MotoGP to revert back to older version of the 2017 front tyre
After a vote during this evening’s Safety Commission meeting at Le Mans, it was agreed that from the Italian Grand Prix onwards the older specification Michelin front tyre will replace the current version in the allocation.
The 70 tyre, which was first raced at last year’s Valencia Grand Prix, has a stiffer carcass compared to the one used now. Most of the riders were happy with the tyre, but wanted revisions made to solve chatter issues which plagued many during the race weekend.
Most remained happy with the new version Michelin introduced for testing, but as racing got underway in Qatar a number of riders complained that the softer carcass was causing too much movement under braking – most notably Valentino Rossi and the factory Honda duo.
Michelin were set to introduce a soft compound version of the tyre for riders to test in Argentina, but delays in getting the tyre to the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit and iffy weather on Saturday saw this idea abandoned.
The tyre was brought to Jerez to be run in the post-race test, though most admitted the difference between the two was minimal. When pressed to finally resolve the matter, 20 of the 23 riders present voted in favour of reintroducing the older tyre.
“We did the test on Monday after Jerez and the majority of the riders chose the older construction 2017 tyre,” said MotoGP Safety Advisor Loris Capirossi.
“Today we made the official vote and out of 23 riders, 20 riders chose the 70 tyre and the three the 06 tyre. So the decision is done and from Mugello we will have only the 70 tyre, from Valencia last year.
“The majority are happy, but some are for sure not because they don’t like the old construction. But we try always to follow the majority.”