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Tag: MotoGP

  • Marquez goes into seventh heaven at Sachsenring: A Michelin view

    Marquez goes into seventh heaven at Sachsenring: A Michelin view

    Sachsenring, 17 July 2016: Michelin saw its tyre range used to the full extent today at Sachsenring in Germany during the GoPro Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland as changing conditions produced an exciting race that was won by Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) after an inspired and brave pit-stop.

    Heavy rain early this morning meant all riders started today’s 30-lap flag-to-flag MotoGP™ race with the latest MICHELIN Power Rain tyres. These two new compounds had been developed and produced after the last race at Assen, with originally a soft version being made available in this weekend’s allocation. When it was a likely situation with the weather forecast that it would be cold and wet on race-day, Michelin took the decision to bring the super-soft tyre from the factory in readiness for today. It arrived overnight and the riders were able to use it in this morning’s wet warm-up session to assess its abilities. When the race started, 16 bikes were fitted with the tyre that arrived today, with the other six on the soft version.

    As the lights changed to signal the start, Valentino Rossi (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) made the hole-shot and led for the first two-laps before being passed by Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), who was subsequently overtaken by Danilo Petrucci (OCTO

    ANDREA DOVIZIOSO ITA DUCATI RACING TEAM DUCATI MotoGP GP Deutschland 2016 (Circuit Sachsenring) 15-17/07.2016 photo: MICHELIN
    ANDREA DOVIZIOSO ITA
    DUCATI RACING TEAM
    DUCATI
    MotoGP
    GP Deutschland 2016 (Circuit Sachsenring)
    15-17/07.2016
    photo: MICHELIN

    Pramac Yakhnich). Petrucci held first place for seven-laps before crashing out unhurt on lap-11 and Dovizioso inherited the lead on what was now a fast-drying track. A tremendous battle both with the elements and each other ensued, before riders started to come into the pits to change to their other bikes, which had tyres more suited to the track conditions. Andrea Iannone (Ducati Team) became the first rider to use MICHELIN Power Inters in a competitive situation and Marquez took a courageous, but ultimately calculated gamble to change to MICHELIN Power Slicks on what was still quite a damp track outside of the full dry line which had appeared.  The decision was inspired and the Spaniard carved his way through the field to take a stunning victory, his seventh successive race win at Sachsenring across all classes.

    The race for the other podium places certainly began to heat up after the bike swaps and the crowd of 93,213 were treated to great battles all the way through the field. Cal Crutchlow – also on slicks – (LCR Honda) produced a fantastic ride to take second place, along with the position of First Independent Team Rider. Dovizioso took third with a front inter and rear slick, as he just edged out Scott Redding (OCTO Pramac Yakhnich) on the line, after the Englishman had changed to inters. Iannone was fifth, followed home by Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) using slicks in sixth, with Assen winner Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0.0 Marc VDS) swapping to slicks to take seventh. Rossi crossed the line eighth on inters, with the top-ten being rounded out by the Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) using an inter front and a slick rear in ninth and Alvaro Bautista (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) on inters in tenth. This spread of different tyre choices shows the wide-ranging way the Michelin rubber performed during the race.

    MotoGP now takes a short summer break when Michelin will assess the data and performances from the first half of the season, before the paddock re-convenes for the next race of 2016, which will be at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on Sunday 14th August.

    Marc Marquez – Repsol Honda Team:

    “Today was certainly a good race to test the tyres! We started with the wets and after the experience in Assen, Michelin has improved the front tyre and it was working very well. I chose the extra soft at the start and it was probably too soft for these conditions, but that was my mistake to choose it. This was the first flag-to-flag race in these conditions – where we started in the wet and it dries. I was a little bit scared when I changed the bike, because to be on the slicks on the wet parts is really dangerous. It was an option to use intermediates, but for me it is better to go directly to a slick and I chose the best strategy.  During all weekend I have felt good and it was great to finish with 25-points.”

