MotoGP 2009 - Round Ten - Donington

MotoGP 2009 - Round Ten - Donington - Preview

MotoGP prepares for final Donington visit

This weekend sees the end of an era in the FIM MotoGP World Championship, as the series makes its final visit to Donington Park for the British Grand Prix. The venue has played host to some great racing in all classes and, with competition at a breathtaking level in 2009, another thriller can be expected on Sunday 26th July.

Standings leader Valentino Rossi has his own fond memories of Donington Park, the scene of his first premier class victory back in 2000. He has not won at the track since 2005, but is undoubtedly capable of ending the drought in front of a crowd that have always been heavily behind the MotoGP World Champion.

Rossi holds a 14 point advantage at the head of the standings, adding a fourth win to his 2009 tally with victory in Germany just days ago. His principal challenger so far this year has been Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo, whom he ousted for the triumph in Sachsenring by just 0.099s. Lorenzo has won once at Donington Park, in the 2006 250cc race, and placed sixth at the track last year, although previous form counts for little when talking about the flying Spaniard this season, as he seeks to extend a run of six consecutive podium finishes.

A further 14 points separates Ducati Marlboro’s Casey Stoner from the head of the overall classification. The Australian is still out of sorts with illness, but has kept up his title challenge with some gritty performances over the past month. Off the podium for the past two races, a return to Donington Park gives Stoner the chance to win his third Grand Prix in as many years on British soil.

Dani Pedrosa’s bid for the MotoGP crown has picked up as his own physical problems have healed, but the Repsol Honda man is still very much the outside bet of the top four. He needs to pull back forty points just to catch up with third-placed Stoner. Pedrosa’s last win in Britain came back in his rookie season of 2006, riding the 990cc RC211V.

The British Grand Prix is a home race for James Toseland, who has double motivation to get a good result on race day. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider is racing for his future in the MotoGP World Championship, and also has some demons to exorcise following his first lap crash in last year’s race.
Although Marco Melandri has since relocated to Italy, the former MotoGP runner-up can also count this weekend’s round as a ‘home’ race. He spent a handful of years living just a stone’s throw from the track before the start of this year. He is currently sixth in the standings, behind Toseland’s teammate Colin Edwards.

Hiroshi Aoyama leads the 250cc class upon arrival in Great Britain, ten points ahead of Spanish rival Álvaro Bautista. The category will see a new Donington Park racewinner on Sunday afternoon, as nobody on the current grid has ever taken victory at the track in quarter-litre competition. With the title in the balance, such an honour would be a huge boost to either the Japanese Scot Racing Honda rider or the Mapfre Aspar man.

Whilst Aoyama and Bautista have breathing space at the top of the standings, behind them some dark horses are looming. Héctor Barberá is just eighteen points behind Bautista midway through one of his most consistent campaigns, riding for the PepeWorld team and targeting a move up to MotoGP in 2009.

Confirmed for a spot in the premier class lineup next year, Marco Simoncelli is remounting his title defence in the 250cc class. The Metis Gilera rider won the last round at Sachsenring in Germany from pole position, and has thirty-two points to make up in order to catch leader Aoyama.

Home representation in Great Britain will come from a selection of wildcards, headed by semi-regular participant Toby Markham. The local rider has two points from five appearances in 2009.

The 125cc race at the 2008 British Grand Prix saw a memorable home victory for Scott Redding, ending a long run without reason for local cheer. Redding is back for more in 2009, although he is some way outside the title picture.

The previously almost inseparable top two in the lower cylinder category were split by two contrasting results in Germany. A win for Julián Simón and a first DNF of the year for Bradley Smith extended the gap between the two to 30.5 points, and put the duo’s Bancaja Aspar teammate Sergio Gadea between them for good measure.

Simón has great memories of Donington Park from his first stint in 125cc, as it was at the British venue that he took a first Grand Prix victory in 2005. Gadea has been just off the podium for the past two seasons at the track, whereas Smith has not had much joy at his home circuit. The Oxfordshire rider has never qualified higher than the third row in the Midlands, and has yet to take to the podium in four appearances there. Experiencing his best season to date, could this be Smith’s year to shine in front of his dedicated supporters?

