Australian MotoGP™ debrief with Shinji Aoki

Bridgestone slick compounds available:

Front: Extra-soft & Soft (Symmetric) & Soft (Asymmetric). Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)

Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi won a dramatic Australian Grand Prix last Sunday, leading a Yamaha sweep of the podium in a race where rapidly cooling temperatures created challenging conditions for the riders.

After a warm start to the day, a cool change in the afternoon saw cool winds lower ambient and track temperatures for the race, with the peak track temperature recording of 34°C recorded at the start of the twenty-seven lap race. This year’s Australian Grand Prix saw Bridgestone bring a whole new range of asymmetric rear slick tyres to meet the severe demands of the recently repaved Phillip Island circuit, as well as a newly-developed asymmetric front slick – the first time Bridgestone has offered this technology to MotoGP™ riders.

Q&A with Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department

Much like the last round at Motegi, temperatures for Sunday’s race were much cooler than compared to the previous day. How much of an effect did this have on tyre choice for the race, and tyre performance?

“The change in the weather at Phillip Island was much more pronounced than what happened at Motegi the previous weekend. A change late in the afternoon caused a dramatic drop in ambient temperatures, and also the wind strengthened and cooled down – these two factors combined to create very challenging conditions. This change didn’t have a big effect on rear tyre choice as already most riders had already opted for the softer rear slick options, but for the front tyre some riders did change from their original choice of the soft compound front slicks and swapped to the extra-soft compound front slick.

“The cool and breezy conditions definitely increased the challenge of racing at Phillip Island which has the highest average speed on the MotoGP calendar. Tyre performance throughout the twenty-seven laps of the race was very consistent, but unfortunately in the final stages there were a few incidents. The double cooling effect of low ambient temperatures and cool winds have often created challenging conditions in the past at Phillip Island, and last Sunday was another example of how quickly things can change at the Australian Grand Prix.”

After last year’s Australian Grand Prix, all three rear slick options brought to Phillip Island last weekend were completely new. Are you happy with how these options performed?

“Our target for our rear tyre allocation for this year’s Australian Grand Prix was to provide tyres that could provide full race distance durability with consistent performance. This target wasn’t easy to achieve given how harsh the Phillip Island track proved to be on rear tyres last year, but through a vigorous testing and development programme we could engineer a completely new generation of rear tyres for this year’s race to achieve this goal. It was important that these new tyres would last the whole race, yet provide predictable grip throughout their life and I believe we met this target. We achieved this by utilising a new range of compounds for the rear slicks, as well as a new construction which we will only use at Phillip Island. Overall I am really happy how our rear tyres performed in Australia, as all weekend the pace among the front runners was extremely competitive, with Ducati, Honda and Yamaha all closely matched. The pace throughout the whole race was quick and consistent and durability exceeded our expectations.”

Bridgestone introduced an asymmetric front slick at Phillip Island. Was this option used and what was the feedback from the riders?

“The rider feedback and data we collected on our new asymmetric front slick shows this new tyre meets our development goal; namely, the same braking feel as a conventional tyre but better grip and warm-up performance on its softer shoulder, which at Phillip Island was the right shoulder. The riders that used this tyre got good braking feel and importantly, didn’t feel any difference when transitioning between the zones of different rubber hardness. The fact that most of the riders selected this option for the race reflects just how good they felt riding it. What was evident during the race was that with the cool change that occurred, the riders on our softest front slick, the extra-soft option, fared better at the end of the race than those on the soft compound asymmetric front slick, but this was due to this softest slick option working better in extremely cool conditions, rather than being a shortfall of the asymmetric design. Overall, the design of our asymmetric front slick has given riders something they are quite happy with and we will continue to offer asymmetric front slicks in the future, including having a tyre of this type in our allocation for the last race of the year at Valencia.”

More, from a press release issued by RoadRace Factory/Red Bull:

If there was ever a more perfect setting for a racetrack, we haven’t seen it. Brands Hatch, nestled in the hills of Kent, is a stunning setting to finish off the British Superbike Series and our 2014 season. After Silverstone, the team needed a little time to regroup and seek answers to the questions that had been presented. Losing Gagne was a blow to the team’s morale but there was no time to focus on that. It was to be all hands on deck to support Tomas and to answer the set-up questions that he has struggled with since arriving in the UK.

