Red Bull Grand Prix
Starting from fifth position, Dani Pedrosa stormed to a decisive victory at the Indianapolis Grand Prix today to record his third win of the season.
The Repsol Honda rider was one of only four riders to opt for the harder option rear Bridgestone slick, and made best use of it to take the lead on lap seven and later record the fastest lap of the race.
The conditions for the race were incredibly tough as the track temperature soared to a weekend-high of 55 degrees Celsius and the track surface became increasingly greasy.
Every rider chose to use the harder option front tire for its extra durability and stability under braking but rear tyre choices were mixed with many riders choosing the softer option despite the heat for the extra grip it offered.
Having led the field away from the line, Ben Spies finished in second place to mark his career best MotoGP finish.
In contrast to Pedrosa, the Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider used a softer option rear slick tire which proved remarkably consistent over the 28 laps.
Jorge Lorenzo also used a softer option rear slick to good effect to finish third, and further demonstrated its durability by setting his personal best on lap 23.
Hiroshi Yamada (Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department) says: “I’d like to congratulate the riders for riding in what were incredibly hot and tough conditions today.”
“Dani rode very well to take his fifth career win on Bridgestone tires, and Ben also showed his strength with his best weekend in MotoGP to date with pole position and second place today. It is especially fitting for him that this came in America, at a circuit as historic as Indianapolis.”
Tohru Ubukata (Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tire Development Department) says: “The race conditions were very tough and the track didn’t provide the level of grip we expected because the temperature was so high; in fact the track was 20 degrees Celsius hotter today than it was during last year’s race here. The race provided a direct comparison between the performance of both rear tyre compound options as tyre choice was mixed based on bike characteristics and rider preference.”
“For example, the harder rear tire was clearly well suited to Dani and the Repsol Honda bike, whilst Ben’s and Jorge’s packages worked better on the softer option.The consistency of both rear tyre options was impressive though and overall I am happy with our tyre performance.”
Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team) – Race Winner says: “This was the most difficult race for everyone. The conditions were very hard because of the heat and the asphalt was very greasy. Spies was very strong but I had a good rhythm and I could make up the gap and was able to escape.”
“I had a fast bike on the straight and I had a good feeling in the corners. In the race I didn’t use the softer compound rear because my bike generates too much tyre temperature so after a few laps I start to lose stability into the corners, so I chose the harder one. It was hard to concentrate at the end and I am very tired but happy.”
Bridgestone slick compounds available:
Front: Medium, Hard.
Rear: Hard, Extra Hard (asymmetric)
