MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA MOTOGP TEAM EAGER TO START 2020 JEREZ TEST

Gerno di Lesmo (Italy), 14th July 2020

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team will put their YZR-M1s to the test at the Circuito de Jerez-Ángel Nieto tomorrow. Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi are particularly excited because it will be their first time back in the saddle in more than four months‘ time.

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team and their riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi are thrilled to officially restart the 2020 MotoGP World Championship this week. After more than four months of waiting due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, the Factory Yamaha riders are more than ready to swing their legs over their bikes for two official IRTA test sessions at the Circuito de Jerez–Ángel Nieto tomorrow.

The IRTA Test Day includes two MotoGP sessions, the first is from 10:00 – 11:30 GMT+2 and the second from 14:00 – 15:30 GMT+2 (the full test schedule is available in the notes below). The test in Jerez will be followed by the Gran Premio de España, held at the same track from 17th–19th July 2020.

Viñales is going into the test with good confidence. The Spaniard showed a strong pace at the 2020 tests earlier this year (pre-lockdown) in Malaysia and Qatar. He is looking forward to refamiliarise himself with the 2020 YZR-M1 tomorrow and hopes to continue the work he had started. Having secured third place in the MotoGP World Championship standings in 2017 and 2019, he is determined to make a strong start to the 2020 racing year, making the Jerez test vitally important.

Rossi is eager to get back to work, ride his beloved M1 and, of course, reunite with his team. He has set himself a firm goal for this week: he will fully focus on getting a clear understanding of where the Yamaha Factory package stands compared to the competition. Still fiercely competitive by nature, the Italian is keen to find out how he can make the most of the nimble Yamaha bike during the upcoming Grand Prix.

The Circuito de Jerez was built in 1986 and has been one of the most popular MotoGP events of the season ever since. Blessed with good weather, beautiful scenery, fast corners, and hard braking areas, the 4.4km Jerez circuit as a rule offers unforgettable racing action.

MASSIMO MEREGALLI
TEAM DIRECTOR, MEYM

It‘s a special and exciting moment: we are about to restart the 2020 MotoGP season. A lot of people within our team and also of other organisations have worked around the clock to make this happen, and we are all very thankful to them. The operations within the paddock will be slightly different, following the Covid-19 prevention measurements guidelines. This may take some getting used to, but change can be good. During lockdown we have taken the opportunity to analyse how we communicate in the garage, and we think that the amendments we‘ve made since then could be improvements that we should keep even when the Covid-19 prevention measurements guidelines become less strict. We will get our first try tomorrow, so then we will know more. In any case, it‘s positive that we have the opportunity to start the race weekend off with two test sessions prior to the two free practice sessions on Friday. That will be useful for the riders so they can get their confidence and speed back after such a long period of not being able to ride their M1s. Maverick and Vale are both fired up and ready to hop onto their bikes, and also the rest of the team is impatient to get started and do what we love the most, so let‘s go!

MAVERICK VIÑALES

I‘m so happy that the wait is over! We ended the winter tests in a positive way. I did a good pre-season, because I was calm and had a good rhythm in both the Malaysia and Qatar Test, so I think I will arrive here in a good shape. But Jerez is a very different kind of track, so we will have to see tomorrow what the current situation is really like. I can’t wait to be back on the bike, full throttle, and have that ‘race feeling’. It’s also great to be back with the team, because I missed them so much. One thing we know for sure: all the fans will be watching the Spanish GP from home, so I want to do everything I can during the test to get ready for a good battle for the victory or a podium on Sunday. Let‘s make this a season full of good memories!

VALENTINO ROSSI

Finally we can enjoy MotoGP again! Sincerely, it‘s a great relief for me, because I missed my M1 a lot, and I think the fans will also be very happy. Tomorrow we’ll start with the first test sessions in Jerez. The steps we made in Sepang and Losail during the pre-season were positive, but that‘s quite a long time ago now. We still have to be organised and work hard tomorrow to start the Spanish GP with a good understanding and a good feeling. Anyway, I‘m ready to start this new season with my team. We will do our best!

RED LIGHT AT THE READY AS 2020 MOTOGP™ REVS UP

MotoGP 2020 preview comments

Almost 250 days since MotoGP™ last turned a wheel in competition, the 2020 FIM World Championship season will finally begin this weekend at the Circuito de Jerez–Angel Nieto. Riders and management representing Red Bull KTM give their thoughts ahead of the very first Grand Prix ‘double-header’ in Spain.

