MotoGP 2012 – Round 13 – Misano
— Lorenzo vs Pedrosa hots up as MotoGP™ heads to Misano
The Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini welcomes the MotoGP™ grid to Misano this coming weekend with the fight at the top of the premier class turning into a breath-taking spectacle with Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo and Repsol Honda Team’s Dani Pedrosa both on blistering form heading into this weekend.
With Pedrosa only 13-points adrift off his Spanish rival, he will undoubtedly be looking to claw back further points with only six races left in the season. Yet Lorenzo will have his say in the matter, having taken the win at Misano last year in dominant fashion. Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner is still recovering from his ankle surgery two weeks ago, and will be replaced by SBK Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea of Northern Ireland. He has had a total of three test days on the Honda RC213V machine, and will he aiming to put on a good show in his first MotoGP™ outing.
Lorenzo’s teammate Ben Spies, who last time out had a weekend to forget, will be hoping for a trouble-free outing at the track, and get back to challenging for the podium. He will as usual face the challenge from Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow. The British rider not only took his first GP podium in Brno; he also topped the timesheets in the official test, making himself known as a serious threat at the Misano round. His Italian teammate will not wish to be beaten at his home round however, and will most certainly look to get the upper hand once more.
Ducati Team’s Valentino Rossi, who held a private test at the track two weeks ago, will be looking for a positive result at his local circuit, as he seeks to improve the Desmosedici for a good finish to the season. His American teammate Nicky Hayden, who missed the last race due to injury, will be back for the Italian race. He has never finished a race there since joining the Ducati Team in 2008. The factory Ducati pair will be gunning to finish ahead of the satellite Hondas of Stefan Bradl and Álvaro Bautista. LCR Honda MotoGP’s Bradl, who last week tested a factory RC213V, came second in the Moto2™ race last year, and will be hoping to challenge for a podium at the team’s home race, albeit with his current satellite machine. San Carlo Honda Gresini’s Álvaro Bautista will however have the same intentions and is likely to try and spoil the party.
The satellite Ducati machines will be back at full strength once more with Pramac Racing Team’s Héctor Barberá returning to the frame after recovering from his fractured vertebra, and Cardion AB Racing’s Karel Abraham buoyed by his ninth place finish in Brno. The CRT contingent has undergone some changes since Brno, with Spaniard David Salom replacing Iván Silva in the Avintia Blusens team, and Came IodaRacing Project’s Danilo Petrucci lining up on a Suter-BMW machine. NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Colin Edwards will continue to race on his Suter bike, and will line up against the regular CRT grid of Power Electronics Aspar duo of Randy de Puniet and Aleix Espargaró, San Carlo’s Michele Pirro, Speed Master’s Mattia Pasini, Avintia’s Yonny Hernandez and Paul Bird Motorsport’s James Ellison.
World Championship Standings MotoGP™
1- Jorge Lorenzo SPA Yamaha 245
2- Dani Pedrosa SPA Honda 232
3- Casey Stoner AUS Honda 186
4- Andrea Dovizioso ITA Yamaha 150
5- Cal Crutchlow GBR Yamaha 122
As the Moto2™ contingent challenge each other once more this weekend at the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini in Misano, they will have a mountainous task in trying to catch Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez, with the Spaniard 48 points clear at the top of the championship standings.
Márquez, the winner at the track last year after a hard fought battle, will most certainly be joined up front by Speed Master’s Andrea Iannone, who will be keen to impress his home fans. He finished third in last year’s race, and will look to make up for missing out on the podium in Brno. It is however Pons 40 HP Tuenti’s Pol Espargaró who will be the most driven to reduce the deficit to his Spanish rival, after failing to capitalize on his pole position in the last race. He has not finished higher than fifth in Misano, but will hoping that his outright pace can help him mount a serious challenge to Márquez.
Interwetten-Paddock’s Tom Lüthi, who was on blistering form in Brno, will hope for that extra bit of pace to take his second win this season, and to overtake Espargaró into second in the standings. The Marc VDS Racing Team duo of Scott Redding and Mika Kallio, sitting fifth and sixth in the championship table respectively, will look to better their difficult outing at the last race, where Kallio finished seventh and Redding crashed out on the first lap.
