MotoGP: Bridgestone in Valencia with asymmetric tires and the new rear compound

The last round of the world championship in Valencia will also be very important for Bridgestone. After the "debacle" of Phillip Island (where the race direction was forced into a Flag to Flag race, given that the tires did not last more than 10 laps) the sole tire supplier had no problems at Motegi and is ready to support the most MotoGP riders, the class where Lorenzo and Marquez will compete for the title.

The circuit is tight and technical and the tires are put under great stress throughout the lap. It is therefore very important to have a good setup, given that the track layout causes the tires to suffer more on the left side and an unbalanced configuration of the bike can cause excessive temperatures in the rear tyres. To try to contain this problem, the Japanese technicians will wear asymmetric rear slicks, which have softer rubber on the right shoulder compared to the left side. The CRT riders will instead have soft and medium compounds at their disposal, while the Factory riders will also have the new compound successfully tested at Misano at their disposal. For the front, soft and medium compound tires are available, while for the wet the best choice should be the soft one.

“It's great to be able to see that after an exciting MotoGP season, the championship will be decided in the last race in Valencia. There have been many protagonists this season, but Marc (Marquez, ed.) and Jorge (Lorenzo, ed.) have proven to be the most consistent performers and I expect a large and passionate Spanish audience who will be rooting for them – he said Hiroshi Yamada, Head of Bridgestone Motorsport – This will also be an important week for Bridgestone, as we will introduce our new specification of hard slick compound on the rear, which was received positively in the testing phase. Furthermore, our technical team will be available to help the teams in the post-race tests, where not only the 2014 specification bikes will be tested, but where many riders will get on different bikes. One of the most important things will be to evaluate the performance of the new "Open" class bikes, such as the Honda Production Racer and the Forward Racing Yamaha M1. The data we acquire will be a good basis for working with our development program over the winter.”

“The Valencia track offers low grip and the circuit is technically complex as it is slow and twisty. The frequency of cornering means that the bikes are bent for a long time and therefore have little chance to cool down during the lap – he added Shinji Aoki, Head of Bridgestone Motorsport Tire Development Department – The high number of corners and the moderate level of grip mean that an excellent bike setup is necessary, otherwise it is easy to generate high tire temperatures. Since this race is the last of the season we often encounter low temperatures both in the environment and on the track, so softer compounds are necessary, even if for the left shoulder being more stressed we use a harder compound than the right one. We'll also be debuting the new rear spec tested at Misano, so I can't wait to see how it goes this weekend.”

Tire compounds available:
Front: Extra-Soft & soft
Posterior: soft, medium and hard (asymmetrical)
Bridgestone wet: soft (main) and hard (alternative)