Bridgestone Review Losail MotoGP

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The track temperature for the race was the coolest recorded over the whole race weekend, with a peak recording of just 20°C which brought with it a spike in humidity levels. This resulted in many riders commenting after the race that grip levels were lower than the Warm Up session four hours earlier. Although conditions were quite cool, only two riders selected the soft compound front slick, with the rest of the grid opting for the hard compound front slick. For the rear tyre, only race-winner Marc Marquez selected the hard compound rear slick for the race, and the medium compound rear was by far the popular choice, with fifteen riders selecting this option. Seven of the eleven Open-class entrants selected the soft compound rear slick for the Qatar Grand Prix.

Hiroshi Yamada - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department

“That was a fantastic way to start the season; it was great to see riders from so many different teams fighting for position in the opening half of the race. Congratulations to Marc Marquez and Honda on winning the first race of the season, and well done to Valentino for pushing him all the way to the finish line. Every session this weekend was closely-contested, culminating in a thoroughly exciting race which I am sure was appreciated by MotoGP fans all around the world. I hope this trend of close racing continues for the rest of the season, starting with the Grand Prix of the Americas in three weeks’ time”

Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“The 10pm start for the race in Qatar means we had cool and humid conditions for the Qatar Grand Prix, and listening to the comments from riders after the race, it seems this reduced the grip levels compared to the Warm Up session. As expected we had big variation in tyre strategies for the race, with all our front and rear slick options being utilised. I am happy to see that Marc was able to be so competitive on the hard compound rear slick, we made a big development with this option late last year for improved edge grip and the race result today showed it’s a viable race option for this year.”

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)

Weather:   Dry. Ambient 20-20°C; Track 20-20°C (Bridgestone measurement)

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Bridgestone Austin MotoGP Preview

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The second round of the 2013 MotoGP season takes place at the state-of-the-art Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas as the championship welcomes a new venue to the calendar.

At 5.515 kilometres in length, the Circuit of the Americas is a technical track featuring big changes in elevation, a combination of slow and fast corners and a 1200 metre back straight - the longest on the MotoGP™ calendar - which starts and ends with tight hairpin corners.

The Americas Grand Prix is the first event of the season in which CRT and non-CRT riders will be allocated different specifications of rear slick tyre. Although there are fewer right-hand corners compared to left-hand corners at this circuit, the presence of several mid to high speed right-hand corners creates higher tyre temperatures on the right shoulder of the tyres. As a result, asymmetric rear slicks with slightly harder rubber on the right shoulders will be offered at this race. A total of three rear slick compounds the soft, medium and hard options will be offered at Austin, with CRT riders able to use the soft and medium options, non-CRT riders the medium and hard.

Front slick compounds are the soft and medium options to give riders the highest levels of front-end feel through the twisting sections of the track which feature numerous changes of direction, while the main wet tyre for the Circuit of the Americas will be the soft compound option.

Hiroshi Yamada - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department

“The United States is a very important market to Bridgestone and to increase our presence in this region with a third race on the calendar is welcomed, particularly at such an amazing venue as the Circuit of the Americas. The first race in Qatar was a thrilling contest and I am sure that at this circuit, which is an unknown quantity for many of the riders, we will witness another exciting race. I am pleased that a new collection of American fans will get to witness what a great motorsport series MotoGP is, and I hope they turn out in large number to support their home-grown heroes Ben, Colin and Nicky and also to cheer on the two American wildcard riders, Blake Young and Michael Barnes”

Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Austin’s Circuit of the Americas welcomes MotoGP for the first time and its impressive layout created a real challenge for tyre development. Like the other American circuits on the calendar it is run in a counter-clockwise directions, and the track is technical with a mix of tight, slower corners and faster, more open sections. These features combine to place a great importance on front-end feel as maintaining good corner speed is critical at this track, so our front tyres need to provide excellent grip characteristics with plenty of stability, while the rears must give good drive out of the corners.

“Our data from testing shows that the faster right-hand corners at the circuit require slightly harder rubber on the right shoulder of the rear slicks for greater stability and durability, so we will bring asymmetric rear slicks at Austin. Front tyre compounds for this race will be soft & medium, while the rear slick compounds for CRT riders will be soft and medium, and for non-CRT riders, medium and hard.”

