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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1477536
So much so, Brembo, the Italian company, feels we are reaching the physical limits of riders stopping with forces up to 2g in heavy braking zones. "After the races, some people ask why some riders feel pain or have arm-pump problems during the race when last year the rider didn't have problems," Bergami explained. "It's not only the brak- ing. It's a mix of the braking and As KTM's Trevathan explains, "Now we measure how long it takes to go down a straight—it's not about the top speed any- more. It's using the acceleration phase. Before you maybe had amazing top speed but lost in ac- celeration. But at the end of the straight you could catch up. But those days are gone. Now the acceleration phase is so strong, that's where you make your time temperature of the Michelin's front tire increases, which in turn causes the pressure to rocket. This is not something that has passed by the French tire firm. Piero Taramasso, Manager of Michelin's two-wheel operation, noted, "They put more wings, more aerodynamics so more load on the front. The ride height device. Also, the brakes. Now they have bigger brake discs, FEATURE I MOTOGP TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS P104 the acceleration which creates this problem. All the evolution is going to the limit for a human." The same can be said of Mo- toGP machines exiting corners. Now tooled up with sophisti- cated ride height devices, which keep the front wheel planted with the throttle wide open, the emphasis of factory engineers has shifted to prioritizing per- formance on the acceleration phase over outright top speed. up. Even Ducati isn't hunting for the top speed records anymore." How Does This Affect The Show? The advanced aerodynamics and ride height devices aim to reduce wheelie and put more load on the front tire. Add in the dramatically increased brak- ing forces entering turns, and it's easy to understand how the so they brake harder, and this generates heat which can go on the tire. The consequence is the pressure rises. You overheat the tire and lose feeling and grip." "The influence (of aero and ride height devices) on front tires is massive," explained Trevathan. "From 2020 to now, it's gone completely crazy. In the past, we [KTM] were maybe the masters of being able to use the hardest front tire. Now we go to races and even Yamahas and Suzukis have to use the hardest com- pound. Now [almost everyone] sits between the medium and hard front tire. And many times, the hard isn't hard enough!" The situation is manageable when a rider is alone on track as air helps to cool the rubber down. It's also not such an is- sue in cooler temperatures, or at tracks, like Mugello, where the heavy braking zones are at a minimum. But when stuck in another rider's slipstream, on a hot track, "for one lap, half a Miller's factory Ducati with the "holeshot device" dials in the center of the top triple-clamp.