Race Report

The one thing that the team has learned from it’s time in England, is that the weather can be.. it IS unpredictable. Better rephrase that to, “Rainy at times with the threat of a dry line during the second half of the race.” After a successful outing during a track day on Tuesday, the team was pretty confident that if it rained on race day, Tomas would be able to run competitively. As it was becoming standard, the weather forecast for the weekend was all over the place. Rain for sure, Sun at times, a wet track was definitely in store and tire choice was a roll of the dice.

The team arrived on Thursday under grey and often misting skies. Having used their time to the fullest between rounds, there wasn’t too much to be done to Tomas’ machine. Instead, it was a day to familiarize the team with the track and the pit procedures. The focus would be on the weather, as it would determine the set-up and for Friday’s free practice sessions. It was supposed to be 50% chance of rain. Another thing the team learned quickly about Brands Hatch, is that even a light mist would cause the entire track surface to be soaked.

This was the case on Friday. An overnight shower and constant early morning mist, created a situation where a full wet set-up would be required in the first session and a wet rear with an intermediate front would be used in the afternoon. In both sessions Tomas was clicking pretty respectable times. However he preferred the complete rain set-up in the morning as opposed to the varying conditions of the afternoon session. He would end the day just a hair inside the top 20. Saturday’s qualifying sessions would be critical to getting a proper grid position ahead of the uncertain weather.

As it was, Saturday would bring about another mixed day of weather. In the morning the track was still wet from another overnight rain shower. The open qualifying session was held on a damp track and the set-up was favorable for Tomas. He was able to initially qualify in P21for the afternoon Sprint Race. Just three short hours after the open qualifying session, the zero percent chance of rain the team was being shown via their respective smart devices, was clearly incorrect as the rain began to fall. Technology be damned, the team threw on a full wet set-up and sent Tomas out. As the riders lined up for the sprint race, the sun poked its head out and provided an excellent contrast to the wet conditions on the track’s surface. This would be a 10-lap event and Tomas was in the best starting position he had achieved since arriving in the series.

The sprint race is an all out, take no prisoners, every racer for themselves qualifying event. It pays points but most importantly for us, the rider’s fastest lap sets their grid position. Fortunately, the set-up was right on for Tomas and he got off the line with a good start and found himself up around 15th position. He was looking strong and making some bold passes under tricky conditions. He would cross the line in 17th place and would set himself up on the starting grid for the main race in 16th position.

Warm-up sessions in the BSB are truly warm-ups. They seem to be a means to ensure that whatever the team did to the bike overnight hasn’t caused it to not run and that there is still fluid in the parts that require fluid. The session was eight minutes in length and each rider clocked roughly six laps. Upon returning to the pits Tomas was in good spirits and feeling strong about his chances for a top 15 finish. The stage was being set for a great race. The sun was out, the sky was blue, no rain in the forecast and the track would be dry in time for the race. The energy from the massive swarm of fans that had descended upon the track was tangible and the feeling on track as the riders gridded up was electric.

The lights go green and the screaming pack of bikes races towards Paddock Hill Bend, a massive right handed drop. Tomas made the best of his starting position and was locked in a good solid battle with about 10 other riders for the first several laps. He had managed to make some good passes and get up close to the top 10. The group he was in however would eventually and slowly work their way past him as the race progressed. Tomas found himself circulating the track on his own after a few mistakes and would cross the final stripes in P18.

A job well done by all and although it wasn’t the exact way the team had planned to end their season with only one rider, it was an amazing culmination of the collective effort put forth by the entire crew of the RoadRace Factory.

Tomas Puerta

“P18, not really what I wanted but it’s the best we’ve done at this track and it’s the best position we’ve started from. The guys in this class are fast and there are a lot of them, all riding really hard. I struggled with a dry set-up because the conditions changed so much and I didn’t get a lot of dry track time before the race. It was a good race, I felt really confident on the bike and I made few little mistakes and rode through the grass. I lost touch with the group I was in and just put my head down and went as fast as I could. I want to thank everyone for this experience, it was a lot of fun and I learned a lot.”