Also stating their case for title contention are Andrea Iannone and Nico Terol, riding for the Ongetta I.S.P.A and Jack&Jones WRB teams, respectively.

The British Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 26th July, with practice sessions beginning on Friday.

-- Ducati Preview

The MotoGP teams and riders complete a veritable tour de force this weekend as they contest the fourth race in five weekends. The event at Donington Park also signifies the end of an era for the East Midlands track, which has played host to the British Grand Prix since 1987 but will be replaced on the 2010 calendar by Silverstone, previously home to the historic event from 1977 to 1986.

The Ducati Marlboro Team have worked intensively in recent weeks to improve the overall performance of the GP9 and with two riders in Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden prepared to make the best of any situation, hopes are high of a good result at a circuit where the Australian has celebrated victory for the past two seasons. Stoner has been unfortunate to encounter physical problems during one of the most intensive periods of the season but through sheer determination he has come through it with two podium finishes and two fourth places so far. The Australian hopes he can try to make a stronger challenge at the front this time before signing off for a well-earned break.

Nicky Hayden, who has worked tirelessly alongside his team to make a breakthrough with his GP9, cannot wait to get back on track at Donington following a disappointing race in Germany where he was unable to take advantage of his best practice and qualifying performances of the season.

LIVIO SUPPO, MotoGP Project Director
“We have great memories from Donington and it’s a bit of a shame that this will be the last time we race at this wonderful circuit. The GP9 has been making great progress since Barcelona and now we hope to gather the fruit of all this hard work, given that there have been ups and downs in the last few races. On the positive side is a significant overall improvement for Nicky and the fact that Casey has managed to limit the damage to his championship hopes despite not being fully fit. The negative side is that we haven’t been on the podium for two races now and Nicky came away from Germany with less than he should have given his excellent form in practice.”

CASEY STONER, Ducati Marlboro Team (3rd in the championship on 148 points)
“We did the best job we could at Sachsenring and now I’m a bit more confident about going to Donington. The best thing for us would be to have similar weather and temperature as in Germany because I think the conditions there played into my hands, as did the circuit, which has some long corners where I was able to relax a little on the bike. I’ll be happy if we can have another weekend in similar temperatures at Donington. The track has never been one of my favourites but I have had good results there. The first part is really demanding, with the long section through Craner Curves up to the Old Hairpin… but it’s actually in the slow sections where you can make passes. The bike has been going really well for the last few races even though we could do with a little more traction. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens this weekend and bring home as many points as possible.”

NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Marlboro Team (13th in the championship on 46 points)
“I’ve never had amazing results at Donington but I can’t wait to get back out on track because I’m not happy with the way the last race went after the really positive practice we had. My bike is really stable under braking and that should be a real bonus at this circuit. Things have been going well lately, I’m having fun and last weekend was the first time in a long while that I’ve been up front in practice. Seeing P1 unchanged on my pit board for such a long time was a nice feeling. We’ll see what the weather is like because you never know what to expect at Donington and the track conditions are totally dependent on it.”

THE TRACK
Set to be replaced on the calendar by Silverstone next season, Donington Park hosts its 23rd and final British Grand Prix this weekend. It is a circuit of contrasting characteristics. After two high speed splits, the second half of the circuit becomes slow and tortuous. The first part, made up of the famous “Craner Curves”, a super-fast right-left-right sequence requires a smooth approach from the rider and puts machine importance more on handling than outright speed. The back section, meanwhile, was added in 1986 to bring the track up to the minimum length to host a Grand Prix. It consists of three short straights, a chicane and two sharp hairpins that put huge emphasis on braking and acceleration. Setting a bike up is always a question of making compromises but at Donington Park this is the case more than ever and it puts the riders and the bikes to the test.

-- HRC Preview

HONDA MARKS 50 YEARS OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACING ON BRITISH TARMAC

This weekend’s British Grand Prix is a historic event both for Honda and for MotoGP. It was 50 years ago this summer that Honda made its World Championship debut in the British round of the 1959 world series and it was in Britain 60 years ago that the first-ever World Championship event was staged.

Both those events were held over the notorious Isle of Man TT circuit, which was finally deemed too dangerous for World Championship competition in the mid-1970s. The British round moved to Silverstone in 1977 and then to Donington Park in 1987. Next year MotoGP moves back to Silverstone, swapping venues with the Formula 1 car series.

