Indianapolis, USA race preview
The second of two races taking place on American soil this season will be held this Sunday at one of the most revered motorsport venues in the world, the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway, whose distinctive layout places significant demands on Bridgestone MotoGP™ tyres.
- Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Extra-hard. Rear: Medium, Hard
- Bridgestone wet tyre compounds available: Hard (Main), Soft (Alternative)
The Indianapolis circuit comprises three distinct parts; the renowned oval which forms the main straight, the opening complex and turns seven and eight built specifically for MotoGP™, and the rest of the infield which was constructed for when the circuit held Formula One races. Large sections of the circuit were resurfaced last year, resulting in more consistent grip levels, while some undulations on the tarmac that caused the bikes to behave erratically in corners were also removed.
After revising its tyre severity ratings for each circuit, Bridgestone will now supply special construction asymmetric rear slick tyres in the medium and hard compounds at Indianapolis to manage the very high tyre temperatures the 1000cc MotoGP™ machines are expected to generate around this circuit. The circuit’s abrasive tarmac and counter-clockwise layout with its fast and frequent left handers makes it one of the hardest events of the season for the left shoulder of the rear tyres; hence asymmetric rear tyres with considerably harder rubber on the left shoulders are supplied. The abrasive Indy track also means the extra-hard compound front slick is included in the tyre allocation alongside the soft and medium compounds.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“It is always a pleasure to visit Indianapolis as the motorsport culture here is very strong and the whole city gets behind the Grand Prix with many events taking place over the weekend. The venue itself is quite unique with elements of three different eras incorporated into the circuit and it is a challenge for both riders and tyres. Perhaps due to its particular layout, Indy is a race where the result is always hard to predict with four different winners and seven different riders making the podium since the race was included on the calendar four years ago.
“Apart from the regular MotoGP roster there will be two extra riders in action at Indy. Steve Rapp will once again be riding the Attack Performance-Kawasaki CRT entry, while Aaron Yates will debut the GPTech-Suzuki CRT machine so I expect even greater interest in this race from the American fans this weekend. To give these wildcard riders the best possible preparation for the coming weekend, our race engineers were on hand to assist both teams in a test at the Indianapolis circuit that took place on Saturday.”
Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department
“Indianapolis is split into three sections; the sectors from turns one to four and turns seven and eight were designed for MotoGP, the rest of the infield is part of the old F1 circuit, while the main straight is part of the world-famous oval course. This causes the character of the circuit to vary in each section, though a resurfacing last year has made the grip levels more consistent across the whole course. The circuit’s layout causes very high tyre temperatures through the high-speed left-hand corners, so asymmetric rear slicks with much harder rubber on the left shoulder are required here to provide the necessary durability and grip for the race distance, while ensuring good warm-up and grip characteristics on the lesser used right shoulder of the rear tyre.
“This year we have revised our rear tyre compounds for Indy and have gone one step softer with both options, with the medium and hard asymmetric rear slicks being supplied. Additionally, the rear slicks for this circuit now feature the same special heat-resistant construction as those provided at Mugello, Sachsenring and Phillip Island. Our compound selection for the front slick tyres also changes this year, with the soft, medium and extra-hard options now being made available to provide riders with a front tyre option for every kind of track condition.”
source: bridgestonemotorsport.com, bsmotorsport.com
BACK TO THE ACTION IN THE USA FOR MAHINDRA
The Mahindra team gets back into action this weekend, when Moto3™ gets going again at the classic Indianapolis “Brickyard”.
While the MotoGP bikes raced at Laguna Seca, the smallest capacity grand prix class had a break of more than a month after the last round at Mugello in Italy – a useful chance for the only Indian team in the series to consolidate lessons learned in the first half year, and check out future developments for the second
Mahindra fields two bikes with its own engine and chassis on the 35-strong Moto3 grid. Most of the field uses proprietary production-racing engines from established factories. For Mahindra, developing its own technology will be more valuable – but the road is harder, and the time scale for ultimate success is greater.
Even so, the white-and-red machines regularly challenge for the points, and Mahindra’s determination to improve is as powerful as ever.
This is the fifth GP at the purpose-built infield circuit at the famous Indianapolis facility, based around the classic banked oval circuit. The bikes use only part of the front straight – including the “yard of bricks” start-finish line. The rest of the 2.62-mile circuit loops through the infield in a series of tight and technical turns.
DANNY WEBB
I’ve had a good holiday, and been keeping fit with training and motocross. Indy wasn’t great for me last year as I injured my hand and couldn’t race, but I like the circuit – it’s technical and after resurfacing last year was pretty slippery. I don’t mind that, and it could work in our favour. I’ll be trying as hard as I can for points, like always, and I’m looking forward to it a lot.
RICCARDO MORETTI
This is only my second race on the bike, at a track I have never seen before. My main focus is on getting information for the engineers, to keep moving the development of this bike forward.
Mahindra Racing is the first Indian team to participate in the FIM MotoGP™ World Motorcycle Racing Championship (in 2011) and the Italian National Motorcycle Racing Championship (CIV, in 2012).
On the world stage, the Indian factory team signed off its 2011 debut season on a high note with action packed performances by both its riders. Marcel Schrötter finished 15th overall in the 125cc Rider’s Championship and the team finished a strong third overall in the Constructor’s Championship. Danny Webb made history when he secured pole position in Valencia in the last race of the 125cc era. The team has taken this learning into its participation in the all new Moto3™ class which replaced the 125cc class from the 2012 season onwards.
In the CIV in Italy, the team competes in the 125 GP Class with ex-Italian Champion Riccardo Moretti. The team became the first from India to win an international motorsport event when Riccardo took the chequered flag at the season-opening race of the CIV in Mugello, Italy on 25 March, 2012. Since then, the team has recorded five victories from seven races with only one round remaining. Having secured second place in the Championship, Moretti has now joined Webb on the MGP-30 for the remainder of the Moto3 season.
source: mahindra.com, www.mahindraracing.com