With track temperatures heading towards 50°C for the start of qualifying, most riders selected the harder option slicks front and rear for the first half of the qualifying session, before the field switched to the softer rear slicks when trying to set a quick time towards the end of the session. With similar track temperatures expected for tomorrow’s race, tyre choice could trend towards the harder compound options front and rear.
The lights will go out for tomorrow’s race at 14:00 local time (GMT -4), though before that the riders will take to the track for the 20 minute Warm Up session that starts at 9:40.
Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“We had warmer weather today which pushed track temperatures past 50°C in qualifying and so teams used the first half of the session to do race simulations as we can expect similar temperatures tomorrow. Based on feedback from today’s sessions, at this stage we expect most riders, particularly those on works bikes, to select the harder slick tyres front and rear for the race, though some CRT riders could still opt for the softer rear option. Tyre temperatures recorded during the race simulations were well within operating limits, so our special construction rear slicks are coping well with the demands of this circuit.”
Bridgestone Press Release
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