The Gran Premio Red Bull de España and the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía are the first of thirteen rounds confirmed on the delayed 2020 schedule and the behind-closed-doors events are likely to take place in fiercely hot conditions in southern Spain. Nearly 150 days will have passed from the last outing for MotoGP around the Losail International Circuit in Qatar at the IRTA test in March and the first rush of Free Practice 1 this coming Friday; almost double the time riders and teams had away from the track during the off-season.

Temperatures are bound to be significantly higher compared to the usual May date for the fixture. Both Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 will focus on quickly getting up to speed and the KTM RC16s ready for the demanding climate. An official testing day will open proceedings on Wednesday. Jerez will stage the second round of the Moto2™ and Moto3™ categories.

For the first time since 2006 the premier class of Grand Prix racing will begin on European soil: fourteen years ago MotoGP also fired into life around the mix of corners at the 4.4km Spanish circuit.

Pol Espargaro: “I think for all the Spanish riders it is important – and nice – to start racing at Jerez, even if the stands will be empty. It will be strange and even painful to see because emotions at Jerez are usually so big. Anyway, I think Dorna have done an amazing job to get this organized so soon after the COVID-19 confinement and we are all looking forward to starting. It is going to be a tricky year and very different to past seasons but we are all excited to feel that racing spirit and the nerves on the racetrack again.”

Brad Binder: “I’m really happy to be back to racing. It’ll be challenging with the protocol and how we approach the whole weekend but at the same time I’m super-excited to get started. Two races back-to-back is like a blessing and a curse at the same time. It’s cool to have that second chance to go back and redo the Grand Prix and find a feeling you might have from FP1 but it is also nice sometimes to reset on a Monday after the race and think ahead to another [different] challenge. However, this will be good for me – the chance to have extra time.”

Miguel Oliveira: “I’m happy and obviously excited to be racing again. Jerez has always been a special Grand Prix for me because it’s the one closest to home. It will be extra special this time because we can finally start the season. I’m glad, happy and excited to see the guys in the box again. It will be different without the fans in the grandstands – and with a lot of restrictions – but we hope for the best racing-wise and will give the maximum as always.”

Iker Lecuona: “I’m really happy to start the season finally. The situation has been so different for everybody compared to a normal racing year. At last, it’s good to begin my first championship in the premier class with a good team and a good bike. I’m ready!”

Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director: “We’re really excited that we can finally get back to the racetrack; it was even emotional to watch our trucks heading out of the motorsport headquarters to make their way to Spain and we’re looking forward to following them. We have to thank Dorna and everybody who worked to make this first Grand Prix possible. There was a huge effort behind it and now there is a lot of excitement to begin. We cannot wait for Jerez now, especially because we have four brand new bikes which we haven’t race yet and we have four healthy and hungry riders. I hope they can have a great first race and then for the rest of the calendar that follows.”

Mike Leitner, Red Bull KTM Race Manager: “It will be a special season this year and a very different way to start with two back-to-back races at the same track. It won’t be a disadvantage for the rookies because they will have more time to learn and potentially perform even better at the second attempt. It is important that the riders stay healthy in the short calendar we have. I think we have done the maximum we could with tests in Red Bull Ring and Misano. The riders are motivated, so we’ll go to Jerez and see what the outcome is.”

MICHELIN IS READY FOR ACTION AND THE DEBUT OF ITS NEW TYRES

Michelin and MotoGP™ are gearing up for the start of the 2020 World Championship as the season finally gets underway following the disruption caused by the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

The start of Grand Prix racing has been on hold since March due to the deadly virus, but now Michelin and the rest of the MotoGP paddock will be able to get back to competitive action as the season kicks-off with a double header at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto in Spain and gives the fans around the world the opportunity to share in some much needed sporting action, firstly with the Gran Premio Red Bull de España, which will be followed a week later with the first running of the Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía at the same venue.

A new MICHELIN Power Slick rear tyre in MotoGP

The first race of 2020 will enable the French company the chance to finally give a debut to its latest evolution of the MICHELIN Power Slick rear tyre in a racing environment following its introduction into the allocation at the start of the year. The new rear slick features a different construction that is designed to give increased grip, performance and an extended durability to all riders and manufacturers. Following a thorough test programme in 2019 and early in 2020 – including a unique session during the Australian Grand Prix last year to evaluate the tyre on one of the calendar’s most demanding circuits – all the data was analysed by Michelin’s technicians at Clermont-Ferrand, along with riders’ feedback, and the new construction was added to the allocation for the 2020 season. It should have made its first appearance at the Qatar Grand Prix, but when racing was suspended it was held in readiness for the resumption of activities

