Bridgestone slick compounds
available: Front: Hard, Extra Hard.
Rear: Medium, Hard
At the first test of the 2010 MotoGP
season, with new bikes, new teams and new riders, Bridgestone’s tyres performed
strongly in the typical Malaysian mix of scorching track temperatures and rain to
enable the top four riders on each day to record laptimes quicker than the
existing circuit lap record.
Whilst the bikes were new, the
available Bridgestone tyres were exactly the same specifications as used during
the Malaysian Grand Prix last year, providing the teams with a known entity to
assist them in their setup work.
In wet and dry conditions on both
days riders got the opportunity to gain valuable experience on both the slick
and hard compound wet tyres. Many riders started their dry running with the
softer of the slick tyre compounds, but favoured the harder option for its added
durability as the track temperature rose to a high of 55 degrees Celsius.
The test was also another important opportunity
for Bridgestone to work closely with all the new teams and riders entering the championship
this year.
The role of Bridgestone’s engineers
becomes even more critical this season with the reduction to just six days of pre-season
testing. With track time at a premium, the wealth of information and understanding
that the engineers can support each rider with can play a significant role in choosing
the best suited tyre compounds and finding the optimum setup for each bike and
rider package as quickly as possible. This can be especially beneficial to MotoGP’s
rookie riders who have limited experience of running on Bridgestone tyres in motorcycling’s
premier class.
Tohru
Ubukata – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre
Development Department
“I am pleased with the way the test
has gone from a tyre perspective, both in terms of outright performance and
durability. We can see that our tyres are still suitable for all the
manufacturers’ new bikes, and Jorge completed a race distance at the end of the
final day with consistent times throughout so this is good.
“We specifically chose to use the
same tyre specifications as selected for last year’s grand prix to assist the
teams in setting up their new bikes by keeping the tyres constant, therefore making
their existing data more valid. What was also important during this test, and
will be for all events this season, was working very closely with all teams and
riders to help them make the most of their limited testing and track time.”
"Working very closely with all teams and
riders to help them make the most of their limited testing and track time will be very important this year"