MotoGP: Bridgestone at Misano with the asymmetric rear tire

The thirteenth round of the MotoGP World Championship is scheduled for Sunday 4 September, one week after the Indianapolis Grand Prix, on the Misano Adriatico circuit. The layout of the Misano World Circuit is twisty, with a very fast section between turns ten and thirteen that requires excellent stability. The particular configuration of the track makes the braking stability guaranteed by the front tire important. Rear tire sidewall grip is crucial coming out of turns six, ten and sixteen, which lead into the main straight sector. The track is not particularly demanding from the point of view of the Bridgestone tyres, even if the right shoulder of the tire is subjected to greater stress than the left one due to the anti-clockwise direction of the track and the complex of turns from ten to thirteen, called Curvone, to be driven at high speed which leads to a narrow sector of right-hand bends. Unlike last year, for this event the Japanese company has selected asymmetric slick tires for the rear, which guarantee an improvement in warm-up performance and driving feeling of the driver thanks to the left shoulder with a softer compound. In compliance with the new tire regulations introduced for the Czech Republic Grand Prix, the slick tires with medium and hard compounds have again been selected for the Misano event, the Japanese manufacturer has added a third soft compound option for the morning practice sessions which take place in colder temperatures.

After a few years of absence, the MotoGP World Championship returned in 2007 to the Misano track, whose configuration was changed at turn three in 2008. Bridgestone has achieved important results on this track: in 2007 Casey Stoner with the Ducati Team he obtained the pole position and the victory in a period in which the single tire regime was not yet in force, while in 2008 and 2009 Valentino Rossi (Team Yamaha) achieved success on his home circuit and the new record lap. Last year Dani Pedrosa (Honda Repsol) set a new lap record.

Hiroshi Yamada – Head of Bridgestone Motorsport: “We have achieved many successes in past editions at the Misano track and Bridgestone has always been very strong, with consecutive new lap records in the last three editions of the Grand Prix. In addition to the development work the teams put into the bikes each year, our tire development is also constantly continuing to improve the entire package. The Misano track is characterized by very fast sectors with a couple of challenging corners, as well as being a very technical track with several braking points and overtaking opportunities. There is always a large turnout of spectators at Misano and we hope to witness another exciting race in the fight for the world title with six races to go until the end of the season."

Hirohide Hamashima – Assistant Development Manager Bridgestone Motorsport: “The Misano track surface is homogeneous but offers poor grip. Normally the air temperature is high over the course of the weekend, so we have to find a difficult balance between grip and durability in our selection of tire compounds. This year we selected the asymmetric tire for the rear and I believe that, based on the performance of the tires in other races and the feedback from the riders, this choice will guarantee a step forward in the warming performance on the left side of the tire, as well as an improvement in the feeling of the pilot's guidance. The fast sector on the right called Curvone is the point where the tires reach the highest temperature, particularly the rear one, and due to the high speed it is a critical sector of the track. A solid center section of the front tire is important for good braking stability, because there are many heavy braking situations. Furthermore, it is important that the entire bike, rider and tire package works well at Misano, because given the layout of the track, the tires have little time to stay in a straight position to cool down and are more likely to overheat."

Tire compounds available:
Anterior: soft, medium, hard
Posterior (asymmetrical): medium, hard

Bridgestone MotorSport