    Nicolas Goubert – Deputy Director, Technical Director and Supervisor of the MotoGP Programme:

    “Firstly I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the Michelin MotoGP team to express my deepest sympathies and condolences to the people of Nice after the tragedy there this week. We are a French company so have been deeply upset by what happened and were very moved by the minute’s silence that was observed by the Grand Prix family at Sachsenring today.

    “As for the race I don’t know where to start. For us the weekend has been very challenging due to the extreme weather conditions, from a very cold track on Friday, to warm and bright sunshine yesterday and then heavy rain and changeable conditions today, we have had to cope with everything and we are very pleased with the results from all of our tyres. We saw the weather forecast for the weekend on Thursday and took the decision to ship in an even softer front wet than we had in the original allocation and that worked very well in the first part of the race. The riders then made different choices as they swapped bikes and we saw the Inters used for the first time in a race, so this will give use some valuable data. Marc’s decision to go to slicks was a very brave one and as we saw it was correct for him to do it. His ride in those conditions was one of the best I have seen. We will now re-group during the break and assess the direction in which we are going and how the tyres are working, so that we can continue to supply the best options for all conditions and all riders.”

     

    eom/Michellin press release

     

  • Miller takes maiden MotoGP win as Rossi crashes

    Miller takes maiden MotoGP win as Rossi crashes

    JACK MILLER AUS MARC VDS RACING TEAM HONDA MotoGP GP Assen 2016 (Circuit Assen) 24-26/06.2016 photo: MICHELIN
    JACK MILLER AUS
    MARC VDS RACING TEAM
    HONDA
    MotoGP
    GP Assen 2016 (Circuit Assen)
    24-26/06.2016
    photo: MICHELIN

    Assen, 26 June 2016: Michelin saw its rain tyres used in competitive action for the first time this season as Australian Jack Miller (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS) took his inaugural MotoGP™ win in treacherous conditions during the Dutch TT at Assen in the Netherlands today.

    Due to a heavy rainstorm that swept over the 4,452m circuit shortly before the start of the 26-lap race, all riders started the event with MICHELIN Power Rain tyres. From the beginning the race became an intense battle with the lead changing hands, before the skies opened and the track was deluged with water, giving race direction no other option than to red flag the event due to the adverse weather conditions after 14-laps.

    This forced a re-start to be scheduled which would be just a 12-lap race in length. Fortunately the rain subsided and the event got underway on a wet track, but without any further precipitation. With every rider on the soft front and rear version of the Power Rain tyres, the grid reformed in the positions that the racers had finished in the previous aborted race, giving a front-row start to Andrea Dovizioso in pole-position for the Ducati Team, Danilo Petrucci on the OCTO Pramac Yakhnich Ducati in second and Valentino Rossi on his Movistar Yamaha in third, Miller started from the third row in eighth position. Dovizioso led off the line, but was soon passed by Rossi as the Italian set about securing another victory at Assen. This unfortunately didn’t go to plan, as the Yamaha-man crashed while in the lead on lap-three. This handed first place to championship–leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), but his lead only lasted for one-lap before he was passed by the hard-charging, but smooth, Miller. The 21-year-old Australian on-board a Honda then took control of the race and never looked like surrendering the lead, as he crossed the finish line with an almost two-second advantage.

    This year’s Dutch TT was held on a Sunday for the first time in its history and despite the torrential rain the huge crowd of 105,000 – the largest race-day attendance of the season so far – were treated to an exciting and incident packed race. Miller also took the accolade for the First Independent Rider and became the first non-Factory racer to win a premier class event since 2006.  Marquez took second in the race, with Scott Redding (OCTO Pramac Yakhnich Ducati) filling the final podium position after an exciting battle with Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Pol Espagaro, which saw the Englishman get the better of the Yamaha rider as the race drew to a close. Andrea Iannone of the Ducati Team took fifth, with Hector Barbera (Avintia Racing) sixth and Eugene Laverty (Aspar Team MotoGP) in seventh completing a trio of Ducatis to cross the line in quick succession. Aprilia Racing Team Gresini’s Stefan Bradl was eighth, with Maverick Viñales the first Team SUZUKI ECSTAR rider in ninth. World Champion Jorge Lorenzo of Movistar Yamaha took the final top-ten position.

