Photo: motogp.com
With the new regulations separating the Factory and the Open classes in the 2014 MotoGP season, the official tire supplier Bridgestone has a series of rather difficult tasks ahead. With the added softer tire option the Open class entries can benefit from, Bridgestone must make sure that all compounds perform equally well for their purpose.
Bridgestone has already experienced some production issues and announced that 2013-spec tires will be used at the Circuit of the Americas round this year. Today, the Japanese tire manufacturer announced that the Open teams and Ducati will be able to choose between the soft and medium rear slicks, while the Factory entries (Honda and Yamaha) will have medium and hard options.
However, both tire selections will sport an asymmetrical compound design, with the right side of the tire shoulder being harder and resisting heat better. Some might wonder why is the rear side of the tires stronger, as the Circuit of the Americas has 11 left-handers and only 9 right-hand turns.
The answer comes from Bridgestone, as well. Even though the COTA has two extra left-handers, four of the right turns are high-speed bends: Turns 6, 16, 17 and 18, and it’s there where the tires have to endure much more punishing conditions. Hence the slightly harder rubber on the right side of the tire shoulders, providing top grip, while resisting abrasion and heat better.
We can hope that the tire selection Bridgestone brings at Austin will prove to be the right one, given the very technical nature of the circuit, with both fast and very sharp turns, elevation differences, and the very hard braking before Turn 12, after the longest straight of the whole calendar.
Round 2 of the 2014 season reaches US ground this week, with the race scheduled for 13 April. Wondering what's with all the colors? Read the explanation in this autoevolution article.
However, both tire selections will sport an asymmetrical compound design, with the right side of the tire shoulder being harder and resisting heat better. Some might wonder why is the rear side of the tires stronger, as the Circuit of the Americas has 11 left-handers and only 9 right-hand turns.
The answer comes from Bridgestone, as well. Even though the COTA has two extra left-handers, four of the right turns are high-speed bends: Turns 6, 16, 17 and 18, and it’s there where the tires have to endure much more punishing conditions. Hence the slightly harder rubber on the right side of the tire shoulders, providing top grip, while resisting abrasion and heat better.
We can hope that the tire selection Bridgestone brings at Austin will prove to be the right one, given the very technical nature of the circuit, with both fast and very sharp turns, elevation differences, and the very hard braking before Turn 12, after the longest straight of the whole calendar.
Round 2 of the 2014 season reaches US ground this week, with the race scheduled for 13 April. Wondering what's with all the colors? Read the explanation in this autoevolution article.
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