At approximately 4.8 kilometres in length Motegi is characterised by four straights that create numerous heavy braking and acceleration zones.
Round fifteen of the 2012 MotoGP™ season takes place at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit for one of the most important contests of the year, as the strong Japanese presence in the paddock – including Bridgestone – celebrate their home Grand Prix as the championship battle enters a critical phase.
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- Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Hard. Rear: Soft, Medium
- Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
At approximately 4.8 kilometres in length Motegi is characterised by four straights that create numerous heavy braking and acceleration zones. As a result, the centre section of the tyres at this circuit are placed under considerable stress, requiring the supplied tyres to grant high levels of front stability under braking, and good rear grip for acceleration.
The tarmac at Motegi is quite abrasive and with the race now being run in October, track temperatures are generally quite cool so Bridgestone must develop tyres with good warm-up performance and durability for the Japanese Grand Prix. Tyre compounds for this year remain unchanged with the soft, medium and hard front slicks being offered alongside the asymmetric soft and medium rear slicks. The asymmetric rear slicks feature slightly harder rubber on the right shoulder in response to the greater number of right-hand turns at the Motegi circuit.
The main wet tyre for Motegi will be the soft option to ensure maximum grip levels in the likely cool temperatures, although all riders will be able to select a limited number of the alternative wet tyre, which for this race is the hard option, if required.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“Motegi is one of the highlights of the season as the large Japanese contingent in the paddock gets to celebrate its home grand prix and put on a big show for all the local fans. This is certainly the case for Bridgestone and we will be hosting a large number of guests, for many of whom Motegi presents the only chance to see some live MotoGP action. Like every year we will have a large display booth in the public area where we will be hosting a talk show with many riders and this year we are also holding a charity auction to help victims of last year’s Tohoku earthquake, and I look forward to meeting many MotoGP fans there over the weekend.
“Adding to the excitement is that there is still everything to fight for in the championship between Jorge and Dani, and with Casey making a welcome return to the paddock there are many reasons why this weekend should be a great show.”
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Now that the Japanese Grand Prix takes place in October, the temperatures for the race are generally cool, so warm-up performance is a key consideration for tyre development at the Motegi circuit. The track surface is high-grip and abrasive which combined with the circuit’s heavy braking and acceleration zones, places high loads on the centre section of the tyres.
“The circuit has a stop-and-go layout and features eight right-hand corners compared to six left-handers. Though the circuit doesn’t place significant loads on the either shoulder of the tyre, the greater number of right-hand corners means asymmetric rear slicks with slightly harder rubber on the right shoulder are provided here. Overall, Motegi is one of the gentler circuits for MotoGP tyres and this is why we have selected softer tyre compounds selected for this race.”
source: bridgestonemotorsport.com, bsmotorsport.com
MAHINDRA RACING HEADS EAST FOR THREE IN A ROW
Japanese Grand Prix (28-30 September) – Preview
The Mahindra Moto3™ team is preparing for an intensive three weekends of racing, at the trio of Pacific rim races. The demanding schedule starts on Sunday at Motegi in Japan.
One week later, the GP circus will be ready to race again at Sepang in Malaysia, before flying directly to Melbourne in Australia, to drive down to the seaside Phillip Island track.
Mahindra Racing’s Danny Webb (21, from England) will be carrying the load for the only Indian company in motorcycle GP racing as he continues his progress with the latest iteration of the Mahindra MGP-30 machine, which is still undergoing development and improvement.
Making a return to competitive action in Japan will be Riccardo Moretti (27). The Italian development rider sustained neck and shoulder injuries at the Czech Republic GP at the end of August and sat out the subsequent rounds where he was replaced by the exciting Czech teenager Miroslav Popov.
Webb and the team have been working hard on the development of the four-stroke Mahindra MGP-30, one of a tiny handful of all-independent machines fighting the established factory teams contesting the new-for-this-year Moto3 class for four-stroke, 250cc, single-cylinder racers.
The latest improvements are a heavier crankshaft, which Webb says helps the bike to carry top speed; and a slippier clutch. “We still need to work on getting that set up perfectly, and for me to get used to it, but it’s good and helps engine braking and stability into the corners,” confirmed Webb.
The Japanese GP is the 14th of 17 rounds of the Moto3 World Championship, bringing the new class to the 2.983-mile (4.801-km) Motegi circuit, in scenic mountainous country some 100 miles north-northeast of Tokyo.
While the Moto3 racing heads east, Mahindra Racing’s Italian CIV championship team will be closer to home on Sunday for the final round of the series. Miroslav Popov will be joined by Austrian teenager Lukas Trautmann on the two-stroke Mahindra 125GP bike. The team is aiming to secure the Constructors’ Championship for Mahindra, an impressive achievement on the international stage for the Indian manufacturer which made its debut at CIV this year.
DANNY WEBB
The layout of Motegi is a bit stop-and-go, with only one section you could call fluid. Our bike’s strong point is handling, but we’ve been suffering a bit in acceleration, so it’s not our ideal circuit. But the new parts seem to have helped, and I enjoy riding there. We’ll be going for the best possible result, as always.
RICCARDO MORETTI
The injury kept me out for much longer than I expected. It was tough to watch from the side of the track, so now I can’t wait to get back on the Mahindra and keep pushing our development forward.
MUFADDAL CHOONIA, CEO of Mahindra Racing
This is a very busy period for us. We are hoping to see an improved performance from the Moto3 team in their tough run of three back-to-back races. We are also hoping to seal the Italian Championship Constructors’ title in the 125cc class. This will be very heartening after all the hard work that went into the development of the bike in the final year of the two-stroke 125cc World Championship in 2011. Meanwhile, our engineers are working hard alongside the guys from Suter Racing Technology on the 2013 Moto3 machine.
source: mahindraracing.com