Danny Walker

“I’m happy for my guys with the result today. You know given the circumstances of how we’ve had to operate; completely out of our comfort zone, I think they did an outstanding job. Sure we struggled a bit with trying to play the guessing game with the set-ups for the changing weather and track conditions. It was a big mess at times with sunny skies and a track that was technically a full wet situation. Tomas did great this weekend. He was riding more aggressively and really took some chances with some passes early on. That’s the kind of thing I expected to see and he delivered.

Overall, I have to say that this was a very positive experience for us as a team. It was great to get our riders some international exposure and put them in front of the large crowds that this series has. I want to thank everyone who helped us achieve our goals while we were here. Especially a huge thank you to the Factory Yamaha Bike It Motocross team for their support of facilities and equipment.”

More, from a press release issued by DMS Racing Team:

Armando Ferrer proclaims National Champion Superbike in Expert Unlimited GP class with DMS Racing Team

Venezuelan Armando Ferrer and DMS Racing Team achieved last Sunday at Daytona their most successful win of the season, winning the Expert Grand Prix Unlimited class race of 31st Annual Race of Champions, proclaiming National Champion with Kawasaki ZX-10R.

After a tough weekend, because Ferrer had a hard crash during practice that left him physically depleted and the Yamaha R6 broke the engine, the rider of La Guaira focused to do the best in premier class, winning the race by just eighteen thousandths of a second. Ferrer also got another podium, finishing third in Unlimited Superbike Expert.

Meanwhile, Colombian Juan Diego Rojas continued at Daytona with their adaptation, in a track he had never rode before, he improved his lap times each time he gone out at the track.

Now the team takes a break until last round of the season in the Championship Cup Series, to be held at Homestead Miami Speedway, December 6th-7th.

Armando Ferrer: “The weekend did not start so well, despite the hard work we had done on the bikes, because on Friday, during practice, I had a nasty highside at the exit of turn three but thank to God I didn’t fractured anything. On Saturday, we had the first race and we didn’t do very well because I was not physically at 100%, so we ended up making adjustments on the bike and went to rest. Sunday I was much better, with more strength and energy. We broke the Yamaha 600 engine in race, so we concentrated on the big class, Superbikes, where we work hard and the result was out National Champion. I want to thank God, DMS Racing Team and Dunlop, Core Moto, Pretorian, and the rest of my sponsors for this title. Thanks to my mechanics, especially Jonathan Lay, plus Mauricio Comitre, Vicente Cruz and all the staff from DMS. Thanks to all those who, in one way or another, support us all the season. DMS Racing Team, more than a team, is a family and now we have to work hard to further success in the last round of the season at Homestead”.

Juan Diego Rojas: “This weekend was my first contact with Daytona, very fast, complicated and difficult track. The first day of practice I get off the bike even dizzy, I had never ride so fast! In addition I never used before a tire compound so hard and it cost me to get used to them, so I took it easy and I know that I will be on top the next race. I especially want to congratulate my colleague Armando for his great victory and the whole team for their hard work”.

More, from a press release issued by Alex Cudlin’s publicist:

Australia’s four-time and defending Qatari Superbike Champion, Alex Cudlin, got his bid for a fifth straight title off to a perfect start with two race victories on this QMMF Kawasaki ZX-10R at the opening round of the 2014/15 Qatari Superbike Championship at the Losail Circuit in Doha, Qatar, on 17-18 October.

Qualifying for the two 15 lap encounters saw Taree native Cudlin record the second-fastest time behind Honda CBR1000RR-mounted Mashel Al Naimi. Cudlin used the qualifying session to focus on a set-up using the tyres he would in the race, rather than the qualifying tyres Al Naimi used to secure pole position, but was confident he had the speed to win.

At the drop of the flag for race on it would be Cudlin, Al Naimi and BMW S 1000 RR rider Nasser Al Malki – the top three from the previous championship – who would streak clear of the field. However Nasser’s time at the front would be short lived as Al Naimi and Cudlin pulled a clear gap and Al Malki dropped back to the remaining pack. Cudlin put a race-winning move on Al Naimi with five laps remaining, eventually pulling a 3sec gap to take the flag. Al Naimi took second place with Al Malki in third.

