Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragón 2022 R15

2022-09-19 09:12
Motorland Aragón will play host to the first of three back-to-back races and is the last round in Europe before MotoGP™ heads directly to the Asia Pacific region for its next four races. For this round, the Michelin Motorsport team will make the relatively short trip to the Teruel province in Spain for the 15th round of the 2022 world championship, the Gran Premio Animoca Brands de Aragón.

The 5,077m (3.155 miles) anti-clockwise circuit has an interesting and complex layout featuring 10 left- and 7 right-hand corners, along with the longest of two straights measuring 968m (.601 miles). With a mix of corners from hairpins to fast flowing turns, the front MICHELIN Power Slicks in the Aragón allocation have been designed to meet these demands and give the riders the grip, stability and front-end confidence they need throughout each lap. To complement the fronts, the rear slicks have been designed to give high-speed stability and effectively put the power down onto the asphalt; attributes equally important to setting those all-important fast and consistent lap times.

Part of the autonomous community of Aragón, the Teruel province is noted for its stunning landscapes and harsh climate, which can lead to wide daily variations of temperature during the day. The exposed position of Motorland Aragón means that it can experience quite cool temperatures in the mornings, so a range of tyres to cover these fluctuations of temperature is imperative. With all these requirements in mind, the allocation of MICHELIN Power Slicks have been chosen to meet these demands.

The front tyre options in Soft, Medium and Hard compounds will all be symmetric. The Hard rear tyre will also be symmetric, while the Soft and Medium rear options will be asymmetric, with a harder left-hand shoulder to handle the extra stresses from the increased number or corners that go in that direction. Due to the track’s proximity to the Pyrenean and Sistema Ibérico mountain ranges, there is always a possibility of rain, and if this is the case the MICHELIN Power Rain tyres will be available in Soft and Medium compounds for both the front and rear. The front will be symmetric whilst the rears will be asymmetric, with a harder left side like their slick counterparts.

Commenting ahead of the Aragón weekend, Piero Taramasso, Michelin Two Wheel Motorsport Manager, said: “This is the start of a tough series of races for everyone, as we will travel directly to Japan from here, and then to Thailand. As a contrast to the forthcoming hot weather in Asia, in previous years, some sessions here at Aragón have been delayed due to the very cold morning temperatures – sometimes below 10°C – so this is something the teams need to be prepared for in terms of tyre choice for the early Free Practice sessions.

“The circuit layout has always been a challenge for our tyre designers due to its mix of corners, from slow and tight to fast and flowing, and the two straights where the speeds of MotoGP bikes are quite high. When you combine these factors with the potential for extremes of temperature, it places very specific demands and considerable stress on the tyres. For these reasons, we have chosen the tyre allocation to resist the arduous conditions and to work over as wide a temperature range as possible.”

The MotoGP riders will take to the track for the first and second Free Practice sessions on Friday 16 September, with FP3 and FP4 scheduled for Saturday ahead of Qualifying 1 and 2. The riders will then line up on the grid for the 23-lap race at 14:00 local time on Sunday 18 September.



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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