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium; Rear: Soft, Medium, Hard (Asymmetric)

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

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Bridgestone Review Losail MotoGP 2013

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Track temperatures were cooler again today with a peak of 23°C and though the wind reduced in intensity compared to yesterday, there was still a significant amount of sand on the tarmac. As track conditions were quite dusty for the race, all riders opted for the softer rear slick to ensure maximum edge grip in the tricky conditions, while all but two riders – Bautista and Pesek – selected the harder front slick. Despite the less than ideal track conditions, the overall race time was five seconds faster than last year and Marc Marquez’s quickest race lap of 1'55.445 was just three-tenths short of the race lap record.

Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“The tyre combination that was most popular during practice and qualifying proved to be the best choice for the race, with all but two riders selecting the harder front slick paired with the softer rear. The track temperature was cooler than yesterday and this combined with the dusty track made the softer rear slick the option that would ensure the best combination of edge grip and rear drive. The softer rear slick still offered enough durability for a race distance and it was pleasing to see that despite the less than ideal track conditions, the overall race time was almost five seconds quicker than last year. Overall, I am happy with tyre performance over the first race weekend of the season and it was excellent to get the season started with such an exciting contest.”

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Bridgestone Review Jerez MotoGP Test 2013

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A total of twenty-five riders took part in the Jerez test, with a wide range of weather conditions allowing teams to work on bike settings for wet and dry conditions. Rain fell on each day of the test and track temperatures varied from a low of 13°C at the start of testing on Saturday to a peak of 32°C at 1400 on the second day of the test.

Sunday and Monday afternoon presented a track that was mainly dry but with damp patches with riders opting for the softer slick compounds during these periods for maximum grip and warm-up performance in the challenging conditions. For the Jerez test, Bridgestone supplied the hard compound wet tyre, but long runs in wet conditions revealed that the abrasive surface of the Jerez circuit caused excessive wear for some riders. In response, Bridgestone has changed its production schedule to ensure each rider will have two extra-hard compound rear wet tyres delivered for the Jerez race weekend that commences on May 3rd.

Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“The weather conditions at Jerez were quite variable with lots of rain, but from our perspective this test gave us a lot of valuable data. The long periods of wet weather allowed us to gather a lot of data on wet tyre performance at this circuit, and our analysis and rider feedback indicated that at this track with the 1000cc bikes, a wet tyre with more durability is required. Consequently, we will provide each rider with two extra-hard rear wet tyres in their allocation for the Jerez race. Although the rain did stop on the last two days of the test, the state of track surface wasn’t ideal, so it was positive to see that riders were able to lap within the circuit record in the cool and damp conditions.

“Overall, I am pleased with what we achieved during our pre-season test programme and I’d like to thank all the riders and teams for their cooperation over the past couple of months. I am looking forward to the first race at Qatar and to what promises to be an exciting season.”

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Bridgestone Review Mugello MotoGP

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Like the rest of the weekend, track conditions for today’s race were good with track temperatures very similar to yesterday’s qualifying session. Fourteen of the twenty riders on the grid selected the harder compound for the rear, with only one rider selecting this compound in the special construction rear slick, while front tyre choice was uniform across the field with all riders selecting the harder front slick.

Lorenzo’s fifth win of the season increases his lead in the championship over Pedrosa to nineteen points at the halfway point of the season, while Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner remains in third position overall and thirty-seven points off Lorenzo.

Hiroshi Yamada - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department

“Congratulations to Jorge and the Yamaha Factory Racing team for capping off an impressive display at Mugello with their fifth win of the season. The race was run at an impressive pace with the winning race time over thirteen seconds faster than last year and in particular, the battle from third to seventh position was a thrill to watch. I would like to offer my thanks to all the teams and riders for their cooperation these past few days and for taking the time to evaluate both specifications of rear slick tyre. The addition of the special construction rear slick to our tyre allocation for this weekend required extra effort from our engineers to ensure teams could incorporate this additional supply of tyres into their programme without too much disruption. Our technical team now turns its focus to tomorrow’s MotoGP test at Mugello where they will support all the teams taking part before heading over to Laguna Seca for the U.S. Grand Prix.”

Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Today’s race was held under very similar conditions to Friday and Saturday and this was the first race weekend since Qatar where rain didn’t interrupt any sessions, so this was a welcome change. As track temperatures for the race were the same as yesterday, most riders selected the harder compound rear slick in the regular construction for the race, and only one rider chose the harder rear slick in the special construction. Front tyre choice was much more straightforward with all riders deciding that the superior durability and stability of the harder front slick was the best choice for the race. This race was quite unique in that we offered three specifications of both front and rear slick tyres, so we had to work closely with teams throughout the weekend to ensure the best choice of tyre for the race conditions we had today.”

