MotoGP: Bridgestone "forces" riders to use hard tires for the race

The new asphalt at Phillip Island, which impressed the riders, instead put the Bridgestone tires to the test. After a careful analysis which took place after the first day of testing, the Japanese manufacturer decided that only the hard rear compound could be used in the race. The soft tire can be mounted for tomorrow's free practice and qualifying, but not in the race.

A situation that somewhat embarrassed the leaders of the sole tire supplier, who commented as follows: "We knew that on this circuit with the new asphalt the tires would work harder, so we analyzed the tires used by the drivers today to see how 'it was gone – he said Shinji Aoki, director of Bridgestone Motorsport's Tire Development Department – The new surface offers more grip and in fact the times were very good. Our analysis shows that the asphalt of this circuit is very demanding on the tyres, so we have decided that, although drivers can still use the softer rear slicks for the remaining practice and qualifying sessions, they will not be able to do so for the race , where it will be mandatory to use the harder compound.”

Dunlop, the sole supplier of Moto2, also had tire problems. He had in fact brought a new tire for the occasion, but it turned out to be dangerous, as pieces of rubber broke off. We therefore returned to the standard solution.