MICHELIN READY FOR FASTEST, TOUGHEST TRACK
Michelin’s MotoGP crew continues its Pacific Rim tour of duty this week,
heading south from Motegi, Japan, to tackle the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip
Island before returning northward for the Malaysian GP on October 19. The 2008
season concludes back in Europe, at Valencia, Spain, on October 26.
Michelin’s top MotoGP performers will be looking to score more valuable points
at Phillip Island, with the company’s top three riders separated by just 51
points with three races remaining. Rookie Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-
M1-Michelin) is currently placed fourth overall, ahead of Andrea Dovizioso (JiR
Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin) and Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-
Michelin). Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin) lies eighth in the points
chase.
Phillip Island is MotoGP’s fastest and arguably its favorite racetrack. Most riders
love the seaside venue’s fast, open curves, which demand total commitment
and trust in the tires. The circuit is also the most demanding for tires, because
riders spend a lot of time at high lean angles and use big handfuls of throttle
coming out of the sweeping corners.
MICHELIN AND THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGE OF PHILLIP ISLAND
“Phillip Island is the toughest track we go to in MotoGP,” says Jean-Philippe
Weber, Michelin’s director of motorcycle racing. "It demands a great deal from
the tires. We use very specific rear tires for this track because it’s like nowhere
else. It is the layout of the track that is aggressive, not the asphalt. The circuit
features a lot of fast left-handers, through which riders use a lot of lean angle and
a lot of throttle, which puts a lot of heat into the rear tire. The turns that put the
most heat into the tires are Southern Loop and the final corner onto the start-
finish.
“The other challenge at Phillip Island is the track’s asymmetric layout. It is
as asymmetric as Valencia, but more demanding. There are few right-handers, so
it’s important to have good warm-up on the right side of the tires. The
compound on the left side of the rear tires is therefore really hard, while the
compound on the right is medium to medium-soft. The front tires don’t have
such a tough time, so we use medium-compound fronts.
“The third big challenge at Phillip Island is the weather, which can be a bit
unpredictable. Conditions can be quite cool at this time of year, especially in the
morning sessions, so this is something else we have to deal with, a big difference
in temperature between the morning and the afternoon. Warm-up performance is
particularly crucial in the morning sessions.”
Recent winners at Phillip Island
2007 Casey Stoner (Ducati Marlboro Team Desmosedici), 41:12.244
2006 Marco Melandri (Fortuna Honda RC211V-Michelin), 44:15.621 (rain-affected
race)
2005 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 41:08.542
2004 Valentino Rossi (Gauloises Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin), 41:25.819
2003 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 41:53.543
2002 Valentino Rossi (Repsol Honda RC211V-Michelin), 42:02.041
2001 Valentino Rossi (Nastro Azzurro Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:22.383
2000 Max Biaggi (Marlboro Yamaha Team YZR500-Michelin), 42:28.792
1999 Tadayuki Okada (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:09.271
1998 Mick Doohan (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:42.511
1997 Alex Crivillé (Repsol Honda NSR500-Michelin), 42:53.362
Phillip Island Data
Lap record: Marco Melandri (Telefonica Movistar Honda RC211V-Michelin),
1:30.332, 177.266km/h-110.148mph (2005)
Pole position 2007: Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC211V-Michelin),
1:29.201
Michelin’s 2008 MotoGP riders
Randy de Puniet (Honda LCR RC212V-Michelin)
Andrea Dovizioso (JiR Team Scot Honda RC212V-Michelin)
Colin Edwards (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin)
Nicky Hayden (Repsol Honda RC212V-Michelin)
Jorge Lorenzo (Fiat Yamaha Team YZR-M1-Michelin)
James Toseland (Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1-Michelin)
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