Pos	Rider	Team	Front spec	Rear spec
1	Jorge LORENZO	Yamaha Factory Racing	Hard	Hard
2	Dani PEDROSA	Repsol Honda	Hard	Hard
3	Andrea DOVIZIOSO	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Hard	Hard
4	Stefan BRADL	LCR Honda	Hard	Hard
5	Valentino ROSSI	Ducati Team	Hard	Hard
6	Cal CRUTCHLOW	Monster Yamaha Tech 3	Hard	Hard
7	Nicky HAYDEN	Ducati Team	Hard	Hard
8	Casey STONER	Repsol Honda	Hard	Hard (SC)*
9	Hector BARBERA	Pramac Racing	Hard	Hard
10	Alvaro BAUTISTA	San Carlo Honda Gresini	Hard	Hard

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Bridgestone Review Mugello Qualifying Session

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Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa produced a spectacular final lap in qualifying at Mugello today to set a new circuit record of 1:47.284 and claim his second pole position of the season.

Qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix was extremely close, with the top-five qualifiers covered by just four-tenths of a second and three riders, Pedrosa, Factory Yamaha Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo and Pramac Racing’s Hector Barbera setting times quicker than the new circuit record that Lorenzo set this morning during FP3. In a day that was dominated by Spanish riders, another Spaniard, Power Electronic Aspar’s Aleix Espargaro was the top CRT qualifier and will start twelfth on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

Track conditions for both of today’s sessions were dry, with the morning cloud cover keeping track temperatures down in the mid-30°C mark for FP3, before the skies cleared for qualifying to send track temperatures soaring to 50°C. For most teams, the first half of qualifying was used to fine-tune a race setup on the harder rear slick before the softer rear slicks were brought out with approximately twenty minutes left as the focus switched to setting quick lap times in the fight for grid positions. All riders set their fastest qualifying time using a combination of the harder front and softer rear slicks and overall the pace in qualifying was considerably quicker than last year, with the top eight riders lapping faster than last year’s pole position time.

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard* (Asymmetric)

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

* The hard compound rear slick tyre is available in both regular and special constructions at Mugello this weekend.

Weather: Dry. Ambient 30-31°C; Track 49-50°C (Bridgestone measurement)

Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Track conditions today were good with track temperatures reaching a top of 50°C in qualifying and the extra rubber laid down during today’s sessions helping to improve grip levels. Tyre performance throughout the day was positive with very consistent lap times recorded during longer runs on the harder rear slicks, while the extra edge grip of the softer rear slick enabled riders to set incredibly quick times in qualifying, with a new circuit best lap time almost eight-tenths quicker than the previous mark being set.

“We analysed the rear tyres from the race simulations undertaken by riders from the factory and satellite teams yesterday and today, and are happy to report they completed their long runs on the standard construction harder rear slick without any problems. Almost all the riders on works bikes were able to test the special construction rear slick today and once again the feedback on this option was promising, with some riders now considering to use it for the race if track temperatures tomorrow are similar or warmer than they were in qualifying. Also, it seems that based on today’s sessions some CRT riders may also opt for the standard construction harder rear slick tomorrow to ensure more consistent grip throughout the race.”

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Bridgestone Estoril Review

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As track conditions for the race were warm, but not hot at around the mid-35°C mark, all riders on the grid chose to run the softer rear slick, which at Estoril is the medium compound, in combination with the medium compound front slick tyre. Of the twenty riders that selected the medium front slick, thirteen opted for the compound in the new specification front slick tyre including top-five finishers Jorge Lorenzo and Monster Tech3 Yamaha riders Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow.

Hiroshi Yamada - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department

“I’d like extend my congratulations to Casey Stoner on his first MotoGP win at this circuit. Track conditions were better today and our tyres performed very well with Jorge Lorenzo setting a new lap record using a combination of the medium compound rear slick and new specification front slick tyre, also in the medium compound. The winning race time was fourteen seconds quicker than last year with the top three riders pushing each other hard at a very fast and consistent pace right up to the checkered flag.

“The whole race weekend for us was very constructive and I am happy how our 2012 specification tyres performed at this demanding circuit. Now we are focused on assisting teams at tomorrow’s post-race test and preparing for the next race at Le Mans in two weeks time.”

Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department

“Race conditions today were similar to those we had in qualifying yesterday and as expected all the riders selected the combination of the softer rear slick and the harder front slick. This combination gave riders the best mix of rear grip and front-end feel. I am pleased with the performance of our 2012 specification tyres here at Estoril and in particular, the positive feedback we have received on our new specification front tyre at the last two races shows it performs very well in a wide range of conditions.”

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium; Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 19-20°C; Track 32-38°C (Bridgestone measurement)


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