Flying the local flag will be NGM Mobile Forward Racing’s Alex de Angelis, the only true local rider from Rimini. He only narrowly missed out on the podium last year in fourth, yet will undoubtedly be a threat, after a solid performance on board his FTR at the last race. Other FTR rider, Came IodaRacing Project’s Simone Corsi, as well as Italtrans Racing Team’s Claudio Corti are two other Italians ready to impress, as they seek to climb the rankings with some local support.
Kiefer Racing’s Max Neukirchner, who suffered an injury at the previous round in Brno, will be replaced in the team by Frenchman Mike Di Meglio. Neukirchner, following further medical check-ups was diagnosed with a second break in the middle part of his hand, rendering him unable to race. Di Meglio had been racing for the German MZ Racing Team in Moto2, which he joined before the Mugello round. MZ has not yet named a replacement rider. The Arguiñano Racing Team will also field a replacement for the injured Ricky Cardús in the form of South African rider Steven Odendaal.
World Championship Standings Moto2™
1- Marc Márquez SPA Suter 213
2- Pol Espargaró SPA Kalex 165
3- Thomas Luthi SWI Suter 154
4- Andrea Iannone ITA Speed Up 149
5- Scott Redding GBR Kalex 106
The Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini in Misano will host the Moto3™ field this coming weekend, with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Sandro Cortese holding a commanding lead over nearest rival Maverick Viñales.
The German has had a tremendous year since winning his first ever GP at Brno in 2011, finishing on the podium 14 times in the last 19 races. Yet his best ever result at Misano is a fourth last year, which he will most certainly look to improve upon when he takes to the track to defend and extend his lead. Blusens Avintia’s Maverick Viñales, now a full 32-points behind the championship leader will know that nothing but the win will do as he seeks to turn the tables in the hunt for top honours. He will however have the resurgent Luis Salom on his RW Racing GP machine to contend with, as the Spaniard continues his upward trend following his first win in Indianapolis.
Whilst the top three in the table have been consistent performers all year, the main danger is likely to come from Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3’s Jonas Folger, who recorded a dominant victory last time out in Brno. The German has looked like a man on a mission since switching to the Aspar outfit, and will be aiming to record his third ever GP career win when he lines up on the San Marino track. Another contender will be JHK T-Shirt Laglisse’s Efrén Vázquez, who recorded his last podium to date at the track last year. Having been in the hunt numerous times this year, but ultimately missing out, the Spaniard will be hoping that Misano can lend him some good fortune.
Team Italia FMI’s Romano Fenati, who proved at Mugello that a home advantage works wonders for him, will be among the chargers for the podium, joined by the likes of San Carlo Gresini Moto3’s Niccolò Antonelli and his own teammate Alessandro Tonucci. Mahindra Racing will field replacement rider Miroslav Popov in place of the injured Ricardo Moretti, whilst two wildcard riders will join the field in the shape of Team Imperiali Racing’s Stefano Valtulini and Elle 2 Ciatti’s Kevin Calia.
World Championship Standings Moto3™
1- Sandro Cortese GER KTM 200
2- Maverick Viñales SPA FTR Honda 168
3- Luis Salom SPA Kalex KTM 140
4- Romano Fenati ITA FTR Honda 104
5- Alex Rins SPA Suter Honda 83
— HRC Preview
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC213V) arrives for the San Marino Grand Prix riding a two-race winning streak that has taken him within 13 points of championship leader Jorge Lorenzo. The Spaniard will work to further close that gap on a weekend when he will be joined by a new teammate and one which will honour the memory of a former Honda grand prix star.
Honda World Superbike rider Jonathan Rea will ride the Repsol Honda RC213V in place of the injured Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC213V). Stoner sustained serious damage to his right ankle in a qualifying crash at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. A day later, the gritty Australian raced to a fourth place finish. But once his doctors in Australia saw the extent of the damage, he was on his way home. No timetable has been set for his return, though he can be expected to do everything in his power to return at least for his home grand prix at Phillip Island at the end of October.
