Tyres, one of the keys to the 2016 MotoGP World Championship

Michelin will be the tyre supplier for the 2016 #MotoGP season

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The 2016 season holds many challenges for the Repsol Team. One of them, without a doubt, is to work with the tyres that Michelin will once again supply during the upcoming season.

The use of these new tyres will force Marc Márquez, Dani Pedrosa, and the rest of the team to work hard to modify the suspension geometry to these parts. And their work doesn’t end there. Our MotoGP riders know that they’ll have to adapt to the new features that the bike frames take on as a consequence of the change.

After the last test sessions that the Repsol Honda Team riders had at the Jerez circuit, they saw that Michelin tyres adapt better to a smoother driving style. The French company has been running tests for a full year now to optimise the tyres for the next season.

Grip and power

The tyres designed for the Motorcycling Championship have two main features. The rear tyre is prepared to easily handle the power of the MotoGP bike and the front tyre ensures traction control to handle hard breaking.

In 2016, the motorcycle tyres will have a diameter of 17 inches. This new feature doesn’t change the total diameter since the design of the new sets have a lower profile than the previous Bridgestones.

History in the Championship

Despite the fact that Michelin is just now returning to the World Championship, its presence in the Motorcycling championship goes back decades. The first world victory by a rider on Michelin tyres was in 1973 and was achieved by Jack Findlay at the prestigious Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

Only three years later, Barry Sheene won the first 500cc title on the French company’s tyres. In 2008 Michelin took a break from the world championship, one that has lasted until the 2016 season.