    Prior to today’s wet proceeding the MICHELIN Power Slicks had worked well throughout the weekend and had given the riders plenty of grip and feedback during the first three free practice sessions, before the rain also intervened in yesterday’s FP4 and qualifying. The data obtained during this weekend’s various wet sessions and the two versions of today’s race will prove invaluable for the Michelin technicians as the season continues, as will all the information gathered in the dry.

    The MotoGP paddock will now cross the Dutch border and head to Sachsenring in Germany for the ninth round of this season’s championship, scheduled to be held on Sunday 17th July.

    Jack Miller – Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS:

    “It was an amazing day today and a very special race! We had two races, so it almost felt like World Superbike day. We haven’t had much wet track time this year so it was nice to get some feedback from the Michelin tyres and how they were working, and how the bike worked with the tyres. Yesterday I had two little crashes, but that was to do with not setting the bike up right for the different tyre. We adapted our bike around it and changed the set-up for today. After the first race we made some more changes to get it ready for the re-start and it was even better and the tyres worked very good for me in the race. I think with more time we can take things further with the Michelin tyres.”

    Nicolas Goubert – Deputy Director, Technical Director and Supervisor of the MotoGP Programme:

    “This is the first time we have used the wet tyres in a race and in the first event – that unfortunately was red-flagged – they performed very well. All the riders had time yesterday to try them and adapt the set-up accordingly, so the race went trouble free, despite the almost impossible conditions with lots of water on the track. The second race was completely different, because with the shortened distance many riders  were going much harder and as they pushed so hard some made mistakes, but Miller rode a great race and I was very impressed with how smooth he was on the bike and he thoroughly deserved his victory, so congratulations to him.

    “In the dry on Friday and Saturday we were very pleased with the performance of the tyres and if the conditions had been different today I am sure we would have seen the race produce a fast pace, but the weather intervened so we will never know. We have learned a lot from this circuit, certainly about the wets and we will act on all the data to make sure we continue to supply the riders with the best tyres for all conditions and carry on evolving.”

    eom/Michelin press release

  • Bagnaia gets historic maiden victory for Mahindra in MotoGP

    Assen, 26 June 2016: Gaviota Aspar Mahindra rider Pecco Bagnaia made history today as the first rider ever to win a motorcycle Grand Prix on a Sunday at Assen.

    Bagnaia made his charge from tenth on the grid to take the first win of his career and a historic first for Mahindra, a result that moves him up to fourth in the championship, fourteen points shy of third. Bagnaia was followed across the line by fellow Italians Fabio di Giannantonio, Andrea Migno, Romano Fenati and Nicolo Bulega, who filled the top five positions after a memorable 22-lap race that featured countless overtakes. In the end Bagnaia took the flag by just 0.018 seconds from Migno, who was relegated one position after a penalty, handing second place to Di Giannantonio. Series leader Brad Binder could only manage twelfth place today with a 48-point advantage over Jorge Navarro, who remains second despite missing this race through injury.

    For the Gaviota Aspar Mahindra Team the win for Bagnaia was their first since Jonas Folger in the Czech Republic Grand Prix of 2012. Bagnaia rode his Mahindra brilliantly from the start of the race at Assen, making up seven positions on the first lap as he moved up to third. Lap by lap he picked his way to the front but with more than ten riders in the lead group it was a case of fighting to stay in the hunt until the end. A series of impossible manoeuvres around the outside eventually gave Pecco his memorable first win at Assen. His team-mate for this weekend Albert Arenas, stepping in for the injured Jorge Martín, was unable to build on his experience during practice yesterday after a crash at the end of the first lap, which left him with a fractured big toe on his left foot.

