MotoGP, Michelin brings at Assen an harder... hard front tire

The European leg of the MotoGP tour continues with the traditional TT Assen round. Located in the north of the Netherlands, close to the North Sea beaches, this circuit is the oldest on the calendar. MotoGP has taken place here every year since 1949 (except in 2020 due to the pandemic), the year the championship was created.

At 4.542 km long, the circuit is made up of 18 turns (12 right-handers and 6 left), with corners that follow one another at very high speed and which create significant stress on the tyres. To perform in complete safety and offer consistently good feel, riders need tyres that are versatile and perform well over time. This is exactly the package prepared by the Michelin Motorsport teams, who have carefully selected tyres that are adapted to all types of weather and riding styles.

“The surface is not very abrasive but the track is very fast, especially in the sequences of the second part,” explains Piero Taramasso, manager of Michelin two-wheel competition. “Based on the data we recorded over the last few years (the asphalt was redone in 2020), we have decided to revise the Hard front rubber compound. The Soft and Medium compounds will be the same as last year, but the Hard will be a little harder – a little more rigid. We are also responding to the fact that the motorcycles are a little more aggressive on their front tyres. The fronts will all be symmetrical, but the two rear compounds (Soft and Medium) will be reinforced on the right side, to compensate for the greater number of turns in this direction.”

Michelin engineers also took into consideration the geographical location of the circuit, with its possible variations in temperature, precipitation and wind. In the event of rain, Michelin will make the Michelin Power Rain range available to its partners in Soft and Medium rubber compounds, which will be symmetrical at the front and asymmetrical at the rear.