Czech GP, Brno: Bridgestone MotoGP review
Bridgestone slick options: Front: Soft, Medium & Hard; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre options: Soft (Main), Hard (Alternative)
Weather: Dry. Ambient 27-27°C; Track 41-42°C (Bridgestone measurement)
Pole-sitter Jorge Lorenzo led from start to the finish to take his fifth victory of the year at the Czech Republic Grand Prix, the result meaning the Movistar Yamaha MotoGP rider now has equal championship points as his teammate Valentino Rossi.
After exhibiting lap-record pace in qualifying Lorenzo proved he had the best pace over race distance as well, as he led into the first corner and steadily built a gap over Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez, who was the only rider able to keep Lorenzo in sight in the early stages.
As the race went on, Lorenzo’s lead grew and he ultimately took the chequered flag 4.462 seconds ahead of Marquez who finished in second place. Finishing a further six seconds behind in third was Rossi who kept his perfect podium record in 2015 intact.
All three riders on the podium used a different combination of Bridgestone slick tyres for the twenty-two lap Czech Republic Grand Prix. Lorenzo used the medium compound slicks front and rear, Marquez used the medium front and hard rear slick, while Rossi used the hard compound front and rear slicks.
Clouds covered the Brno circuit during the morning Warm Up session but the sun emerged before the race, helping the track temperature to a peak of 42°C during the race. With track temperatures being similar to those in Free Practice 4, the tyre choice for the race was much the same as the riders used in race simulations yesterday.
The medium compound front slick was by far the most popular race choice, with twenty-one riders selecting this option and the remaining four riders opting for the hard compound front slick. The soft and medium rear slicks had equal preference as the race tyre of choice at Brno, with eleven riders each selecting these options, while only three riders selected the hard compound rear slick.
Although both Lorenzo and Rossi sit on 211 championship points, Lorenzo is now the championship leader having won five races to Rossi’s three. Marquez’s second place at Brno means he consolidates his hold on third place in the standings with a 17 point lead over Ducati Team’s Andrea Iannone who is fourth overall.
Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department
“We had a lot of cloud cover this morning but thankfully we had no rain and the race took place in almost perfect conditions. Jorge has been dominant all weekend and congratulations to him on his victory as he once again showed that if he gets a good start, he is incredibly hard to beat. It is amazing to think that with seven races remaining this year that we have two riders in Jorge and Valentino sitting on the same number of championship points – I can’t remember the last time we had such a close championship at this stage of the season. This must be exciting for MotoGP fans everywhere and I am sure will bring a big crowd to Silverstone in a couple of weeks’ time. ”
Masao Azuma – Chief Engineer, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
“This morning it looked like that we were in for cooler conditions for the race but strong sunshine in the afternoon meant the track temperature this afternoon was almost the same as yesterday. As a result we didn’t see a big shift in tyre preference compared to yesterday, with the medium front slick and both the soft and medium rear slicks proving to be most popular. With the grip level of the Brno circuit getting worse each year, the general trend was for riders to select the softest rear tyre in their allocation to compensate for the slippery track surface. However the harder option rears were preferred by some riders and also performed well here. The lap times over race distance were quite consistent, which shows that tyre degradation over the twenty-two laps was controllable for the riders.”
Jorge Lorenzo, Movistar Yamaha MotoGP – Race Winner
“The weather for the race was warmer than this morning so I was not sure about my tyre choice. I decided to use the medium compound tyres front and rear as these felt the best for me. I was able to get a good start and open a gap during the first six laps, but later in the race I had to manage the traction from the rear and luckily, I had more pace than Marc. It was a very important victory as I now share the championship lead with Valentino and also extend my lead over Marc.”
Source: Bridgestone Motorsport