    “I am very happy, I can’t believe it because it was very hard to stay at the front today. I have managed to set a fast pace all weekend even though in qualifying it was difficult to set a fast lap because of the amount of slow riders on track. I am happy with my first win, I’m excited, also this is the first win for Mahindra. To win by just 0.018 seconds is incredible. In the race I managed to be quicker in the final sector than I managed in practice and I knew that if I was third in the penultimate sector I had a chance to overtake and win. This win has come on the back of a lot of hard work, two years of working to be stronger and more consistent. I knew I had to give 110%  and on the last lap I knew I could win. I am so happy,’’ says Pecco Bagnaia.

    eom/Aspar Mahindra press release

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Rossi keeps Marquez at bay for a stunning victory

    Catalunya, 5 June 2016: Valentino Rossi rode to a stunning  victory on new compound Michelin tyres at the Catalunya MotoGP™ this afternoon as the nine-time World Champion fought off the challenge of his nearest rivals to take his seventh premier class win at the Montmélo circuit.

    Starting from fifth on the grid, Rossi was blocked on the first corner and relegated to eighth position. He quickly rectified that with his trademark passing manoeuvres and was soon in to fourth place. Over the next few laps Rossi passed the Honda of Dani Pedrosa, pole-setter Marc Marquez also on a Honda and previous championship leader – and Yamaha team-mate – Jorge Lorenzo, as he moved to first place on lap-seven. Using the new compound hard front and rear MICHELIN Power Slicks, the Italian consistently circulated the Catalonian circuit at the head of the field before Marquez chased him down and challenged for the lead with five laps remaining. The pair battled for the victory as the race drew to a close, before Rossi took the initiative after a mistake by Marquez and made the final decisive break to take a hard-fought, but thoroughly deserved victory, with Marquez following him home with the consolation of taking the championship lead.

    A crowd of almost 100,000 people packed the grandstands and were treated to a superb day of racing from all three classes. In beautiful, warm sunshine today’s track temperatures rose to the highest this weekend as the asphalt reached 48°C, this combined with the poor condition of the surface, which gave little grip to the riders, made tyre choice an important factor. The majority of the field went for a hard front and rear selection, to give durability over the tough 25-lap race. Pedrosa was one rider to make a different choice, as he chose a medium compound rear to partner his hard front, and used the pair to good effect to take the final podium position.

    Fourth-place went to Suzuki’s Maverick Viñales, while the honour of First Independent Rider was secured by Pol Espargaro on a satellite Yamaha, an impressive result and one that also showed the performance of the medium compound MICHELIN Power Slicks, as the Spaniard was one of only two riders to use these on the front and rear of their machines. Cal Crutchlow on a Honda was sixth, Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso seventh, with the Aprilia of Álvaro Bautista taking eighth. Danilo Petrucci on a Ducati was ninth and Honda’s Jack Miller rounded out the top-ten – the best result of his premier class MotoGP career so far. Lorenzo didn’t make it to the chequered flag, after an incident which saw Ducati’s Andrea Iannone collide with the current World Champion and leave both of them on the side of the track and out of the race on lap-17. This was the only crash during today’s race and for the second successive event no crashes were contributable to tyres, a fact that underlines the advances Michelin is making as the season progresses.

    Today’s race was held on a revised circuit configuration, to the one originally planned, due to the tragic events which have overshadowed this weekend’s proceedings. During Friday’s second Moto2 Free Practice session Spanish rider Luis Salom crashed at turn-12 and the 24-year-old succumbed to his injuries. Following the fatal crash and subsequent discussions, the layout of the circuit was changed for safety reasons and the F1 track configuration was implemented. This featured the addition of the chicane at turn-12, designed to miss out the corner where the accident happened. Everyone at Michelin would like to pass on their condolences and deepest sympathies to the family, friends and team of Luis Salom.

    Michelin will remain at Montmélo for a one-day test on the Monday where the latest versions of the MICHELIN Power Slicks will be tested and evaluated by all riders. The paddock will then move to the most northerly circuit on the calendar, as the championship heads to Assen in the Netherlands for the Dutch TT on Sunday 26th June, the first time this iconic race has not been staged on a Saturday.

