Monster Yamaha technical director Max Bartolini has outlined why maximising rear tyre efficiency is now key to success in MotoGP.
As with every motorsport that includes totally different entrance and rear tyre specs or sizes, both entrance or rear grip will emerge as extra dominant.
Within the earlier Bridgestone tyre period, from 2009 to 2015, the entrance was the ‘strongest’. Nonetheless, that bias switched comprehensively to the rear when Michelin arrived in 2016.
Whereas it might sound logical for MotoGP designers to deal with elevating the efficiency of the ‘weaker’ tyre to help lap and race occasions, Bartolini defined that exploiting the stronger tyre is extra necessary.
“Usually, of the 2 tyres [front or rear], you all the time work on the strongest of the tyres,” the Italian, who formally joined Yamaha’s undertaking from Ducati a 12 months in the past, instructed Crash.internet.
“For Bridgestone, the strongest was the entrance tyre. The rear principally stayed virtually fixed for the race, by no means actually dropping [in performance].
“Then, in the event you keep in mind in 2016, after we began with Michelin, the rear was very sturdy [but the] entrance was very tough to handle. Plenty of crashes [at the first test].
“Then Michelin did an important job as a result of the entrance now could be a lot, a lot, a lot better than at first.
“However the rear remains to be very, very sturdy so that is why the riders discuss lots about rear grip.
“Whoever is ready to use 100% of the rear grip, may be quicker.”
One other fable that Bartolini was fast to extinguish is that ‘rear grip’ solely issues below acceleration.
“Every nook has a braking, entry, nook velocity and acceleration part,” he stated.
“Entry and carrying [corner] velocity is harder than acceleration.
“[And] in the event you do not make entry and nook velocity, you’ll by no means make acceleration.”
Bettering rear tyre efficiency is among the explanation why Yamaha – and not using a podium end throughout 2024 – is growing a V4 engine undertaking alongside its established Inline4 powerplant.
