Standard tyres for Pirelli’s debut at Motegi

A few days after the Indonesian GP, Pirelli and the Motorcycle World Championship paddock move even further east, to the land of the Rising Sun, for the Japanese Grand Prix which will be held from 4 to 6 October at the Motegi Mobility Resort, formerly known as Twin Ring Motegi.

The Japanese track represents a new challenge for Pirelli, which, although having competed on some races in the domestic All Japan Road Race Championship, but has never raced with either the Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes or other major international competitions, so has little data to rely on. This is why Pirelli has decided to opt for the standard tyres from the DIABLO™ Superbike range included in this year’s standard allocation, albeit in greater quantities for some compounds.

Giorgio Barbier - Motorcycle Racing Director

For Pirelli Motegi is a track to be rediscovered

[i"The World Championship has been racing at Motegi for over 20 years while Pirelli has raced and won some races of the All Japan Road Race Championship on this circuit, but it has never competed in international championships, so it is a track we know but we don’t have much data to base ourselves on. In the absence of precise references and based on the information we have on the characteristics of the circuit, we believe that our standard tyres for both classes are the right choice. Nevertheless, to facilitate the work of teams and riders who have never raced with us on this circuit, we have decided to increase the quantities of some compounds so that, once the most congenial solution has been identified, they will be able to use it in all sessions without having to worry about having a sufficient quantity available. We know that Motegi is a track that requires good stability at the front, especially in the fastest corners, but also excellent traction at the rear to get out of the slow corners - which are the majority, as quickly as possible.  All characteristics that our standard tyres should be able to guarantee very well. It will be interesting to return to racing at Motegi with the Moto2™ and Moto3™ riders and to be able to see our tyres in action on what for us is a circuit to be rediscovered"[/i]

The Race Of The Tyres

· Standard but richer allocation: the riders of both classes will have the standard allocation provided by Pirelli for this season but with a greater number of tyres for many of the compounds. In Moto2™, the SC1 (soft) and SC2 (medium) front tyres will be available in 8 pieces each, 2 more than the standard allocation of 6, while the SC0 (soft) and SC1 (medium) rears are confirmed in 8 tyres per compound. In Moto3™ as well the front tyres become 8 for each of the two compounds (SC1 and SC2) instead of 6, while the quantities for each of the rears increase by one unit from 7 to 8. As always, a distinction must be made between allocation and the number of tyres that each rider can use over the weekend and which remains unchanged for both classes compared to the standard allocation: 8 front and 9 rear for a total of 17 tyres per weekend. 

· Demanding braking: 4800-metre long and owned by Honda, Motegi is a circuit that highlights the riders’ braking skills and puts a strain on the brakes due to some very slow corners at the end of some fast straights, mostly concentrated in the first and last part of the lap. As a result, the front tyres are also quite stressed because during braking they must be able to guarantee stability to the rider and good support when entering corners.

· The weather: at this time of year, maximum temperatures in Motegi are around 20 degrees Celsius while minimums are in the order of 13 degrees. The chance of rain is quite high.