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Fast MotoGP News: Bridgestone to Develop Tires until 2015, Danilo Petrucci Misses Le Mans

Earlier this month, Bridgestone announced it will no longer be the sole and official tire supplier for the MotoGP, but it will continue to provide racing tires through the end of the 2015 season. According to new declarations from Bridgestone officials, the company will continue to develop new compounds for the MotoGP, even though the decision to pull out form the series remains final.
Bridgestone tire on a Ducati MotoGP bike 3 photos
Bridgestone MotoGP tireDanilo Petrucci
MotoGP Safety Officer and racing legend Loris Capirossi explained yesterday the new requirements the FIM and Dorna have from a tire manufacturer and shed some light on Bridgestone’s decision. It appears that the increased number of allocated tires, the need for three compounds at every race instead of two, and the reintroduction of the intermediate compound have been several reasons which led to the decision of putting an end to Bridgestone’s racing program, too.

Bridgestone’s Masao Azuma declares that the company will keep coming up with new tires and new compounds, despite knowing that the end of the 2015 season will also be the end of the Japanese manufacturer’s presence in the MotoGP paddock. “We will still continue to develop new technologies, as we want to leave the championship at the end of next season in the best way possible. People can expect to see some state-of-the-art tire technology being introduced to the MotoGP World Championship over the next 18 months,” Azuma adds.

A tender for a new tire supplier was called, and so far Dunlop and Michelin have officially expressed their interest in becoming the next Official Suppliers, with Michelin seemingly being the favored option, if we are to believe certain rumors. The MotoGP will remain a mono tire competition, Loris Capirossi says.

Ioda Racing’s Danilo Petrucci will not be on the starting grid for the next round, at Le Mans in the French GP, official sources report. Following his crash in the WUP session ahead of the Spanish GP at Jerez, Petrucci fractured one of his wrists, and had to be operated in his hometown Terni, Italy, being the third rider to go under the knife this week, after Dani Pedrosa and Stefan Bradl,  both operated for arm pump.

Team sources say that the operation went well, but Danilo Petrucci needs time to heal and they will not rush a comeback aboard the bike. Petrucci is Ioda’s only rider for 2014, and a decision whether he will be substituted by another pilot is yet to be announced.

Petrucci is currently in the 19th position in the provisional 2014 standing, with 2 points, just as Hector Barbera. The championship leader is Marc Marquez with 100 points, followed by Dani Pedrosa with 72 and Valentino Rossi with 61. The next MotoGP round will take place 16-18 May at Le Mans, in France.
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