Bridgestone develops new tire allocation for the Australian Grand Prix

Oct. 14, 2014

Bridgestone will introduce a brand new tire allocation for the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, including a newly-developed asymmetric front slick tire as the Official Tire Supplier to MotoGP continues its efforts to develop technologies that further enhance rider safety.
 
New advances in tire construction and compound technology have enabled Bridgestone to create a front slick tire that maintains the braking stability of a symmetric tire, but with enhanced warm-up performance and edge grip. The asymmetric front slick is composed of two different rubber compounds, with one shoulder composed of a softer rubber compound. In the case of Phillip Island where there are five right-hand corners compared to seven left-hand corners, this softer rubber zone will be on the right shoulder. The new zoning of different rubber compounds on the front slick means that when the rider reaches a lean angle of approximately 30° in right-hand corners, they begin to use the zone of softer rubber on the front tire for greater safety and performance while cornering.
 
For the Australian Grand Prix, the asymmetric front slick will be in the soft specification; meaning the left shoulder will use Bridgestone’s soft rubber compound, while the lesser-used right shoulder will utilize the extra-soft rubber compound for superior warm-up potential. This asymmetric front slick will be offered as part of Bridgestone’s standard front tire allocation for Phillip Island, with the other two options of front tire in the allocation being conventional, symmetric slick tires.
 
The rear slick tires Bridgestone will allocate to riders at Phillip Island have been developed specifically for the severe demands the Australian circuit places on rear tires, and will feature developments in construction and compound technology that are not featured at any other circuit on the MotoGP calendar. The three rear slick options for Phillip Island; the soft, medium and hard compound provide the optimal combination of safety, durability and performance to suit the new Phillip Island track tarmac following its re-surfacing in late 2012.
 
Shinji Aoki - Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle tire Development Department
“After a concerted effort from our Technical Centre in Japan, we will introduce a brand new tire allocation for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix. Since last year’s race at Phillip Island, we have tested at the circuit in a large variety of weather conditions to ensure our tires will provide excellent durability and performance, while still providing good warm-up performance and usability for the riders. Such are the demands placed on the rear tire at Phillip Island, that our rear slicks for this weekend use compound and construction technology that aren’t used at any other circuit on the calendar. Our test results with these new tires were encouraging, and I am looking forward to seeing them in a race situation this weekend.
 
“Our new asymmetric front slick is the result of a long development program and I am pleased to see this new technology makes its debut in the MotoGP World Championship this weekend. The innovative technology we’ve introduced on this asymmetric front slick will ensure that the riders will still enjoy the same high level of braking stability they associate with our symmetric front slick, but with better grip and warm-up performance while cornering. This development is yet another example of our commitment to continue developing new MotoGP tire technology”