    Valentino Rossi – Movistar Yamaha MotoGP:

    “We were a little bit worried about what might happen, because yesterday we had a bit of a problem with the hard tyre and making it work, but today it was good and worked well in the temperature with my bike. I think it was difficult for everybody with some spinning, but the tyres worked really well and I am very happy with the result.”

    Nicolas Goubert – Deputy Director, Technical Director and Supervisor of the MotoGP Programme:

    “This has been a very difficult weekend for all concerned, after what happened on Friday, and I would firstly like to pass on my condolences to the family and friends of Luis Salom, it was a terrible tragedy and one that nobody ever wants to happen.

    “Regarding the race weekend, we had a selection of tyres that we thought would work well here in most conditions, but we never expected the surface to be as poor as it was. The track gave very little grip and all the teams had to work hard to get the best for their bikes. The change of layout also made a big difference and changed the stresses that were put on the tyres. For the race itself the track was at almost 50°C, but the majority of the field used the new hard compound tyres to cope with these difficult conditions and although we experienced quite high levels of wear we were pleased with the overall performance. Valentino rode a great race and when he came under attack from Marc the performance in the tyres was still there in the last laps to produce a memorable end for the fans. One of the most pleasing aspects of today’s race was that again we had no crashes that the tyres could be held responsible for and it was a close race right until the end. This is another step forward for us and shows that we are continuing to work in the right direction. We now have a test on Monday, when we have some tyres for all the rides to try, hopefully this will give use more information as we head towards the second half of the season and some very challenging circuits.”

    eom/A Michelin press release

  • Weekend to forget for Asper Mahindra at Barcelona

    Aspar Mahindra riders Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martín crash out of Catalan GP. Martín damages his right hand and will undertake medical tests to establish the extent of the injury.

    The MotoGP World Championship said goodbye to Luis Salom on Sunday morning with a minute’s silence on the home straight of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, in memory of the rider who lost his life on Friday. The tributes were carried over to the podium, as all three rostrum finishers worn T-shirts expressing the sentiment of the entire paddock: “Always in our hearts.” Jorge Navarro was the winner of the Catalan GP, ahead of Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini, in a close race.

    In Moto3, luck was not on the Mahindra Aspar riders’ side in Barcelona, as both ended their day early with crashes. Jorge Martín was the worst affected by his fall, suffering a badly bruised right hand. The Spaniard was taken to the circuit’s medical centre and will undergo further tests to find out the full extent of the injury. Martín was riding in fourteenth when he crashed out. Pecco Bagnaia started from seventh on the grid -his second best qualifying result of the season- and from the very beginning of the race he managed to stick with the leading group. However, at the start of Lap 6 he was hit by another rider, ending his chances of a good result. The Italian remains fifth in the overall standings, twelve points behind the rider in fourth.

  • Marquez takes pole; Rossi on P5

    Catalunya, 4 June 2016: Repsol Honda’s Marc Marquez has scored the 61st pole of his career for tomorrow’s Catalan GP, with teammate Dani Pedrosa on the front row for the first time of the season. Team Movistar Yamaha’s reigning world champion Lorenzo will start from P2 while his teammate and former multiple world champion Valentino Rossi will start on P5 from the second row.

    Marc and Dani started the day well – despite a small crash for the former at turn 2 on his favourite bike – posting the second and third fastest times in an FP3 session that was extended to 60 minutes to allow the riders to learn the revised circuit layout, introduced after Luis Salom’s tragic incident yesterday.

    After working hard on the setup in yesterday’s free practices Marc and his crew decided to introduce some important modifications to the bike settings for today, which allowed him to improve significantly his feeling on the bike. Marc continued his progress into FP4 and qualifying, recording the fastest time in both sessions.

    Dani, who has worked with one of his bike on a new chassis over the last two days and decided to use it on tomorrow’s race, snatched the third spot on the front row after devoting FP4 to finalizing the setup of his RC213V.

