Bridgestone MotoGP™ Race Preview – Round 10: Laguna Seca, USA Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative) The second half of the 2012 MotoGP™ season gets underway with this weekend’s U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, home to one of the most challenging and exciting sections of tarmac on the calendar; the Corkscrew. Laguna Seca features rapid changes in both elevation and direction so the tyres supplied must provide excellent front-end stability. With this in mind, the front tyres developed for the U.S. Grand Prix deliver high levels of edge grip for the more demanding sections, while also granting excellent warm-up performance at a circuit that has one of the lowest average speeds in MotoGP™. There are seven left-hand turns compared to just four right-hand turns, so the asymmetric rear slicks feature slightly harder rubber on the left shoulder for greater durability though overall, the rubber compounds used in the rear tyres at Laguna Seca are towards the soft end of the spectrum. The wider operating temperature range of the 2012 specification MotoGP™ tyres will ensure riders have consistent grip levels and exemplary warm-up performance at a circuit which can experience large daily variations in ambient temperatures due to its proximity to the ocean and its location in a natural amphitheatre in the hills east of Monterey. Generally, track temperatures in the afternoon at Laguna Seca tend to reach approximately 45°C as the sun shines overhead but in the morning, the lower ambient temperatures keep the track somewhat cooler at around 25°C. Laguna Seca has the shortest main straight on the calendar at just 453 metres in length meaning that the bikes and therefore the tyres spend more time at high lean-angles and have less time to cool down, resulting in greater levels of heat retention in the tyres than the ambient and track temperatures would suggest. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department “Laguna Seca is the perfect venue to commence the second half of what has been an entertaining season as the U.S. Grand Prix is a race which historically has played a pivotal part in the championship. The previous few years has seen many exciting battles at this circuit and last year’s contest between the three riders currently leading the championship in Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Stoner was particularly memorable among these. “The established American MotoGP stars Nicky Hayden, Ben Spies and Colin Edwards are always competitive at Laguna Seca, but the local fans will have another rider to cheer on this weekend as wildcard rider Steve Rapp makes his debut in the class aboard the Attack Performance-Kawasaki CRT machine. Finally, I would like to wish Hector Barbera all the best in his recovery from his unfortunate injury and I’d also like to welcome his replacement for this weekend, Toni Elias, back to MotoGP.” Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department “Laguna Seca is the shortest circuit on the calendar yet still presents a significant challenge for MotoGP tyres. The Corkscrew is a really demanding section with the fast change of direction and elevation requiring superior front-end feel and stability, but the tyres also need to provide good levels of grip through the right-handed turns three and four and as these ninety-degree corners do not place as much cumulative load on the tyres as long corners, the compounds on the right shoulder of the tyres need to be softer to retain sufficient temperature. “Most of the corners at Laguna Seca are left-handers so the left shoulders of the asymmetric rear tyres feature relatively harder rubber to cope with the greater stresses endured, but overall Laguna Seca isn’t that demanding on rear tyres. The front tyres choices for this Grand Prix are the soft, medium and hard compounds to ensure excellent warm-up performance and edge grip at a circuit where track temperatures can vary significantly between the morning and afternoon sessions.” More, from a press release issued by Avintia Blusens MotoGP Team: Avintia Blusens Moto GP to tackle the second part of the championship in the U.S The team travelled to Laguna Seca to attend the ninth round of the world championship in which the MotoGP riders will be riding in solitary in their class. The CRT´s will make their debut on one of the most emblematic and short track on the calendar. The absence of straights, the difficult bends and the famous “cork screws” are expecting the Avintia Blusens MotoGP riders who would like to take advantage of the features of the layout to achieve a good weekend and get closer to the CRT´s. Iván and Yonny are really motivated before this California G.P in Laguna Seca as they might make progress and reach the positions they deserve. None of them is “physically ” familair with the track and both riders are aware of the extra difficulty it brings along but they also agree that riding such a special and mythical track is a dream come true. Yonny Hernández: “You can image how much I want to ride on such a special track as Laguna Seca. I reckon it will be difficult to learn all the tricks and tackle the layout the right way without being familiar with it but its features can be helpful for us as they are closer to the powerful CRT´s. No matter what I can’t wait to get started on this track where my Colombian friends and personal sponsors will be. ” Iván Silva: “This track is unknown to me but I am really happy to go to Laguna Seca. I don’t think it will turn into my favourite track after riding it but the truth is I have always said I had to make it to this track. That’s the case now and after the progress we have made over the last few races and the last practices I am very motivated and convinced we can get a good result in the U.S. Even if it´s always difficult to get familiar with a track it´s going to be even more difficult in the case of Laguna Seca because of its peculiar layout. But I am not lying to you. I just can´t wait to go through the “cork screws ” and see how it feels” More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar Team: LEGENDARY CORKSCREW AWAITS MOTOGP RIDERS THIS WEEKEND POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar riders head to USA with new parts and electronic updates to keep them at the head of the CRT charge With their Moto2 and Moto3 counterparts already relaxing on holiday the MotoGP World Championship teams and riders this weekend face one more appointment before the summer break as the series heads to the USA. Laguna Seca may be the shortest circuit on the calendar but it certainly isn’t short on excitement, packing a host of fast and flowing corners and dramatic changes in elevation into its 3.610km layout – not to mention the most famous downhill chicane in racing: the Corkscrew. Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner continue their three-way battle for the series lead at a circuit where they have all tasted victory before and the latter pair will be highly-motivated to repeat that success as they look to put the brakes on the in-form Spaniard. A weekend off provided welcome relief for the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar Team after an exhausting run of three races in a row, although their form suggests the more races the better for both Randy De Puniet and Aleix Espargaró right now. The pair concluded a positive post-race test following the last round at Mugello and gave good feedback from electronic and chassis updates that they hope will be useful this weekend. Randy has finished as the top CRT rider at the last three consecutive races and he is aiming to maintain his stunning form this weekend. Aleix remains his team-mates closest rival and he will be doing all he can to switch their fortunes at Laguna Seca. Randy De Puniet: “Laguna Seca is a very special circuit, one of the toughest on the calendar. The Corkscrew, the fast and flowing corners, the elevation changes… they all combine to make it a very technical layout. If you get one corner wrong it spoils your run into the next one and costs you a lot of time. Also I imagine like usual it will be tough because of the heat but as always I am looking forward to competing in the USGP. We have been the top CRT for the last three races so I hope we can continue this run next weekend. I have always felt good riding at Laguna Seca and I am sure we’ll pick up another good result. This circuit is very different to the last few we have been to but I think we have a good base setting and the ART can be just as fast there. The objective is just to keep making progress and continue to be the point of reference for the new MotoGP concept.” Aleix Espargaró: “A week off after Italy was very welcome because three races in a row is tiring. The test after the Italian GP went well and we tested a new chassis that we will take to Laguna Seca. Hopefully it gives us something extra over there. The circuit itself is completely different to anything else on the calendar so I can’t wait to get there and see how our bike works. I think it should be good because it’s a small track with no large straights so we should lose out less compared to the factory bikes. Laguna Seca is a very demanding track. Of course it has two or three famous corners but it is a technical track in all, where it is difficult to find a set-up, so I hope it works for us. It is a while since we finished as the top CRT so that is our objective this weekend.”