Valencia MotoGP Test Tire Analysis
Many of MotoGP’s top riders remained in Valencia following the finale for some post-season testing. This was the final test until Sepang in February.
Taking the top time was the man who captured the 2013 MotoGP Championship – Reposl Honda’s Marc Marquez. The 20-year-old Spaniard, who participated in two of the three days in the session, posted a 1:30.287 aboard his RC213V.
This fast time was set on the final day of testing – Wednesday – with a soft compound Bridgestone tire up front, and a medium rear slick.
Marquez was 0.311 of a second quicker than Monster Yamaha Tech 3’s Bradley SMith. Third went Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo, who was 0.481 of a second back.
Bridgestone reports weather conditions for the Valencia test were similar to the race weekend, with fine, dry weather and track temperatures reaching a peak of 33°C on the afternoon of the second day of testing. All slick tires in the test allocation were utilized during the test, with a total of 2318 timed laps being completed by riders over the three days, Bridgestone reports.
Following is some further analysis from Bridgestone:
Hiroshi Yamada (Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department) says: “The three-day test at Valencia was a good way to wrap up the season, with fine weather allowing us to gather a lot of usage data and rider feedback on our slick tires.
“It was great to see some new riders make their introduction to the MotoGP class, while some established riders made the switch to their new teams all of which has created a lot of anticipation for next season.
“I’d like to thank all the teams and riders for their cooperation throughout the 2013 season and Bridgestone will be back bigger and better for the 2014 season with a new range of tires that will feature the latest technological developments to deliver even higher levels of safety and performance.”
Masao Azuma (Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tire Development Department) says: “Thanks to the good weather over the three days, this was one of the most productive end-of-season tests in years.
“The riders were able to make a lot of laps which helped us to collect a lot of data, with the on our new specification hard rear slick and getting preliminary data on how the open-class machines use tires. We now have a lot of data to work with over the winter break, during which time we will be developing new tyre options for the riders to evaluate at next year’s pre-season tests.”
Bridgestone slick compounds available:
Front: Extra-soft & Soft. Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tire compounds available: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