Honda has enjoyed victories at all three British World Championship venues and this weekend – the fourth MotoGP round in just five weeks – the company’s MotoGP riders and engineers will focus on more success at Donington, round ten of this year’s 17-round MotoGP series. Honda has won ten premier-class races at the Midlands venue over the past two decades.

Repsol Honda ace Dani Pedrosa has high hopes for Donington, where he scored a runaway victory in his maiden MotoGP season in 2006. The Spaniard was a much-deserved winner of the US GP earlier this month and scored a close-run third-place finish in Germany last Sunday so he’s got every reason to be in with a chance of more success this weekend. The factory Repsol Honda team has benefitted from engine and chassis upgrades in recent weeks that have helped Pedrosa regain his strong early season form.

Team-mate Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) has had a more difficult last few races, but until last month’s Dutch TT the Italian had been on an excellent run of results, always getting closer to scoring his first podium finish of the year. Dovi goes well at Donington and has won two GPs there – the 2004 125 race and the 2007 250 race. His intelligent riding style suits the complex layout, so he’ll be aiming to get back on track during MotoGP’s final visit to the track.

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) won the 2005 British 250 GP at Donington but, unlike Dovizioso the Frenchman isn’t a fan of the circuit. That won’t hamper him this weekend, however. De Puniet obviously knows the fast way around Donington and that’s all that matters. Last weekend in Germany he looked all set for another great result on his non-factory RC212V until a high-speed fall put him out of the race

Team-mates Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) and Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) cross the English Channel in high spirits following their rousing fifth- and sixth-place finish at the Sachsenring. That result went some way to repaying Fausto Gresini’s squad for all the hard work they’ve put in so far this year, but Germany could so easily have been better because Elias had to start from 17th on the grid after a tumble in qualifying. Elias and De Angelis have both stood on the 250 podium at Donington and if they have a good two days of practice there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be in with a chance of a top-three result on Sunday.

Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) continues his baptism-by-fire MotoGP apprenticeship at Donington. The former 125 World Champion graduated to the elite class at last month’s Catalan GP and has the huge task of learning to ride a 200-plus horsepower RC212V during official MotoGP practice sessions. Last Sunday Talmacsi recorded his first MotoGP points, this weekend he will continue improving step by step.

Donington Park has hosted Britain’s motorcycling GP very year since 1987. Honda riders have won ten of those 22 premier-class races: Wayne Gardner (Rothmans Honda NSR500) was Honda’s first Donington winner in 1992, then fellow Aussie Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500) won a hat-trick of victories between 1995 and 1997. Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500/Repsol Honda RC211V) won the last two British 500 GPs in 2000 and 2001 and then the track’s first MotoGP event in 2002. The following year it was Max Biaggi (Camel Honda RC211V) who was declared the winner. Honda’s most recent Donington success came in 2006 when Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC211V) took a dominant victory. Honda has also won eight Donington 250 GPs, the most recent with Andrea Dovizioso (Scot Honda RS250RW) in 2007, and nine Donington 125 GPs.

Donington is one of Britain’s oldest race circuits. The first event at the venue was staged over a gravel course around the estate of the Donington Park stately home in 1931. The track was closed down during World War Two and only reopened in the late 1970s. Donington has two very contrasting sections. The first, from Redgate to Coppice, is fast and flowing. The second, from Foggy’s Esses to the final Goddard’s Hairpin (added in 1986 to bring the track up to minimum GP length), is tight and slow. These two sections demand larger-than-usual compromises in machine set-up and riding style, requiring engineers and riders to work hard to link the whole lap together.

This year’s British GP completes MotoGP’s busiest period of four races over five weekends – in the Netherlands, the USA, Germany and Britain. The GP circus now enjoys a two-weekend break before reconvening at Brno for the Czech GP on August 16. Donington is round ten of this year’s MotoGP World Championship which climaxes at Valencia in Spain on November 8.

