The Road to 2016

February 2015:

Mid-season testing legal again. Development tyres used by MotoGP factory riders and test riders at Sepang in first official test. Seven fronts and five rears tested. Three short-listed for stage two, only one was a front — the rounder of two profiles.

March 2015:

MotoGP factory riders tested the tyres again in Qatar. Rain hampered proceedings.

April 2015:

Next test set for Circuit of the Americas, again compromised by overnight rain. Piero Taramasso, Two-wheel Motorsport Manager, says profile and construction of new rear MotoGP tyres 90 per cent confirmed.

May 2015:

Michele Pirro of Ducati tests at Jerez. Suzuki’s Randy di Puniet and Aprilia’s Michael Laverty test at Le Mans after the Grand Prix of France.

June 2015:

Honda, Yamaha and Ducati factory riders’ second official test at Mugello after the Grand Prix of Italy. First wet tyre test in Barcelona with Michele Pirro.

August 2015:

MotoGP factory riders’ third official test followed by wet tyre test at Brno after the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic.

September 2015:

Fourth and final official test at Aragon helped replace Brno washout. Taramasso says they had four fronts and three rears, each with different compounds.

November 2015:

Focus shifts to 2016. Official testing with new bikes and Michelin tyres.

The riders and engineers all need to adapt to 17-inch tyres, while we need to work hard to make the front tyres more ‘forgiving’.” — Piero Taramasso