Michelin will take the short journey across home soil as it heads to the fifth round of the 2016 MotoGP™ World Championship which will be staged at the historic Le Mans circuit in France.
After four very different races this year, Michelin has used all the data gathered from those events, plus the recent one-day test at Jerez, to make a range of tyres which are ideally suited to the unique demands of Le Mans. The 4,185m long circuit is very much a stop-and-go track, with a lot of emphasis placed on late braking and hard acceleration out of the corners. The nine right-hand and five left-hand corner configuration is not particularly stressful on tyres, but with the extra demands of more right turns the MICHELIN Power Slicks for the rear will both feature an asymmetrical design with a harder right shoulder. These will be available in a soft (white identifying band) and medium (no band) compound, both of which are new versions that will be used for the first time this season. The front tyre allocation will feature all three compounds; soft (white band), medium (no band) and hard (yellow band), with the soft MICHELIN Power Slick featuring a new compound that is softer in manufacture to cope with the expected cooler conditions. The MICHELIN Power Rain tyres in soft (blue band) and hard (no band) will be available for use in wet conditions.
Round five of the MotoGP championship will be staged on the Bugatti circuit, which is a permanent race track located within Circuit des 24-Heures and is named after Ettore Bugatti, the famous automobile designer and manufacturer. The circuit uses a part of the legendary 24-Heures circuit, plus a separate purpose built section. Michelin has a rich history at Le Mans with many premier class motorcycle Grand Prix successes and 24 wins, including 18 consecutive victories, at the 24h of Le Mans car race since 1988. The French Grand Prix is always a lively affair with a very partisan and passionate crowd in attendance, and this year’s race looks like being extremely busy with a sell-out crowd expected to pack the circuit.
Michelin and the rest of the MotoGP paddock will begin track action on Friday 6th May with two free practice sessions, followed by another Free Practice on the Saturday morning. Qualifying will take place in the afternoon to decide grid positions for Sunday’s 28-lap race, which is scheduled to get underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs BST, 12.00hrsGMT/UST).
Nicolas Goubert – Deputy Director, Technical Director and Supervisor of the MotoGP Programme:
“The weather is often unsettled for Le Mans so you have to be ready for everything, from rain, overcast skies and chilly temperatures, to hot, bright sunshine. Le Mans is a circuit that is low on grip, so we don’t expect wear to be an issue. The chief difficulty is covering the wide spectrum of possible conditions.”
Piero Taramasso – Manager of the Two-Wheel Motorsport Group:
“This weekend is very important for us, as it is our home Grand Prix and one that we all want to do well at. There will be many guests from Michelin here to support us, as well as the backing of the French fans who all want to see us succeed, because Michelin is such an important name in France and one that its people are very proud of. We have a wide range of tyres available so hopefully we will be able to meet whatever conditions we encounter at the circuit and there is always a chance of rain at Le Mans at this time of year. Whatever the weather brings, we will be ready and doing all we can to make sure the race is as exciting as it can be and that the big crowd that is expected gets to see the best of Michelin.”