In his place is Rea, the 25-year-old rider from Northern Ireland, who, between his World Superbike duties and two tests of the Repsol Honda RC213V, has had a whirlwind few weeks. Rea calls the opportunity to race the Repsol Honda “a big dream come true” at a track where he won his first World Superbike race in 2009. Earlier this year he finished second in a World Superbike race here.
Rea understands that testing and racing are two very different things, but he is ready to continue to explore the limit when practice starts at the track near the Adriatic resort of Misano Adriatico on Friday morning.
The track is also close to the San Clemente workshop of the San Carlo Honda Gresini team, where the number 58 white and red San Carlo Honda Gresini RC213V of Marco Simoncelli was prepared. Following Simoncelli’s tragic death in last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix, the track was renamed Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Simoncelli grew up and lived in nearby Cattolica and there will be various commemorations of his life and career this weekend.
The greatest way to honour his memory is with a Honda victory and that is what Pedrosa will be aiming for. The Spaniard continues to mature as a rider and that was on display in Brno. Where it was once thought Pedrosa could only win from the front, he has improved his racecraft so that he is now a threat any time he’s within striking distance.
Misano has been a particularly good track for him. The past three races he has been on the podium, second in 2011, winning in 2010, and coming third in 2009. And his season has been equally impressive. Other than a fourth in Le Mans, he has been on the podium in every race.
LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl finished second in last year’s Moto2 race at Misano en route to the 2011 Moto2 World Championship. Now on the senior circuit, the young German is the rookie sensation of the season and showing maturity far beyond his limited MotoGP experience. He currently sits sixth in the championship.
In his previous visit to Italy this season, Bradl finished a career best fourth, and nearly, third in the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello. With the encouragement of his Italian team, he is hopeful of a repeat performance.
San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista wants to put the previous Brno weekend behind him. The Spaniard finished an unsatisfying sixth and understands how important his performance will be at the team’s home track.
Bautista was eighth the past two years in MotoGP. Prior to that he had been third in the 250cc class in 2009 a year after winning the 250cc race in 2008.
San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Michele Pirro (San Carlo Gresini Honda FTR) ended a streak of frustration with his finish in the Czech Grand Prix. Pirro, who rides a Honda CBR1000RR-powered CRT machine, had been making steady improvement until a series of setbacks. But the team and Pirro never wavered and they were rewarded with a turnaround in the Czech Republic. Now team and rider plan to continue their quest to be the top CRT rider with the added motivation of the venue.
Marc Marquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol Suter) has taken control of the Moto2 World Championship with serial success over the past several races. The young Spaniard has won four of the past five races and six overall. That has given him a commanding 213 to 165 point lead over Pol Espargaro (Pons 40 HP Tuenti Kalex), his fellow Spaniard who has two wins himself.
Marquez will be tough to beat in Misano. He won the 125cc race during his successful 125cc title run in 2010 and he beat Bradl and Andrea Iannone (Speed Master Speed Up) in a hard-fought race last year. Marquez expects Iannone to be tough on one of his home tracks and is prepared to temper his enthusiasm in the service of the championship.
Espargaro does not have that luxury. With 48 points to make up in six races, Espargaro has to win and win often. He has had less success at Misano than Marquez with best result of fifth coming in 2007 on his first visit to the track on a 125. Last year he finished ninth in the Moto2 race.
Luthi is a longer shot to win the title. The 25-year-old Swiss rider is 11 points down on Espargaro while having a similar season. He has been consistent, with six podiums and a win, but a few downfield finishes have damaged his title hopes.
His record at Misano includes a podium in his first Moto2 race in 2010. He came eighth in 2011.
Maverick Vinales (Blusens Avintia FTR Honda) has five wins, more than any other rider in the Moto3 class, and he will have to continue winning if he hopes to win the inaugural Moto3 title. Along with the five wins and a second Vinales has a pair of non-finishes, which have put him in a hole in his quest to catch class leader Sandro Cortese.
Romano Fenati (Team Italia FMI Honda) gets a rare chance to race on a familiar track this weekend. The 16-year-old Italian has been traversing the planet learning new circuits, with mixed success. His record is notably erratic, but when he is good he is very good; he was second in Qatar and won his second grand prix in Jerez de la Frontera in difficult conditions. His last three finishes have been consistent, and he can expect to build on that on familiar grounds.
