THE NOT SO FINE LINE BETWEEN BIKE AND TRACK
MotoGP is the pinnacle of motorcycle racing and the atmosphere at a Grand Prix is absolutely electric. We travel with Michelin, popularly identified by their mascot Bibendum, to the Catalan GP at the Circuit de Barcelona to offer you some insights from be
MOTOR-RACING IS AND always has been a thrilling sport and while there are many who are against it, there are more than a few who crave the adrenaline rush it never fails to deliver. Whether watched on television at home, in a sports lounge, or trackside, nothing beats the excitement of a live motor sport extravaganza. And when you’re out there in the midst of the action, travelling with the company that helps all the big names on the television put their talent and horsepower from the bike to the racetrack, you just know you’re in for an absolute cracker.
Michelin have been racing in the premier class on two wheels for over 40 years, their first win coming at the Isle of Man TT in 1973 when Jack Findlay clinched Michelin’s maiden victory in the Senior TT, riding a Suzuki TR500. The same year, Michelin took home their first world title with Kent Andersson on a factory Yamaha 125. Back then, the racing tyres were no more than road tyres benefiting from race compounds.
Michelin are no strangers to MotoGP. To label their association with the sport merely as ‘tyre supplier’ would be grave injustice, though. Slicks first appeared in 1975. It was Michelin who introduced radial construction for two-wheeler tyres in a 1982 tyre test in Imola, that were then raced in 1984. Ten years later, they introduced multi-compound tyres.
Their 36-year presence saw 360 race victories and 26 world championships in MotoGP alone. From 1986 to 1989, Michelin achieved a clean sweep of every 500-cc, 250-cc, 125-cc and 80-cc world championship. They also have 32 Dakar Rally wins and 94 other titles on two wheels to their credit. Between 1993 and 2006, every premier-class world champion was riding on Michelin tyres. After an eventful season for Michelin in 2008, Dorna, who hold the rights to MotoGP, decided to impose a control tyre for the series that saw Bridgestone supply tyres from 2009 to 2015. Michelin have thus been away from the sport after that.
Michelin have taken several steps to build their knowledge about tyres and tyre life in competitive environments. Their evolution comes thanks to active participation — by way of supplying and testing tyres — in the FIM CEV Repsol and the World Endurance Championship. These are great platforms to put their learning to the test, gain guidelines, and build on them further. In a competitive environment, tyres are pushed to their limits, giving a better understanding about the limits of their performance.
Having been confirmed as official MotoGP tyre suppliers for 2016, Pascal Couasnon, Director of Michelin Motorsport, stated, “We are very proud to bring Michelin back to MotoGP, on the 40th anniversary of our first 500-cc World Championship with Barry Sheene.
“Michelin’s strong commitment to motor sport necessitates the development of innovative technologies and competitive tyres. Tyre life, safety, energy efficiency and the notion of driving pleasure are all factors that are integral to the work of the Motorsport division. Motor racing is our extreme lab, and it’s invaluable for getting new concepts out there.
“Today, we’re at a crossroads for the future of mobility. Racing has a crucial role to play, to uncover the next generation of innovations. It’s a great time to be part of it all, and we welcome you to join us in this new and exciting chapter in our motorcycle racing story.”
Eight years have gone by and now Michelin are back in MotoGP, and a lot has changed since then. The tyre size has increased from 16.5 inches to a more conventional 17 inches, intermediates have been introduced and the teams’ allotment over the race weekend has been changed. However, one thing is clear: things look extremely promising.