Silverstone’s back – so what do the riders really think of it?
From the disastrous cancellation of 2018 to the sun-soaked glory of 2019
Barely 12 months after dishevelled fans trudged away from a wet, cold Silverstone having not seen a wheel turned in anger, the 2019 British MotoGP was held in scorching conditions where sun-blessed spectators were treated to the fourth closest finish in premier class history.
Lap times and race records were shattered – so we talked to BT Sport’s Michael Laverty for the inside line on the new track.
‘They had to recalibrate’ “The new surface at Silverstone completely changed the dynamic of the track with the braking and entry speed encoded in the riders’ brains from previous iterations of the surface needing to be remapped. Dovizioso missed out on a direct route through to Q2 claiming that he hadn’t adapted fast enough to the new asphalt. He said that with the extra grip and lack of bumps the track required different lines, and he had to approach the track in a completely different way. “Tyre management was a factor across all three classes – something performed best by winner Alex Rins, who let Marquez set the pace and gained back any lost ground on the brakes. This stressed his hard front tyre, but crucially allowed the rear tyre temperature to stay in optimum range. The race was about managing the load on the rear tyre, which some did better than others. “The key was opening the throttle smoothly around Luffield, resisting the urge to spin the rear, which assists steering through Woodcote. They then needed to be patient exiting Copse and Club which was essential for rear tyre life and fuel consumption, too. It’s no surprise that Marquez, who led the entire race, had not only less grip at the end but also ran out of fuel on the slow down lap. “Electronics and fuel strategies also played a pivotal part with Rins getting a ‘Map 3’ message on his dash on lap 12. It was a change that is likely to adjust the torque output from the engine, a move that saved fuel and conserved tyre consumption mid-race to allow him more fuel for outright speed in the fight at the end of the race. “Each team perform calculations throughout practice to predict tyre decline by measuring the amount of rubber used in each session. A race will consume somewhere in the region of 700 to 900 grams of rubber, so the target is to use around 800g over race distance. “Rins’ win came as the result of diligent preparation. Despite not lapping under the 2min bracket with the hard rear tyre prior to the race, he managed a single 1’59.9 on lap ten. In contrast Marquez reeled off multiple 59s pre-race, but also only set one sub 2m lap in it. “Rins and Suzuki managed their tyre consumption to perfection – outsmarting Marquez and HRC.”
‘The extra grip and lack of bumps needed new lines’
‘We’ve put Silverstone back where it should be’