CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich 2022 R13

2022-08-17 12:22
Following the thrilling race weekend at Silverstone, the Michelin Motorsport team, along with the rest of the MotoGP™ paddock, is heading back to mainland Europe and to Spielberg in Austria for the CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich at the Red Bull Ring. In addition, the event will include round five of the 2022 FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup.

The 4,318m (2.684 miles) circuit, one of the most demanding on the calendar for tyres, is nestled in a picturesque bowl among the mountains and forests of the Styrian region. To increase safety at the circuit, and especially in the premier motorcycle class, some minor layout changes have been made since the 2021 race, and this means that the top speed for the race bikes will be reduced at Turn 2. Two 90-degree turns have been added as part of a quick double apex chicane to ensure a real challenge that will test the abilities of the MotoGP riders.

With this change there are now three left turns, but the remaining seven right-hand corners still generate huge stresses and heat build-up that the MICHELIN Power Slick tyres will have to endure throughout the 28 laps of the race. The longest of three straights, which are separated by a pair of uphill right-hand corners, is 626m (2054ft) and there is 65m (213ft) of elevation change throughout each lap.

As was the case at last year’s race here, Michelin will bring rear tyres with a special casing designed specifically to cope with these arduous track conditions. Later this season, tyres with this type of casing construction will also be used at Buriram in Thailand due to the similarly harsh track conditions found there.

The MICHELIN Power Slick allocation will be available as always in Soft, Medium and Hard compounds, with the fronts all being symmetric. These are designed to facilitate the fast direction changes and offer the braking grip needed by the riders at this, the fastest circuit on the MotoGP calendar. To manage the high rear tyre temperatures which can build-up over a lap of this unique track the rear Soft, Medium and Hard MICHELIN Power Slicks will all be asymmetric – with a harder right-hand-side.

With a distinct possibility of wet weather in this region, even in August, the allocation will include MICHELIN Power Rain tyres in Soft and Medium compounds front and rear. Like their slick counterparts the fronts will be symmetric and the rears asymmetric, again with a harder right-hand side.

Looking ahead to the Austrian Grand Prix, Piero Taramasso, Michelin Two Wheel Motorsport Manager, commented: “Depending on weather conditions, this could be a tough race due to the very particular layout at the Red Bull Ring. However, we need to see what effect the new chicane at Turn 2 will have on the tyres, as previously the first half of the lap allowed the riders to maintain very high speeds. But as is always the case in racing, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating!

“As last year, the very specific construction of the rear tyre casings for this circuit are designed to cope with its one-of-a-kind layout, and to resist the heat that will be generated during the race. As a complement to the casing construction, the tread rubber compounds have been designed to offer the riders consistent grip and predictable handling throughout the weekend, from the Free Practice and Qualifying sessions, through to the 28-lap race.”

The riders will take to the track for what, after last year could well be another Spielberg thriller, on Friday 19 August for the first two Free Practice sessions, these will be followed on Saturday by two more practice sessions and then the all-important Qualifying. Sunday 21 August will see the 28-lap CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich get underway at 14:00 local-time.

The MotoE schedule will start with two Free Practice sessions and two Qualifying sessions on Friday, followed by Race 1 on Saturday afternoon and Race 2 on Sunday afternoon.



About Michelin

Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 177 countries, has 124,760 employees and operates 68 tire production facilities which together produced around 173 million tires in 2021. (www.michelin.com)

Source: Michelin Motorsport

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