Alex Rins (Estrella Galicia 0.0 Suter Honda) is also riding his most consistent three-race streak of the season. The 16-year-old grand prix rookie had a strong start and a difficult mid-season before rebounding in the past three races. With an eye towards the Moto3 World Championship race, Rins took part in two Italian Championship races in late July, finishing second and third to double race winner Niccolo Antonelli of the San Carlo Gresini Moto3 team in the two races.
Misano Adriatico is hosting its 16th grand prix, though they haven’t been consecutive. The track first hosted a grand prix in 1980 before being removed from the calendar at the end of the 1993 season, the year that three-time 500cc World Champion Wayne Rainey was paralyzed in a Misano gravel trap. It was 2007 before the race returned to the calendar with race won by Casey Stoner.
By then the track direction had been reversed and the infrastructure updated. The 4.226Km circuit, with six lefts and ten rights, now runs clockwise. The reversal changed the character of the track, which does not have the high speed of Mugello, the other Italian MotoGP venue. Rather the track is one that puts a premium on hard braking and hard acceleration and little chance for the powerful 1000s to stretch their legs; the longest straightaway is 565m.
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is a rider and fan favourite for its location within sight of the Adriatic Sea.
Dani Pedrosa is Honda’s most recent premier class winner having won in 2010, Mick Doohan won in 1991, Pier-Francesco Chili in 1989 and three-time world champion Freddie Spencer in 1984.
Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa says: “Misano is a tricky track, quite bumpy, with a lot of braking and accelerations. The grip level is always a challenge, because it changes a lot from the morning sessions to the afternoon. In the past, our bike has been quite unstable there, but I believe this year we have improved that. I hope the work we have done in the Brno and Aragon tests with suspension and electronics can help us to start the weekend strong in Misano. We need to continue working in the same way, focusing on our bike’s performance and my riding to keep reducing the gap in the championship.”
Repsol Honda rider Jonathan Rea says: “For me it’s a big dream come true just to race in MotoGP; it’s been very unfortunate for Casey (Stoner) to sustain such an injury when he was having a very strong season and my best wishes go to him while he recovers. Now my job is to replace him and I will try to do the best I can. I love Misano, I’ve already raced there this year and I finished second, it’s also where I had my first ever Superbike win in 2009 and I enjoy the circuit and the Italian fans, they are always very enthusiastic. I take this opportunity like a great gift from Honda. In the few days I’ve spent with the team I have felt very good, they understand it will take me some time to push with this bike, but I’m learning every time I get on it. It’s been great to have these three days testing on the bike to prepare myself and for sure Friday morning will be less chaotic. We already have the riding position set, the base setup is set and I understand the electronics a little more. I know it’s going to be busy, but I’m ready.”
LCR Honda MotoGP rider Stefan Bradl says: “Misano is a good race track for me. Last year I finished second in the Moto2 class and it would be amazing finishing this race in the front like we did in Mugello. I always feel very comfortable there. The grip condition is pretty good and I like the layout. I am looking forward to that race, because it’s extremely important for my team and this year we will all race with a special memory in our hearts. I am pretty sure that the crowd will be huge and they will be there to honour Marco’s memory at his home race.”
San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Alvaro Bautista says: “The race at Brno didn’t leave me satisfied and my feeling with the bike wasn’t as good as expected. We had plenty of problems with braking and corner entry all weekend. We also had an issue with rear grip in the race that wasn’t there in practice. All this meant that we couldn’t push as hard as we would have liked, so our first task is going to be finding a good feeling with the bike and judging our potential from there. Misano will be a different race for many reasons. It is Team San Carlo Honda Gresini’s home track and this will be the first time that we ride there since it was renamed after Marco Simoncelli. I can’t wait to get on track and try to get a good result. I didn’t take a positive memory from the last visit to Italy, but at this track I have ridden well in MotoGP –and above all in 250cc. We are going to have to work hard in practice in order to be competitive on race day. Misano is a unique circuit because of it’s anti-clockwise direction. I like it, but it isn’t one of my favourite tracks. Most of the way it is slow, but there are a few fast corners like ‘Carro’ that I really enjoy. The start into the narrow first corner is very tricky, so it will be important to get a good grid position.”
