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TYRES
These guys are jumping up from
Moto2 bikes. They have honed
a riding style that translates
perfectly onto the Bridgestone
tyres: loading the front tyre with
your bodyweight, elbow on the
deck, rear loosew on entry. The
Dunlop front tyre in Moto2 has
been a great precursor for the
Bridgestone front tyre in MotoGP.
Bridgestone tyres were
notoriously difficult to adapt to
in the past. They offered superb
grip, but it was a challenge to
generate the temperature needed
to produce the required level of
grip. Bridg estone brought in a
more user-friendly batch of tyres
in 2012, which they improved
again for 2013. This eased the
transition to MotoGP, not only for
Moto2 riders, but also for those
stepping up from a Pirelli shod
Superbike.
The Bridgestone tyres allow huge
lean angles, which in turn keeps
the rider closer to the ground,
making it relatively easy to drop
your elbow onto the track. We
have seen both Marc and Scott
demonstrate how this evolved
riding style can help you save
front-end slides.
Marc’s crash/non crash whilst
testing in Brno, is a good case in
point. He was at maximum lean
when the front rolled on him. He
dug his elbow and knee into the
ground as best he could and kept
the throttle open slightly which
lifted the load off the front tyre.
This allowed him to find some grip
and ride it out - chapeau!
The Moto2 guys can step onto
a MotoGP bike and no longer
spend a season adapting to
the motorcycle. They can ride
the most powerful bikes in the
world with the same nonchalant
disregard for safety as they had
in the smaller ranks, the grip and
electronic aids affording them
this luxury. Gone are the days of
adaptation and of crashes and
injuries slowing down the rider
development process.
ELECTRONICS
// ENGINE
// POWER
DELIVERY
The engines and electronics in
today’s MotoGP provide a much
smoother power delivery. This
combined with amazing levels
of grip from the Bridgestone
tyres, allow riders to push their
ability to extraordinary levels, far
surpassing previous limits.
Gone are the days of
adaptation - and of
crashes and injuries
slowing down the rider
development process
As with most things in racing
however, there is a flip side. Out
of the recent top level Moto2
riders, Pol Espargaró has without
a doubt gone through the biggest
baptism of fire. This is perhaps
due to the fact that the Yamaha is
not very compatible with the loose
ragged Moto2 riding style. u