    Marquez said: “We’ve worked well, and this morning we had a good feeling, but that fact was covered up because my crash was on the bike that I liked more. I felt very comfortable in FP4, with a good pace when using race tyres. We did a very good job and everything together meant that things worked out well. I’m very happy with the pole position, but we’re already thinking about the race. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I want to dedicate this pole to my grandmother who passed away two weeks ago and to Luis Salom.”

    From Yamaha:

    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Jorge Lorenzo continued his strong results from yesterday in a challenging second day at the Circuito de Barcelona-Catalunya, taking second on the grid for tomorrow‘s Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya. The reigning World Champion and his teammate Valentino Rossi only had two sessions before the 15-minute qualifying heat to get used to a track revision following yesterday‘s tragic incident involving Luis Salom. After the Doctor changed his setting to suit the new fourth sector he recorded the fifth best time at the very end of the Q2 session.

    Intending to hit a clear track, Lorenzo was one of the last riders to leave the pits in Q2, allowing the pack to move ahead. With his first flying lap, a 1‘44.452s, he shot straight into second place. He continued to push hard but was unable to improve his time on his first tyre and returned to the pits with six minutes left.

    Two minutes later he was back on track, ready to attack again. The local hero bettered his time but not his placement with his third attempt, a 1‘44.056s lap. Despite a strong fast sector from Lorenzo on his final lap he was unable to snatch pole and took secondon the grid, 0.467s off the front.

    Rossi kept the tension high to the last moments of the qualifying heat. Leaving the pits late like his teammate, he took third on his first flying lap with a 1‘45.315s. Having been pushed back to sixth, he put the hammer down and was promoted to fifth on his second hot lap with a 1‘45.138s before entering pit lane with six and a half minutes remaining.

    Returning to the track with just over four minutes on the clock offered him another chance to step up to the challenge. As the pace quickened towards the end of the session, the nine-time World Champion moved five places up the timesheets as the flag went out with a 1‘44.324s, to take fifth for a second row start, 0.735s from pole.

     

    eom/press briefs from Honda and Yamaha

     

  • Lorenzo races to a stunning on-the-line victory to edge out Marquez in Mugello

    Lorenzo races to a stunning on-the-line victory to edge out Marquez in Mugello

    LORENZO Jorge (SPA) of Movistar Yamaha. Image by: MICHELIN
    LORENZO Jorge (SPA) of Movistar Yamaha. Image by: MICHELIN

    Mugello, 22 May 2016: Jorge Lorenzo raced to stunning on-the-line victory at Mugello in Italy today as he used his new hard and soft compound Michelin tyres to the full and pushed to the limit on the last-lap to take victory as he crossed the finishing line.

    Starting from fifth on the grid, Lorenzo chose the new hard compound MICHELIN Power Slick for the front of his Yamaha and paired this with the soft compound rear, which was also being used for the first time this season. The Spaniard got a good start and led for the early laps despite constant pressure from nine-time World Champion and yesterday’s pole-setter Valentino Rossi. The Yamaha team-mates fought hard over eight-laps until an unfortunate technical issue forced Rossi to retire, leaving Lorenzo out front on his own. The race was far from over though, as Honda´s Marc Marquez chased down the current World Champion and caught Lorenzo with several laps to go. The two riders were then locked in a monumental battle amongst the mountains of Mugello, which culminated in a breath-taking final lap. Marquez made a pass on Lorenzo to take the lead, before the championship leader snatched it back, only to see Marquez come straight back at him and re-take the lead yet again. Marquez looked to have secured victory, but Lorenzo got fantastic drive from the last corner from his Michelin tyres and pulled himself past Marquez on the line to win by only 0.019 seconds.  Lorenzo´s winning race time of 41’36.535 was also over two-and-a-half seconds quicker than last year´s race and an outright race-record for the Mugello circuit – beating the existing record from 2012 by almost a second. His victory today was his third of the season and increased his championship lead over Marquez to 10 points.