San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Michele Pirro says: “I finally took the chequered flag again at Brno and reached the goal of finishing a race, after four consecutive retirements. It wasn’t an easy race in the Czech Republic, but in the end I was fairly satisfied with not taking another DNF. Our hard work and determination needs to continue to grow as the season comes closer to the end, and we want to be back fighting for the top CRT honour. This weekend at Misano will be very special. It is the home track for the team and holds Marco Simoncelli’s name, so we will have a lot of emotion that we will use as motivation to have a great race.”
Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol-Suter rider Marc Marquez says: “Misano is rather different to Brno. It is a track with a lot more braking and is generally slower and smaller. I have a fond memory of last year’s race, at which I took an important victory. Once again, the aim is to start to work like always, focused on Sunday. The Italian riders will be taking on this race with extra motivation that has always made them go fast. We will have to be calm and see where we can finish.”
Pons 40 HP Tuenti Kalex rider Pol Espargaro says: “Yeah, we are a little far now (in the championship). Marc (Marquez), is going so good and he’s making an incredible job. But I will not stop fighting. I think we have to push more than ever. We have to try my best to try to recover the gap. Will be difficult, because it’s a little bit far, but anyway we will battle for the first position.”
Interwetten-Paddock Suter rider Thomas Luthi says: “I’m looking forward, for sure. We did a good work with the bike over the Brno weekend. It was little bit more difficult in Indianapolis and now I’m looking forward for Misano. I like the track, actually, as well and I think we can be competitive again.”
— Ducati Preview
The Ducati Team is preparing for its second home race of the season, which will take place on Sunday at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. The GP di San Marino e della Riviera Rimini is also an important round for Valentino Rossi, who lives near the circuit at which he has posted two wins and an additional podium finish.
Nicky Hayden will return to the track after incurring an injury at Indianapolis that also forced him to miss the following Grand Prix, at Brno. The American has been undergoing rehabilitation in the United States, and Friday he’ll test the strength and endurance of his right hand, which had suffered two fractures.
As usual at Misano, the Ducati Team will be supported by Ducati fans in the “Variante del Parco” grandstand, which is situated near the first corner.
VALENTINO ROSSI, Ducati Team
“Misano is one of two home races for us, so there will be a lot of fans and a very special atmosphere, as is always the case when we race in Italy. The track is challenging and difficult, but I like it a lot. It has some really fun sections, such as the exit from the “Tramonto” corner and the big, fast corners after the back straight. We’ll have to work well in the practice sessions in order to fight and to try and do a nice race.”
NICKY HAYDEN, Ducati Team
“I can’t wait to get back on the track, but I know that it won’t be easy this weekend. My hand is improving and one of the two fractures is healing quickly, while the other metacarpal still has a pretty good fracture line. I’ve been able to keep up with my cardio training, and of course I’ve been doing the normal rehab, including a visit to Dr Ting in California. Braking on these MotoGP bikes puts a lot of stress on the right hand, particularly on a clockwise circuit like Misano. Nevertheless, racing at one of Ducati’s home tracks is something that I enjoy, and I certainly hope to be able to do the race. We’ve got a couple of things stacked against us, but we’ll see if we can put up a solid result and kick off a new positive stretch at Misano.”
VITTORIANO GUARESCHI, Team Manager
“At Misano we’ll be back with both of our riders, which is definitely a positive for our home race, where we’ll have a lot of fans. Over the past few weeks, Nicky has undergone rehabilitation while keeping up with his training, and on Friday morning we’ll see how his hand reacts to the stress of riding the bike, especially on braking. It’s Valentino’s home race, and Misano is definitely a special round for him. We’ll work on the setup to try and give him the conditions he needs to ride at a good, consistent pace for the entire race.”
— Yamaha Preview
Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies return to Italy this week for the Grand Prix of San Marino at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. After a successful two-day test in Aragon last week the riders are relaxed and positive about their chances this weekend. Championship leader Lorenzo arrives with a 13 point gap to closest rival Dani Pedrosa at a circuit which witnessed a faultless victory for him last year and three prior consecutive second place podium finishes preceding that.
