he became the youngest ever GP winner. Home hopes will be doubled by the presence of wildcard rider Kev Coghlan for the Monlau Joey Darcey team. 125cc In the 125cc class home representative Bradley Smith, who is still in search of his first podium of the campaign, will be marking this race down as one at which he will be desperate to please the British fans. The 2009 World Championship runner-up is the only non-Spanish rider inside the top six in the current standings he is fourth at present and if Smith were to take victory this weekend he would end a run which has seen Spanish riders win the last 14 eighth-litre races. At present it is his Bancaja Aspar team-mate Nico Terol who leads the Championship on 85 points. Terol’s formidable start to the campaign a win and three second places have made him the first rider since Álvaro Bautista in 2006 to finish on the podium in the opening four 125cc races of the season. Pol Espargaró (Tuenti Racing) at six points further back, has now finished inside the top four in eight successive races, which include three victories and three further podiums. Marc Márquez (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) moved into third in the standings with his first GP victory at Mugello in the last round, and Smith, Efrén Vázquez (Tuenti Racing) and Esteve Rabat (Blusens-STX) are separated by just two points from fourth to sixth. Danny Webb (Andalucia Cajasol) will be another rider looking for a home result, and he will be joined by wildcard riders Taylor Mackenzie (KRP), James Lodge (RS Earnjmax Motorcycle), Deane Brown (Colin Appleyard/Macadam Racing), William Dunlop (James Delaney) and Andrew Reid (Aztec Grand Prix). The AirAsia British Grand Prix takes place from June 18th-20th with the opening 125cc practice session starting the weekend’s on-track action at 12.40pm local time on Friday. There will also be the 2010 Day of Champions which will take place on Thursday June 17th. More, from a press release issued by Marlboro Ducati: DUCATI MARLBORO TEAM EXCITED TO DISCOVER ‘NEW’ SILVERSTONE The MotoGP World Championship visits the first of two new circuits for 2010 – the other being Aragon, Spain this weekend as the historical circuit of Silverstone returns to the motorcycle Grand Prix calendar. The Northamptonshire track has previously hosted the British Grand Prix on no fewer than ten occasions, from 1977 to 1986, before switching to Donington Park in 1987, where it remained up until last year. Much, if not everything, has changed since those days. The track itself has been vastly updated, as have the pit garages, circuit infrastructure and the grandstands. Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden, who were given a warm reception by the thousands of Ducatisti present at WDW last Saturday, cannot wait to discover the ‘new’ Silverstone. The Australian actually raced on the old layout in 2000 and 2001 when he was competing in the British Championship and he is looking forward to experiencing the special atmosphere of this legendary motorsport venue once again. On Wednesday Nicky Hayden will be attending a pre-event press conference in London, at the famous Lord’s Cricket Ground, alongside series leader Jorge Lorenzo, and British riders Bradley Smith, Scott Redding and Danny Webb. CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team “I am really pleased that MotoGP is going to Silverstone. I raced there when I was living in England, before I started in the World Championship, but not on the current layout, which has been changed a lot for this year and there is really only one section left that I know. Anyway, it will be a fast circuit, one of the fastest on the calendar, and one of the most spectacular and I’m sure there’ll be a great atmosphere. I can’t wait to go there because I have always preferred Silvertsone to Donington Park. I think it will be more fun for the riders and for the fans too.” NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team “I like the idea of going to a new track it is exciting and it’s a challenge for the riders and for the team. I have seen a video of the track and obviously the team have the layout, which we have looked at together and talked about what gear ratios we might need, things like that. It looks like a fast track and we have a fast bike so that is a positive start. We have an intense run of races coming up and even though unfortunately the race at Mugello didn’t go to plan we did a good job in practice there and we’ll be looking to do the same thing here.” VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager “As far as I’m concerned this is the first time that the team goes to race at a new track so that will be a new experience for me. On paper Silverstone appears very fast and this is a characteristic that both the riders and the bike will enjoy but, having said that, there are certain variables that we have to bear in mind. From the weather, that forecasts say will be good but in England you never know, to the nature of the circuit, the asphalt, and how quickly we’ll be able to find the right set-up. At Mugello last week we worked on some new set-up solutions that we may try at Silverstone or, depending on circumstances, during future race weekends”. THE TRACK Silverstone is located within a small village, of a little over 2,000 inhabitants, in the county of Northamptonshire. After almost quarter of a century at Donington Park, MotoGP returns to Silverstone this weekend for the first time since 1986. The circuit has changed dramatically in accordance with safety measures for the riders and spectators and was recently the subject of further updates to the track layout, garage complex and grandstands. The ‘new’ Silverstone was officially opened on 29th April 2010. It promises to be one of the fastest and most spectacular circuits on the calendar and should be very popular amongst the majority of MotoGP riders. SILVERSTONE FACTS Circuit Record: N/A Best Pole: N/A Circuit Length: 5.902km MotoGP Race 2010: 23 laps (120.635 km) MotoGP Schedule 2010: 13:00 Local Time (GMT + 2) Number of laps: 20 Race distance: 118.040km