Cudlin and Al Naimi again dropped the field at the start of race two to wage a battle for victory between themselves. But this time Cudlin couldn’t get away from his World Endurance teammate and it came down to a fight to the last lap when Cudlin passed Al Naimi at turn six and managed to hold on for a hard-fought win. The result sees Cudlin with a full house of 50 points from the opening round, the perfect way to start his search for a fifth Qatari title.

Alex Cudlin: “I’m really happy to be back racing in Qatar for QMMF. The race weekend went perfectly, and it’s obvious I’m going to have to ride at the top of my game because Mashel has clicked another gear in his riding and gave me a really hard time in that second race. “I had some issues with my bike in that we seemed to have lost a fair bit of straight line speed so the team will hopefully address that for the following race, but it was still fast enough to just hang on for the win. There’s still a long way to go but I’m happy to get back to Qatar for another season of racing.”

The next race for the 2014/15 Qatari Superbike Championship is at the Losail Circuit in Doha, Qatar on 31 October-1 November. 

More, from a press release issued by BMW Motorrad Motorsport:

Season finale for the BMW Motorrad riders in the BSB and the CIV – Isaacs claims double podium in South Africa.

Dramatic final round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch – Privateer BMW Motorrad riders collect podium finishes in Great Britain, Italy and South Africa.

Munich, 22nd October 2014. Last weekend, it was again a busy time for BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s customer teams. The British Superbike Championship (BSB) and the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV) held their season finales at Brands Hatch (GB) and Mugello (IT) respectively. In addition, the penultimate round of the 2014 South African Motorcycle Championship (SAM) took place at Phakisa Freeway (ZA). On all three occasions, privateer BMW Motorrad riders claimed podium places, including a win in South Africa. The participants in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy also collected points for the rankings, where many of them improved their positions (see full rankings at the bottom).

British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch.

The final round of the 2014 British Superbike Championship (BSB) at Brands Hatch (GB) turned out to be a more than dramatic weekend. Ryuichi Kiyonari (JP) arrived at the Kent circuit with the clear goal of claiming his record-breaking fourth BSB title. But before the action really got started, the Buildbase BMW Motorrad rider experienced a huge setback. He crashed in free practice and fractured his collarbone. Kiyonari did not give up, trying everything to start in the weekend’s three races despite his injury, but in the end he had to withdraw from the event. His rival Shane Byrne (GB) claimed the title and has now the honour of being the first four-time BSB champion, while Kiyonari still finished the season second overall.

Kiyonari’s team-mate James Westmoreland (GB) claimed top-ten finishes in the first two of the three races on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit, coming home ninth on both occasions. In the third race, Westmoreland finished 14th. Patric Muff (CH / Team IWR) retired in race one, but fininished 13th in both races two and three. In the BSB Superstock class race, Hudson Kennaugh (ZA / Linxcel Moto Racing) finished third on his BMW S 1000 RR to claim a place on the podium. Lee Jackson (GB / Buildbase BMW Motorrad) was 12th. In the overall classification, Jackson finished the 2014 season in third, while Kennaugh was fourth.

Italian Superbike Championship at Mugello.

Teams and riders from the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV) met for their 2014 season finale at the Mugello Circuit (IT) in Tuscany, with numerous privateer BMW Motorrad riders lining up on the grid. The most successful of them was Gianluca Viziello (IT / Moto x Racing), who claimed third on the podium with his BMW S 1000 RR in the race on Saturday. On Sunday Viziello finished fifth. Thanks to these results, he also collected numerous Race Trophy points and improved by 11 positions in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy standings, and is now 22nd. A total of five BMW Motorrad riders finished within the top ten on Saturday, with Alessandro Polita (IT / GM Racing) coming home in fourth, Luca Conforti (IT / DMR Racing) in eighth, Denni Schiavoni (IT / 2R Racing by Antonelli) in ninth and Fabrizio Perotti (IT / Tutapista) in tenth. In Sunday’s race, Federico Sandi (IT / DMR Racing) finished fourth in front of Viziello, his DMR team-mate Marco Muzio (IT) was eighth and Polita ninth. In the overall championship placings, Polita was the best placed privateer BMW Motorrad rider, finishing the season in fourth.

South African Motorcycle Championship at Phakisa.