Team mate Spies has always performed for the crowd at the Misano circuit, taking two sixth place finishes after multiple overtakes in both 2010 and 2011. The Texan also has a World Superbike victory under his belt here from his 2009 Championship winning season.
Jorge Lorenzo – “We arrive at Misano now which is a track I like very much, we had a great victory here last year and many podium finishes. We are still leading the Championship so we must work hard this weekend to keep it and if possible to increase it. We will aim for the podium and if it is possible, the victory.”
Ben Spies – “Misano is a track I really enjoy riding, I’ve had some great races here. I think if we’d had a couple more laps last year then I could have maybe been past Andrea and Marco. It’s been an unbelievable year but we’ll give it 100% as always this weekend and fingers crossed it’ll be trouble free and we can show our true potential.”
Wilco Zeelenberg – “We have just six races to go now. Misano was very strong last year for Jorge and a great victory. After a very exciting Brno race we want to try to increase the point lead. I think it will be exciting again this weekend so we need to try to win but stay calm.”
Massimo Meregalli – “After a very positive test in Aragon we are now looking forward to racing again at Misano. The circuit has been good for both Ben and Jorge so we are confident we can achieve good results. It’s kind of a home race for the team being based in Italy so we’re all looking forward to getting started on Friday morning.”
— Bridgestone Preview
Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative)
Round thirteen of the 2012 season takes place at the recently renamed Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli as MotoGP™ action returns to the Italian peninsula for the second time this year.
Misano is just over four kilometres in length with a tight, stop-and-go layout, with the most challenging part of the circuit being the section from turns eleven to fourteen, starting with the flat-out Curvone which sweeps into progressively tighter right-hand corners that demand maximum commitment from the riders.
Overall, Misano is not overly demanding on tyres though great care needs to be taken in selecting compounds that provide the best combination of grip, durability and heat-resistance as tyres spend a lot of time at large lean angles at this circuit. With ten right-hand turns compared to just six left-hand turns, asymmetric slicks with slightly harder rubber on the right shoulder were introduced last year at Misano and will once again be supplied this weekend in the medium and hard compounds. Front slick options for the San Marino and Rimini Grand Prix are the soft, medium and hard compounds.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“This weekend’s San Marino and Rimini Grand Prix is an important race on many different levels. First of all, this is the first MotoGP race at the circuit since it was renamed to honour Marco Simoncelli and so this weekend will be one of mixed emotions. Also, as this circuit is very close to the homes of many of the Italian MotoGP stars, it carries with it an intense atmosphere as it is the last chance this year the local fans will get to see their heroes on track. This Sunday’s race also marks a significant breakthrough for Bridgestone as when the race winner takes the checkered flag, we will have shared in our one hundredth MotoGP victory and many key members of Bridgestone management will be attending this weekend to help celebrate this occasion.
“As for the race itself, the championship battle between Jorge and Dani is delicately poised so there will be great anticipation to see who will take the initiative at a circuit where it is not easy to overtake. I would also like to make special mention of Jonathan Rea who will make his MotoGP debut this weekend riding for the Repsol Honda team.”
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“The tarmac of the Misano circuit is smoothly textured and offers only modest grip and as September on the Adriatic coast can be quite warm, our compound selection needs to find the best balance between grip, abrasion resistance and resistance to high temperatures. With this in mind, we will supply the same tyre compounds at Misano as last year, with the soft, medium and hard compounds for the front, and the medium and hard compounds for the rear. Last year was the first time we made asymmetric rear slicks available at Misano and we will continue supplying this specification this weekend, with the right shoulder of the tyre slightly harder rubber than the left side.
“The most demanding section of the Misano circuit for tyres is the fast right-handed Curvone corner. This is where the tyres, particularly the rears, reach their highest temperature as they spend a lot of time leant over and don’t have much time to dissipate the heat generated in corners. The high speed nature of the Curvone and the frequent braking zones at Misano also require high levels of stability, especially at the front-end, so the centre section of the tyres needs to provide riders with maximum confidence in this area.”