Michelin: Brazilian MotoGP race distance decision “by IRTA and Dorna”
Michelin make clear tyres not a factor in Sunday’s shortened Brazilian MotoGP: “Turn 11 and 12 were damaged. The asphalt was coming off.”
Michelin’s Piero Taramasso says MotoGP’s exclusive tyre supplier was not involved in the decision to slash the Brazilian Grand Prix distance from 31 to 23 laps.
The surprise news was issued just minutes before the sighting lap “due to track degradation”.
With no further information given, and the Moto2 class having just completed their full 26-lap distance, there was speculation that tyre wear might have been behind the MotoGP move.
However, Taramasso made clear the decision was made by IRTA and Dorna, because “Turn 11 and 12 were damaged. The asphalt was coming off.”
Some MotoGP riders later confirmed that the track was breaking down, leaving loose stones on the surface.
“The big news is that just before the start, Dorna and IRTA decided to reduce the laps in the race, because Turn 11 and 12 were damaged,” Taramasso said. “The asphalt was coming off. So they reduced the race from 31 to 23 laps.
"But in general, all riders kept the same tyre choice. That was the hard in the front and medium on the rear for 15 riders, and 7 riders chose the soft on the rear.
“And at the end of the performance was good, the balance was better, the lap time was quite fast and very, very consistent. They made very fast lap times until the end.”
Setting fast lap times late in the race underlined that tyre endurance was not a limitation.
“Marc [Marquez] made his best lap on lap 23, Diggia [Fabio di Giannantonio] on lap 22. For many riders, it was after lap 10, 11. So for the first time here, in these very difficult conditions, a very demanding track, it was a positive test for us,” Taramasso said.
“Now we move on to Austin. We go back to the standard allocation of two front, two rear specs, also with the standard casing on the rear. It's a track that we know quite well. So let's see if we can do another good show.”
Saturday's MotoGP Sprint race was delayed when a sinkhole was discovered on the home straight of the Goiania circuit, which was hosting its first motorcycle grand prix since 1989.
Practice for the US Grand Prix, round three of the world championship, starts on Friday.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