The Phakisa Freeway near Welkom (ZA) hosted the penultimate round of the 2014 South African Motorcycle Championship (SAM) last weekend. In the highest class, the Super GP category, privateer BMW Motorrad rider Lance Isaacs (ZA) once more proved to be one of the top riders in the series, claiming two more podiums with his Black Swan Racing BMW S 1000 RR. In race one he was fighting for the win until the finish line, coming home second with a gap of only 0.5 seconds to winner Clint Seller (ZA). In race two Isaacs was third. With the Race Trophy points he received for these results, Isaacs improved from 12th to ninth in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy standings. His team-mate Brent Harran (ZA) finished fifth in both races with his RR.

In the first race of the Super M class, Nicolas Grobler (ZA) celebrated a dominant victory with his BMW HP4. He crossed the line with an advantage of 7.6 seconds to his closest rival. Janine Davies (ZA) was sixth with her BMW S 1000 RR. In race two, Grobler was second on the podium, while Davies finished a strong fourth. The 2014 season finale will be held on 30th November at Red Star Raceway (ZA).

2014 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.

Status: 22nd October 2014

16. Alessandro Polita (IT/CIV/141,25), 17. Pedro Vallcaneras (ES/EWC/138,76), 18. Leon Bovee (NL/IDM/137,78), 19. Matthieu Lussiana (FR/BRSBK/137,00), 20. Hudson Kennaugh (ZA/BSB/129,00), 21. Daniel Rivas (ES/CEV/127,00), 22. Gianluca Vizziello (IT/CIV/123,75), 23. Eeki Kuparinen (FI/CEV/120,00), 24. Luca Conforti (IT/CIV/112,50), 25. Janine Davies (ZA/SAM/100,95), 26. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM/100,88), 27. Andy Rey (FR/FSBK/100,00), 28. Stefan Nebel (DE/IDM/97,50), 29. Michael Rutter (GB/IOMTT/BSB/96,83), 30. Florian Drouin (FR/FSBK/93,00), 31. Björn Stuppi (DE/EWC/92,75), 31. Hayato Takada (JP/EWC/MFJ/92,75), 33. Federico D‘Annunzio (IT/WSTK/92,00), 34. Uwe Gürck (DE/SWC/91,32), 35. Fabrizio Perotti (IT/CIV/83,75), 36. Denni Schiavoni (IT/CIV/83,75), 37. Jason Pridmore (US/EWC/79,00), 38. Alessio Corradi (IT/CIV/78,75), 39. Mark Albrecht (DE/IDM/69,15), 40. Marco Muzio (IT/CIV/65,00), 41. Thomas Hainthaler (DE/IDM/62,25), 42. Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR/FSBK/62,00), 43. Sylvain Barrier (FR/WSBK/EWC/61,50), 44. Nicolas Pouhair (FR/FSBK/58,00), 45. Lucas Teodoro (BR/BRSBK/57,00), 46. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/EWC/52,73), 47. Luciano Ribodino (AR/BRSBK/46,50), 48. James Westmoreland (GB/BSB/45,33), 49. Jean Foray (FR/FSBK/45,00), 50. Robert Muresan (RO/WSTK/42,00), 51. Marco Sousa (CA/CSBK/41,00), 52. Jörg Steinhausen (DE/SWC/40,80), 53. Kohji Teramoto (JP/MFJ/EWC/34,96), 54. Sergiy Grygorovych (UA/IDM/33,00), 55. Patric Muff (CH/BSB/27,83), 56. Lucas Barros (BR/BRSBK/27,00), 57. Rémi Boitel (FR/FSBK/21,00), 58. Camille Hedelin (FR/FSBK/18,00), 59. Tim Robinson (CA/CSBK/17,50), 60. Alessio Velini (IT/CIV/15,00), 61. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/EWC/10,73), 62. Imre Toth (HU/WSBK/9,00), 63. David Datzer (DE/IDM/6,00), 64. Peter Sebestyen (HU/WSBK/3,00), 65. Filip Altendorfer (DE/EWC/2,45), 65. Florian Bauer (DE/EWC/2,45), 65. Rico Löwe (DE/EWC/2,45), 68. Martjin Polinder (DK/IDM/0,00), 68. Didier Grams (DE/Macau Grand Prix/0,00)