HONDA MotoGP RIDER QUOTES
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda) says: “We’ve built some momentum with our good results in the last two races and we’ll be looking to take that to Donington this weekend. It’s a circuit I like and I’ve had some good results there so I’m confident we can have a strong weekend. To be honest, while the podium in Germany wasn’t a bad finish and we weren’t far behind the winners, we thought another win was possible last weekend. So our motivation is high to fight hard for that in Britain before the summer break. Naturally, the weather is always a consideration at Donington so we need to be prepared for anything. We gained some valuable experience on the Bridgestones in the wet in Germany so we’ll be working to make maximum use of the practice sessions, whatever the conditions. It’ll be sad to see the back of Donington because the track itself is very good to ride and one I like. I hope I can sign off there with a good result.”

Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) says: “Unfortunately this year will be the last time that we race at Donington Park and it’s a pity because the circuit is fascinating to ride. I like it, in particular the first section which is very fast, and of course the Craner Curves which plunge down hill and take your breath away every time your ride them. Last year I had a good race at Donington and I have always liked this track. We arrive this time after two difficult races where I had the pace to fight with the leaders but for different reasons, we didn’t get the results. But our motivation is high and everybody in the team is working hard. Honda is working hard too and we’ve had machine updates recently which are moving us in the right direction. So I arrive in Britain determined to get a good result at out last visit to Donington and to prove our real potential.”

Randy de Puniet (LCR Honda) says: “I had a positive week end in Germany until the first lap of the race and my machine was almost perfect so I just want to forget that ‘zero’ and start again in Donington. I think that the English track is very interesting and very technical: we could win some tenths as the straight (564m) isn't very long. My overall package is getting better race by race but honestly I do not like the layout of Donington Park very much. Last year I got 12th place there, this weekend I hope for a top-ten finish.”

Alex De Angelis (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says: “I’m really pleased that after the progress we have been making during practice in recent weeks I was finally able to back it up with a result at Sachsenring and the target for Donington is a repeat performance on every level. It was important that we showed our pace in both wet and dry conditions in Germany because that gives us confidence going into a Grand Prix where the weather is similarly unpredictable. Donington is a circuit I like a lot so it is a shame this time is the last for MotoGP. I have always gone well there, up until my crash last year, so we have nothing to fear and I’m confident and excited about this weekend.”

Toni Elias (San Carlo Honda Gresini) says: “The performance and result were good at Sachsenring but we want more. If it wasn’t for my crash in qualifying we would have started from a position that would have allowed us to get to a better finish in the race so that is the objective from Donington onwards. We need to look at how we can qualify better and that way target even better results than sixth place. The track surface at Donington can be very slippery – especially if the temperatures are low – so it will be crucial for us to find good grip from day one and progress from there. Hopefully the weather is kind to us!”

Gabor Talmacsi (Scot Honda) says: “I travelled to Donington Park straight from the Sachsenring without going home to Budapest. The team did the same – driving direct to the UK from Germany. We have had a technical meeting to discuss how to approach this next race and we will see how things go on Friday. In the past I’ve never really had too much luck at Donington Park. On this visit the crux of the matter is to find a good feeling with the bike and to take another step forward.”

-- Yamaha Preview

Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo make the short hop across the channel this week for the British Grand Prix, the final race before the MotoGP summer break. Fresh from their one-two finish in Germany on Sunday, the Fiat Yamaha pair is on top of the world and looking forward to a special farewell race at Donington Park.

There has been Grand Prix racing at the East Midlands track for the last 22 years and Valentino Rossi remains the most successful rider in history there, holding the records for the most wins in all classes and the most premier class wins. The eight-time World Champion took his first ever 500cc win there in 2000 and the track holds a special affinity for him as he lived in London for several years and was adopted as an honorary Brit by the local fans. The Italian has seven wins to his name there but is without a victory since 2005, something he will be looking to rectify this weekend as he arrives on top form following his fourth win of the season.

Last year Lorenzo arrived at Donington in poor shape, having missed the previous race due to injuries. The irrepressible youngster put on a brilliant display however and finished 6th having qualified in 16th, earning himself plenty of fans in the process. He won there from pole in the 250cc class in 2006 and is eager to add to his win tally this weekend, following his agonisingly close defeat at the hands of his team-mate last time out. The 22-year-old Mallorcan is not yet at full fitness following the injuries he picked up in Laguna Seca but he is growing stronger every day and will be determined to close the gap to Rossi this weekend.

