MotoGP: The Bridgestone debriefing in Jerez

The Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez was held this year on a very hot weekend, unlike what happened in recent years where the riders raced in rain and low temperatures, despite the fact that it always takes place in Andalucia in the middle of spring like this 'year.
The MotoGP race was, as usual, a Spanish triumph with Dani Pedrosa prevailing over Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo, authors of a beautiful and exciting race that ended with the now famous "dodge" of the Honda rookie on the reigning world champion. The the first of the "non-Iberians" was our Valentino Rossi.
Track temperatures reached 53°, putting a strain on the riders, bikes and tires.

This is what Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tire Development Department – ​​hungered for: “The temperature in Jerez was one of the highest in recent years, it is certainly not normal to find more than 50 degrees in Europe at the start of the season. Despite the heat, all the riders chose the soft tyre and not the hard one, to have the greatest possible grip when cornering and make the most of the perfect conditions of the asphalt. Furthermore, during the tests all the riders had noticed that the soft one still allowed them to get to the end of the race, which is why on Sunday everyone discarded the hard one. The fact that our soft tire lasts throughout the race is very positive news for us. Even in Austin we were in a similar situation and there only two riders opted for the hard tire, but then one of those two also won the race, this is because in Texas you could lap with the same race pace on both the soft and hard tires, which is not possible in Jerez, however, due to the asphalt on the Spanish track. On the front, however, everyone chose the medium compound because it was the one that guaranteed the best feeling when braking and greater stability when cornering. Some riders said that a hard tire was needed on the front too but taking into account the exceptional heat we found on the track, I think the compounds we brought were the best. However, after having run three races and the winter tests, we are collecting all the data from the teams to start working in Japan on the tires that we will bring to the track in 2014"

Photos: Alex Farinelli