The tests are in Qatar for MotoGP and therefore also for Michelin, which was able to observe the function of its tires during the six days of testing on the Losail circuit with regard to the first two rounds of the season and beyond. As Piero Taramasso told us a few days ago, the soft rear tire should also guarantee a certain degree of constancy in the race, so that 25-28 laps can be driven with convincing times. There were also convincing times these days with various records shot down.
“The drivers pushed really hard – said Taramasso – They liked the grip of the soft mix, both front and back because Miller set the course record and Zarco set the top speed record on the straight. The riders also reported good stability and worked a lot on the set-up of the bike under different conditions, because on the race weekend we don’t know what temperatures there will be and whether we will have sand on the track.
In fact, MotoGP was hit by a sandstorm yesterday that virtually halted activity at Losail and very few riders took to the track. In addition to the soft mixture, Michelin also brought a medium one (asymmetrical front) and a hard bond. Did the teams focus on the latter as well?
“The medium showed less grip than the soft one, but more stability with the hard one they could be used in FP1 or FP3 as there can be asphalt temperatures around 45 ° – 50 °. In any case, we saw a lot of competitive bikes in these tests, it will be good races ”.