    Third place was taken by a home favourite Andrea Iannone on a Ducati. The Italian fought his way to a podium finish after a poor start which cost him five places from third on the grid. Iannone finished the race very strongly as he set the fastest lap of the day on the final circulation to establish the durability of the MICHELIN Power Slicks on this demanding circuit. Dani Pedrosa on a Honda rode a solid race, as he too finished strongly securing fourth place, just in front of the second Ducati, this time ridden by Andrea Dovizioso. Sixth went to the Suzuki of Maverick Viñales, with Bradley Smith taking a well-deserved seventh – and the plaudits of being the First Independent Team Rider. Another home favourite Danilo Petrucci on a satellite Ducati was eighth with Aleix Espargaro (Suzuki) and Michele Pirro (Ducati) rounding out the top-ten in ninth and tenth respectively.

    The huge and colourful crowd of 100,640 – the largest ever on race day at Mugello – filled the hillsides around the track and baked in the Italian sun as temperatures rose to 26°, which also saw track temperatures hit 40°C – the warmest of the weekend. The latest versions of the MICHELIN Power Slicks performed well in the extreme conditions, at a track that is notoriously difficult for tyres. The technicians will now analyse all the data from what has been a successful weekend, as Michelin moves on through the season and continues to strive to improve its performance at each circuit as the year progresses

    Next stop for Michelin will be the Catalonian Grand Prix at the Montmelo circuit near Barcelona, when the whole MotoGP paddock will reconvene their rivalries at round seven of the championship on Sunday 5th June.“I am very, very happy with the tyres and how they performed today. During the last laps they started sliding a little bit more than in the previous laps, but now we don’t have anything like the problem that we had in Jerez on the straights. It has been a great weekend, it was a very close race, a great show for all and I am now 10-points above Marquez in the championship, so I am very happy.”

    Jorge Lorenzo said:

    “I am very, very happy with the tyres and how they performed today. During the last laps they started sliding a little bit more than in the previous laps, but now we don’t have anything like the problem that we had in Jerez on the straights. It has been a great weekend, it was a very close race, a great show for all and I am now 10-points above Marquez in the championship, so I am very happy.”

    Nicolas Goubert:

    “It has been a very good race weekend for us. The race time was shorter that the record race time, with the fastest lap at the end of the race by Iannone which was very close to the race lap-record.  It was the same yesterday with Rossi in qualification when he was one-hundredth-of-a-second off the outright track record. Everything went really well for us and there were no crashes that could be contributed to the front tyre, which was an important thing as nearly everybody used the new front, so this gives us confidence as we move forward with more technological advancements. We made a step here and now we head to the next race in Catalunya, where we also have a test on the Monday following the race, but if all the races are like this one we will be very happy.”

  • Mahindra’s Bagnaia shines at home with Mugello podium: Moto3

    Aspar Mahindra rider takes spectacular third place, whilst teammate Jorge Martín places fourteenth in wild race 

    Mug3llo, 22 May 2016: An exciting Moto3 race was expected at Mugello, and the lower cylinder category did not disappoint. A tight contest, the points-scoring positions were separated by just 2 seconds –and the Top Five was split by just 0.077s. The winner was decided on the final corner, as Brad Binder held off riders attempting a slipstream to claim the third victory of his career. He leads the World Championship by 49 points over Jorge Navarro, who failed to finish at Mugello . The podium was completed by Italians Fabio di Giannantonio, second, and Aspar Mahindra’s Pecco Bagnaia –who made a spectacular push from ninth position with three laps remaining.

    Pecco Bagnaia took his third podium of the season at Mugello. He began strongly, and on the first lap he had already gained three positions –moving up amongst the frontrunners just a few laps later. The Italian was consistently close to the front of a crowded group, consisting of more than twenty riders, but with three laps to go he ran wide at Turn 1, dropping to ninth. From there, Bagnaia continued to climb up the field to go into the last corner second, dropping down to third. He was just 0.031s off the rider in second place at the finish line. Teammate Jorge Martin fought his way up from fourteenth on the grid to fourth place a few laps from the end, but a series of glitches with his gearbox forced him back into the fight with the group. He would eventually take the chequered flag in fourteenth.

