The MotoGP riders and teams weren't the only ones to come away with some valuable information from the MotoGP test at Sepang. Bridgestone, the official tire supplier of the MotoGP, also took some time to analyze the performance of its tires.
The three testing sessions in Malaysia were hot ones, with track temperatures peaking at more than 135 degrees. Bridgestone notes that the fastest times were set during the morning sessions, when track conditions were cooler.
Bridgestone also noted that the riders at the top of the time sheets used a harder tire in the front and a softer tire in the rear. The front hard tire gave stability while breaking on the hot track, and the soft rear tire provided extra traction.
The hard front tire and soft rear tire was the optimal set up for most of the MotoGP riders, but some, like Valentino Rossi, chose to use a soft tire up front.
"I am happy with tyre performance at this test because the track temperature has been high but, owing mainly to the development of the bikes over the winter, the times at the front are incredibly fast," said Hirohide Hamashima, the Director of Bridgestone Motorsport Tire Development. "We have gained a lot of data from this test and have been able to confirm the performance of the 2011-spec front and rear slicks so I am pleased about this.
"Several riders also completed long-distance runs and durability and consistency were satisfactory even in such demanding conditions so I am confident of tyre performance again this year.
"This has been a valuable test for our fundamental tyre development work too and we have gathered good data and feedback from riders on our front and rear test tyres, so I must thank them for their support. We are always working hard to improve our tyre technology, and this work will help us to ensure we have the right developmental direction for future tyres both for MotoGP of course and also for our Battlax consumer road tyres."
