MotoGP, Michelin: it's difficult to prepare for Mugello

Six left-handers and nine right-hand turns, some of which fast and others slow, altimetric variability and a straight along which the MotoGP bikes exceed 350 Km/h: this is the Mugello track, paradise for riders and hell for tyre suppliers. Michelin knows that it is one of the most complicated rounds on the calendar and so the tests carried out a couple of weeks ago were very useful in this sense.

For the Tuscan track, technicians at Clermont-Ferrand have selected symmetrical tyres for the three front compounds and the soft rear, while the medium and hard rear will have a harder right side. The rain tyre, available in a soft and medium compound, has an asymmetric construction.

“After the excitement of Michelin’s home GP, we now head to a track that has its own special place in people’s minds, but is a very complex and demanding one for Michelin - explains Michelin manager Piero Taramasso - The tyres need to work very hard through the variations of corners and then give good stability under heavy braking, as well as impressive drive and high-speed performance on the long straight.

"We had to take all these factors into consideration when we chose the compounds for the allocation earlier this year and with so many factors this was one of the most difficult tracks to plan so far ahead for. We had a test at Mugello just before Le Mans and that confirmed a few things, we also had some very fast unofficial lap-times, so it would be good if those could be replicated when we go there for the race weekend.”