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Michelin leaves Sepang with a smile, and big boss Nicolas Goubert confirms this: “the riders are satisfied, they've told us that we've taken a big step forward”.
Over the last days, Piero Taramasso has told us all about the new tyres brought to Sepang and now Goubert has explained how the tests have gone.
“Already at Valencia the riders preferred the new front tyre, which guarantees better grip at the maximum lean angle, and over these days there have not been many crashes, and they've not been caused by the tyres - he underlined - The rear too, despite more minor changes, has been received with enthusiasm: this morning Dovizioso and Vinales set their fastest times with the soft compound of the new tyre, while Marquez did so with the medium”.
Riders have complained about the defectiveness of a few tyres that don't meet with the standards.
“It's a problem we're working on, though we don't yet have a clear explanation as to why it's happening - states Goubert - Dovizioso complained about vibration at the front, he was right but he is very sensitive. Other riders with double the vibration don't even notice it”.
The base for the 2017 tyre has been decided though and Michelin must now just adapt the compounds to the various tracks. Goubert joked about the season's aims: “to be quicker at Jerez and to have a race without a pitstop in Argentina”, as he recalls the 2016 debacle.
One final interesting fact: during the Sepang test some riders have tests the system that allows them to know the type of tyre mounted on the various bikes, also available to TV viewers.
