MICHELIN HEADS TO ASIA AS THE FLY-AWAY RACES TAKE CENTRE STAGE
Michelin has said goodbye to Europe after eleven consecutive MotoGP™ races on that continent and now heads to Asia and Buriram in Thailand as the Chang International Circuit plays host to the PTT Thailand Grand Prix for the first of four flyaway races over the next five weeks.
Thailand will mark the 15th round of the season and the precursor to the three-week back-to-back tour which takes in Japan, Australia and Malaysia, making this a very busy time both in terms of logistics and racing action for the whole MotoGP paddock. Michelin has already despatched its ranges of tyres for these four races via a mixture of sea and air freight, where the range of Michelin tyres travel in temperature-controlled containers so they arrive at the circuits in the ideal condition ready for race-action.
The first race of this fly-away tour is an especially testing one for Michelin, as the specific layout of the 4,554m, 12-turn Buriram circuit demands a special rear tyre to contend with the high temperatures that are produced due to the track’s long straights. Available in a soft, medium and hard compound with an asymmetric design with a harder right-hand side, the MICHELIN Power Slick rear for the Thailand circuit has a different construction to that which is used all other racetracks throughout the season, with the exception of Spielberg in Austria. These two tracks have similar configurations and use this specific construction to control the build-up of heat that is generated and give the riders the drive and control they need and expect from a Michelin rear tyre, without any compromise to performance from overheating. To accompany these specially prepared rear tyres, the front MICHELIN Power Slick is a symmetric finish in a soft, medium and hard version and the compounds have been chosen following the data collected at last year’s race and test at the Thai circuit.
Situated in the Isan region in Northeast Thailand, Michelin and MotoGP will visit the circuit in what is recognised as the cool season, but with an average temperature over 30°C it is far from the cool weather that is experienced elsewhere. It is also rainy season during the months of late August to mid-October, so the chance of precipitation is very high, meaning the range of MICHELIN Power Rain could be put to good use over the weekend. Available in soft and medium compounds for the front and rear, these high performance rain tyres will have a symmetric finish on the front, and for the rear medium, with an asymmetric design with the harder right-hand-side on the rear soft.
Michelin’s first experience of the quadruple fly-away tour will kick off in Thailand with two Free Practice sessions on Friday 4th October, ahead of further practice on the Saturday and the all-important Qualifying to decide grid positions. The MotoGP field will take to the track on Sunday 6th October, as the race gets underway at 14.00hrs local time (09.00hrs CEST, 08.00hrs BST, 07.00 UTC), when the lights will go out to signal the start of the 26-lap race.
Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:
“This is our third visit to Buriram following the test and race there last year and each time we have learned more and been able to assess the tyres and makes changes for the next visit. It is a very severe track on rear tyres and creates a lot of heat for the rubber, so we have a special construction – which we also use just in Austria – to counteract this situation. Last year we were told it would be cooler and wet during October, but it was hot and dry, so we have prepared a range of tyres that can contend with all conditions. There was a big crowd at Buriram last year and it was a great event, we are sure it will be the same this year and that Michelin will play a part in giving the fans a race to enjoy.”