MICHELIN FACES A FINAL THREE AS VALENCIA DOES A DOUBLE BEFORE A DEBUT AT PORTIMAO

Michelin is back in Spain to start the final three-week trip of the 2020 MotoGP™ season as it heads to the penultimate venue of the year with Valencia taking centre stage and a double-header of the Gran Premio de Europa followed by the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana one-week later.

Valencia is traditionally the season-ending Grand Prix, but this year it will give way to a new circuit as the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimao, Portugal becomes the final location of this season’s unusual calendar. Before that happens though, Michelin and the MotoGP field face two races at the tricky and unusual Circuit Ricardo Tormo. It’s the only track fully enclosed in an arena, with grandstands surrounding the nine left- and five right-hand turns, unfortunately due to the restrictions caused by COVID-19, there will be no fans at trackside to give the usual vibrant feel that goes with a Valencian Grand Prix.

The tight and twisty layout of the anti-clockwise circuit means it will be the only track this season where the whole range of MICHELIN Power Slick tyres will be totally asymmetric to contend with the track’s 4,005m of asphalt, which will encounter quite cold conditions at this time of the year. The compounds – available in soft, medium and hard – for the front and rear have been specially matched to meet these demands and those of the circuit’s configuration. The asymmetric design will have the harder rubber on the left-hand side, to cope with the higher number of corners that travel in that direction and the increased stress that side of the tyre faces throughout each lap, whilst the right side will feature a compound designed to heat-up quickly in these demanding conditions.

Wet weather has been a feature at Valencia in recent seasons and with the races taking place in November the possibility of it arriving is quite high. With this prospect likely to arise, Michelin will have a range of its excellent MICHELIN Power Rain tyres to manage such situations and give riders the ultimate grip if any precipitation covers the circuit. Available in symmetric soft and medium compounds for the front and asymmetric soft and medium compounds, with a harder left-hand edge, for the rear, the allocation for the two events will remain the same for both rain and slick tyres.

Michelin and the MotoGP racers will take to the track on Friday for two Free Practice sessions. Saturday will feature more practice sessions before the all-important Qualifying, which decides grid positions for the 27-lap race. The Gran Premio de Europa and the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana will follow the same schedule with the first race getting underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs GMT/UTC) on Sunday 8th November and the second event scheduled for Sunday 15th November at the same start-time.

Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:

“This has been an unusual season and one that has been complicated with some very strange weather, but now as we reach the tail-end of the year we are heading to a circuit that we know what can be expected, as we visit Valencia at this time of the year in a normal calendar. We anticipate very cold mornings and the specific layout of the track with its tight turns and short straights, means it is one of the few tracks that we have a full asymmetric range of slicks for the front and rear, in fact it is the only one this season after the cancellation of Sachsenring and Phillip Island. The tyre spends a lot of time on the left, so never really cools down, but conversely the right is not used much so needs to heat up quickly when it is needed, so we have to blend the perfect combination of compounds to give the best pairing to satisfy all riders, as well as coping with the challenge of the weather and the characteristics of the track. These will be two very demanding weekends, but with past experience we know what to expect, come rain, shine or cold.”