Donington Park sits inside an amphitheatre style setting, although building works this year in preparation for the arrival of Formula One next year means that much of the infield will be closed to spectators this time. The prevalent off-camber nature of the circuit is one of the main factors at play, with a large tendency for the front tyre to push, making the right, left, right flick down the Craner Curves a critical but rewarding section of track. The stop-and-go nature of the final section, which features three hard braking zones, means the bike also has to be good under braking and makes set-up a quest for compromise between agility and stability.

Valentino Rossi - “HOPING TO EXTEND OUR LEAD”
“Last year I had a good race at Donington to finish second, but this year I really want to win! I’ve always said that Donington is one of my favourite tracks in the world – it’s fast and flowing but also technical – and also the UK is a very special place for me because for a long time it was my home. This is the last year we are going to race there which I am really sad about, but that makes me even more determined to try to win there, for me and for the fans who have always treated me like one of their own. I haven’t won there since 2005, which is too long and I would like to say ‘goodbye’ to the track in the best way. Last year we couldn’t take the fight to Stoner but this year our bike is extremely competitive and we’re arriving leading in the championship so we’re in a very strong position. We don’t have much time to rest after Sachsenring but we have a good break after this race to look forward. Let’s hope we can extend our lead even more before then.”

Jorge Lorenzo - “LET'S REVERSE THE RESULTS!”
“Of course I am disappointed about the result in Germany but considering my physical condition I have to be happy about such a close second place. It’s a pity we don’t have a week off now so I have more time to recover, but I will try to relax for a few days at least and build my strength some more. I like Donington a lot and this is the last year there so I would like to try and leave with a good result. I expect that all the British fans are hoping for another race like in Sachsenring, so we will see what we can do but of course I hope the result is reversed this time! The weather in Donington can be bad so my biggest wish is that it stays dry, we had enough rain in Sachsenring! However if it does rain the that’s not the end of the world either because we showed on Saturday that we are very strong also in the wet.”

Davide Brivio - Rossi Team Manager - “LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT BATTLE”
“So, our last trip to Donington! Valentino loves the track but he’s had some misfortune in the past few years so we will be looking to rectify that this weekend and leave it in the best possible way. We’re in very good shape after our latest win and everyone is looking forward to another great battle. Let’s hope we can show the British fans another brilliant MotoGP display! The championship remains very close but we’re enjoying the competition and will keep trying the maximum to win.”

Daniele Romagnoli - Lorenzo Team Manager - “HOPING IT’S OUR TURN!”
“Last year Jorge rode a brilliant race after a bad race the week before, so we know that he likes the track. He has been so strong at the last few races and on Sunday he came tantalisingly close to another win, so we’re hoping that it’s just around the corner for us. He is riding very well and package is good so we know we have the potential. Let’s hope it’s our turn this weekend!”

-- Suzuki Preview

Rizla Suzuki is in England this weekend for the British Grand Prix at Donington Park, an event that the team considers its second ‘home' GP of the season.

With the team's operational headquarters in southern England and a big majority of the squad hailing from the UK - allied with the strong ties Chris Vermeulen has with the British racing scene from his early career - the Donington event is a real homecoming for the Japanese based Suzuki MotoGP squad.
Vermeulen is hoping to be fully fit at Donington, following his injury-hit race in Germany last weekend, and is determined to keep up his successful British GP record that has seen him record one podium and two front row starts from his three previous visits.

Loris Capirossi will be making his Suzuki MotoGP debut at the British event after he was sidelined through injury last year - although he does hold the Grand Prix rider record for the most GP starts at Donington with 17. Capirossi knows the importance of this race to the team and is in a determined mood to put his injury and the disappointment from last week at Sachsenring fully behind him as he goes after a result that will get the team back on target to be competitive for the remainder of the season.

This weekend's British Grand Prix will signal the end of an era as it will be the last time - for the foreseeable future - that the event will be staged at Donington Park. The 4,023m circuit will give way to Silverstone in 2010, so this will be the final chance spectators will get to see the amazing sight and sound as the awesome MotoGP bikes stream down Craner Curves, one of the most impressive pieces of track anywhere on the MotoGP calendar.

