Sepang – Front: Hard & Extra-Hard; Rear: Medium & Hard; Rain: Hard
Valencia – Front: Soft & Medium; Rear: Medium & Hard (asymmetric); Rain: SoftTo provide on-site support at each of the tests, Bridgestone has sent technical engineers to both Spain and Malaysia. Aside from providing technical support, the engineers will focus on the acquisition of tire data and rider feedback, all of which will be compiled and sent back to Bridgestone’s Technical Centre in Japan for further analysis.At Sepang, Bridgestone will also meet with newly appointed Safety Adviser to Dorna, Loris Capirossi, to continue their collaboration to improve MotoGP rider safety. During the test, Bridgestone and Capriossi will monitor rider reaction to the 2012 specification tires and establish a working plan for the upcoming season.Tohru Ubukata (General Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tire Development Department) says: “Though we achieved our key objectives and numerous lap records were broken in 2011, for the upcoming season we have focused our development on further enhancing the safety aspects of our MotoGP tires.“To achieve this target, our technical aim for the new specification tires was to make their grip characteristics easier to manage, improve warm-up performance and increase their operating temperature range. The positive reception our new tires received at the Valencia post-season test showed we are well on track with development, and we have continued our progress over the winter break.“At Sepang we will introduce new specification tyres for testing, while for the Valencia test we will continue to evaluate the tyres we debuted there last November. Apart from examining performance data during the tests, we will work closely with Safety Advisor Loris Capirossi and the riders to gauge their perception of the new tyres. This is all part of our goal to ensure optimal tyre performance for all motorcycles on the grid in 2012.”The complete MotoGP test schedule for 2012 is as follows:
Valencia (Private test), January 30-31
Sepang (IRTA official test), January 31 – February 2
Jerez (Private test), February 20-22
Sepang (IRTA official test), February 28 – March 1
Aragon (Private test), March 8-9
Jerez (IRTA official test), March 23-25