Michelin has announced that a new construction rear tire will be available for the upcoming MotoGP season after French tire specialists completed a comprehensive assessment after months of intensive testing.
The latest development of the Michelin Power Slick rear tire is characterized by a construction aimed at greater performance and stability for all drivers and machines – in line with Michelin’s longstanding performance strategy – which will lead to improved lap and race times. First tested in-house under laboratory conditions, the latest Michelin Power Slick rear tire was tested for the first time in the MotoGP field at the Catalunya test in Barcelona in June, followed by further evaluations in Brno in the Czech Republic and Misano in Italy before the unique opportunity for Michelin to inspect the new building during a race weekend – the first time that such a test was carried out on a MotoGP weekend.
With the support of all riders, IRTA and Dorna, an additional 20-minute session was organized on one of the most demanding racetracks on the calendar, as the MotoGP field was asked to complete at least 11 laps each around the 4,448 m long Phillip Island Circuit in Australia. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity gave Michelin a huge amount of data as it was just a tire test where teams and drivers focused solely on evaluating the new design.
After the successful Australian test, Michelin delivered the tire for further testing during the two Spanish tests in Valencia and Jerez at the end of 2019. In all of these tests in 2019, the new construction rear wheel was paired with compounds that are appropriate for the particular tracks and that the riders had used over the race weekend to allow for a clear and objective comparison between tire constructions. With all these intensive tests and the large amount of information obtained, the Michelin technicians in Clermont-Ferrand analyzed all the data and approved the start of the new construction for the 2020 season.
Michelin will supply the latest development of the Michelin Power Sport Slick rear tire for the two pre-season tests scheduled for February in Malaysia and Qatar before the tire makes its competitive debut – also in Qatar – when the Losail International Circuit in Doha hosts the first round of the 2020 MotoGP World Championship on Sunday March 8th.
“After such an intensive and intensive test plan, we are pleased to bring the new construction rear tire onto the market. We have been working on this latest development for quite some time and, with the support and full feedback from all of the drivers we know, we have developed a tire that will improve performance for everyone involved – said Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager – We have now informed Dorna and IRTA of the change and provided the teams and manufacturers with the full specifications and detailed data so that they can tune the bikes to get the best performance from this new rear end achieve smooth. This is the first design change for the rear in two years and an important step forward in the evolution of our MICHELIN Power Slick tires for MotoGP. The new construction is in line with Michelin’s long-standing performance approach, which guarantees consistent performance throughout the race, and we now look forward to seeing it in racing conditions and breaking more records. “