    3rd Pecco Bagnaia: “It’s a great result. After spending the whole weekend in the Top Five, it has been exciting to finish third in Mugello; we have gone beyond our limit. It was a tough race, with a very large group, and from the beginning I tried to give my best and push the bike in the same way.  I am very happy with the team’s work; it has been a great race for us. It was hard because I had to stay in front, but at the same time it was easy because there was a very high pace. After finishing fourth for the last two years at Mugello, finishing third is incredible.”

    eom/Aspar press release

  • Rossi powers to pole in Mugello

    Mugello, 21 May 2016: Riding with a special helmet design to mark his first home race of the season, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP‘s Valentino Rossi brought massive cheers to the Autodromo del Mugello circuit today as he took a sensational pole position in the qualifying session ahead of tomorrow’s Gran Premio d’Italia. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo also pushed hard during the tense 15-minute qualifying heat and secured fifth place on the grid.

    Movistar Yamaha MotoGP’s Valentino Rossi set a hot pace at the Autodromo del Mugello track today to score a brilliant pole position for tomorrow’s Gran Premio d’Italia. Teammate Jorge Lorenzo also put in a solid performance in the tight qualifying session, securing fifth place.

    Rossi arrived at the box with a special helmet that symbolizes how the hills around the Mugello track turn yellow when thousands of his fans come to support him during the Italian GP weekend. He took his time to leave the pit lane as qualifying got underway, allowing most of the other riders to depart before he headed out. The local hero put in a 1’48.433s on his first flying lap to slot into tenth place, before moving up to eighth place with a 1‘47.593s on his second attempt.

    Unable to improve his time on lap three, the Doctor quickly returned to the pits with less than five minutes on the clock for a new rear tyre. Back on the track, he dug deep and squeezed out all that his YZR-M1 has to offer on his fourth hot lap and set an incredible1’46.504s to take over first place. The last minute of the session saw a flurry of activity but the Italian‘s amazing time was left unchallenged, resulting in his second pole position of the season, 0.094s ahead of his closest rival.

    Teammate Lorenzo was the first rider to make his way out on the circuit for the start of the 15-minute qualifying heat, ensuring him some clear track space. He immediately put the hammer down on his first flying lap of 1’47.116s to take provisional third place, before returning to the pits for fresh rubber with ten minutes remaining.

    A minute later he was back on the track for more qualifying action. Having been relegated to fourth, the Mallorcan pushed hard to shave a little off his time. He clocked a second hot lap of 1‘47.005s but remained in the same position and decided to make a second pit stop to fit a new front tyre.

    With two minutes remaining the current MotoGP championship leader started his third and final stint. He waited until the very end of the session to drop a 1’46.882s on his final lap and claim fifth on the grid, 0.378s from pole.

    eom/Movistar Yamaha release

  • Bagnaia and Martín start off on top at Mugello

    Aspar Mahindra riders make positive start at Italian GP, setting the second and eleventh fastest times on Friday. Martín has his own second place cancelled out due to exceeding the track limits.

    The Moto3 riders were the first out on track at Mugello on Friday, and had the thankless task of kicking off the Italian GP weekend with mixed track conditions. The first session served to draw few conclusions due to the half wet, half dry surface, but the FP2 saw the action pick up. Lap times dropped by more than ten seconds, with Japan’s Hiroki Ono the fastest with a time of 1.58.849. On a day in which six Italians entered the top ten at their home race, the best of the lot was Aspar Mahindra’s Pecco Bagnaia -second and only 271 thousandths off the top spot.

    The Moto3 riders were the first out on track at Mugello on Friday, and had the thankless task of kicking off the Italian GP weekend with mixed track conditions. The first session served to draw few conclusions due to the half wet, half dry surface, but the FP2 saw the action pick up. Lap times dropped by more than ten seconds, with Japan’s Hiroki Ono the fastest with a time of 1.58.849. On a day in which six Italians entered the top ten at their home race, the best of the lot was Aspar Mahindra’s Pecco Bagnaia -second and only 271 thousandths off the top spot.

    eom/Aspar release