Rizla Suzuki will start the weekend by being involved in the ‘Riders For Health Day of Champions' fundraising event on Thursday. This will be followed by the first and second free practice sessions on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning respectively. The qualifying for the race will take place on Saturday afternoon when both Rizla Suzuki racers will be going all out to get the best grid positions for Sunday's 30-lap race, which will get underway at the later time of 15.30hrs local time (14.30hrs GMT).

Chris Vermeulen:
"I am really looking forward to Donington Park as it's like another home GP for me because I grew up racing bikes in the UK and spent a lot of time at Donington in my early career. We were on the podium in the wet a couple of years ago and had a good race there last year in the dry. We have made steps forward with the bike - even if some of the results haven't gone our way. I hope my injuries allow me to push to 100% and get the Suzuki up to where we need to be."

Loris Capirossi:
"Donington is a really important race because after the weekend we had in Germany we need to have a good performance and find the best solutions and settings to help us go quick. I missed the race last year after my injuries at Barcelona and I really love the track so that was disappointing and I want to make up for it this season. We need some good results because the whole team is working so hard and although we probably don't have the best bike at the moment, our target is to keep making it stronger and stronger until it is capable of challenging at the front. My condition is nearly 95% and after the practices I am sure I will be fully fit for the race."

-- Bridgestone Preview

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium. Rear: Soft, Medium

As was the case last year, weather is likely to play a major role in the outcome of round ten of the championship at Donington Park in Great Britain.

Although the British round is held one month later this year as a result of a change-around in the MotoGP calendar, conditions can be unpredictable. Due to the cooler British climes and the smooth and flowing nature of the Donington Park circuit, Bridgestone has selected the softest tyre compound options for this weekend: the soft and the medium compound slicks.

Coming prepared, the soft compound wet Bridgestone tyres will also be available, as used in Le Mans and Mugello. Donington Park is a medium-slow circuit with a low-grip surface that traditionally has been a tricky one for Bridgestone, despite recent results.

In the wet but slowly drying 2007 race, Casey Stoner and the Ducati Team brought Bridgestone’s first victory at Donington, and Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen finished third. Suzuki and Bridgestone also scored a podium in the wet 2005 race with Kenny Roberts Jr.

Last year, Stoner also delivered Bridgestone’s first dry-weather win at Donington having recorded the first pole position for a Bridgestone-shod rider at the circuit. Bridgestone-shod riders filled the front row in qualifying and took the top two positions at the chequered flag.

The British Grand Prix is the longest race of the season at a total competitive distance of 120.69km.

Most of the circuit’s corners are relatively slow, but the fast and flowing Craner Curves really test the shoulder grip of the tyres, especially through the left-hand kink. Here, riders and machines are also tested by the fast change of direction from right to left. The circuit places maximum emphasis on machine setup and riding style.

In order for the tyres to deliver good traction on the low-grip surface, softer Bridgestone slicks must be used, but if a bike’s setup is not optimised or a rider is spinning the rear wheel too much on acceleration, it is easy to start generating excess temperature in the rubber leading to accelerated wear and degradation.

Hiroshi Yamada - Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Sport Unit
“Donington is the last in a series of five races that have taken place in seven weeks, in the season’s busiest period. During this time we have seen some good racing and very close competition, so I am satisfied with the way in which we have been able to support the MotoGP series as the single tyre supplier this far. Donington has traditionally been a difficult race for tyres but I am confident for another good fight at the front before everyone can take a well-deserved summer break.”

Tohru Ubukata – Bridgestone Motorsport – Manager Motorcycle Race Tyre Development
“Donington Park has smooth asphalt and is one of the circuits that we class as slippery as it does not generate huge amounts of grip. Most of the corners are medium/slow right handers apart from the fast left handed kink of the Craner Curves, although the slightly uphill nature of this corner helps load the tyres and generate more grip.

“We have chosen the soft and medium compound slicks for this grand prix because the slippery nature of the track would make it very difficult to generate suitable tyre temperatures in harder compound rubber. However, because the circuit is slippery, rear wheel spinning can occur if the setup of the bike is not optimised or if a rider is too early and too hard on the throttle. The Old Hairpin is also a crucial corner for tyre wear as unusually it is flat from the apex to the exit, when the riders are opening the throttle, which makes spinning more likely, accelerating wear. Donington really places the emphasis on the whole tyre, rider and machine package.”

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