The Jerez circuit will be a unique test for the new construction as temperatures at the Spanish track will be considerably higher than the originally scheduled date in May, but during the enforced break from racing the Michelin Technicians have worked hard on past data from the track and with the aid of computer simulations, have been able to select the best compounds to match the new construction and give optimum performance around the 4,423m circuit, which has had both full and partial resurfacing work in recent seasons. The choice for both weekends of racing will feature the same compounds and will be three front and three rear MICHELIN Power Slick tyres. The range will be available in soft, medium and hard compounds, all the front will have a symmetric design, with the rear featuring an asymmetric finish with a harder right-hand-side to cope with the eight right turns which give extra demands to the tyre, compared to just five left corners, through the track’s configuration. With warm weather and high temperatures expected, there might be little chance of rain, but the MICHELIN Power Rain tyres will be in the allocation if such conditions arise. These will be in a soft and medium compound for both the front and rear, with the rears having an asymmetric design with a harder right-hand-side, whilst the fronts will be symmetric.

Michelin and the rest of the paddock will have to adhere to stringent protocols to make sure the racing goes ahead as safe as possible as far at the virus situation is concerned, with all the new rules and regulations in-place MotoGP will take on a very different look and feel for 2020, one of which will be the initial lack of spectators at trackside, although this might change as the season progresses, but even with the new guidelines, Michelin will be determined to add to the spectacle and give tyres that provide exciting and close racing. This season will witness not only the debut of the latest evolution of the MICHELIN Power Slick rear tyre, but three riders will also make their introduction to MotoGP, as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Iker Lecuona (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and reigning Moto2™ World Champion Alex Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – brother of six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) – will join the other nineteen racers in a twenty-two rider strong field that will embark on a shortened, but intense season that so far features thirteen races between July and November – all in Europe – with the possibility to add some fly-away races at the end of the year if the situations allow.

Michelin and the MotoGP field will kick-off track action on Wednesday 15th July as the riders will have a test to reacquaint themselves with the tyres and bikes after such a long lay-off. Competitive action will then commence on Friday with two Free Practice sessions; this will be followed by two further sessions on the Saturday ahead of the all-important Qualifying in the afternoon. Sunday’s first Grand Prix of the season will get underway at 14.00hrs local time (13.00hrs BST, 14.00hrs CEST, 12.00hrs UTC) as the latest evolution of the MICHELIN Power Slick rear tyre gets its competitive debut over the 25-lap race. The times for the following weekend’s Gran Premio Red Bull de Andalucía will be the same, although there will be no pre-race test day.

A new range of Michelin MotoE™ tyres that have increased efficient and are more environmentally friendly

During the two weekends in Jerez, Michelin will also be involved in the FIM Enel MotoE™ World Cup where the French manufacturer will launch a brand new range of tyres specially designed for the 100% electric Energica Ego Corsa motorcycles.

Michelin Motorsport engineers have extensively redesigned the structure of the rear tyre compared with the 2019 version, with the entire range now benefitting from the introduction of biomaterials and regenerated materials. The use of sustainable resources in the structure and in the rubber compounds has made it possible to push back even further the balances established with the previous range. Michelin’s new tyres for MotoE are therefore both more efficient and more environmentally friendly.

Two practice sessions on Friday and one on Saturday will kick off the new season, before the riders will test each other at the E-Pole on Saturday afternoon. The new MICHELIN Slick MotoE tyres will be available in medium at the front and soft at the rear, both of which are symmetrical. In the event of rain, riders will be able to count on the grip of MICHELIN Power Rain soft tyres at the front and extra soft at the rear, both of which are also symmetrical. The MotoE races will take place on the respective Sunday of each event, with the lights changing to signal the start of the events at 10.05hrs local time (09.05hrs BST, 10.05hrs CEST, 08.05hrs UTC).

Piero Taramasso – Michelin Motorsport Two-Wheel Manager:

“It is an encouraging step-forward that the season can get underway. We had a good start to the year with the tests and finalising the new rear tyre, but then everything was put on hold by the terrible events that unfolded. We now have the chance to go racing and give some much needed relief to the fans after these difficult times.

“With the new calendar some of the races now have different dates than their original ones, and the most noticeable of those is the first one at Jerez. We expect much higher temperatures than we would have had in May, but we have analysed past data and run computer simulations to understand what will be expected and have matched the compounds accordingly.

“The most important thing for us is the debut of the new rear tyre. The construction was verified at the pre-season tests and added to the range for 2020, so this will be the first time we have raced with it. When we returned to MotoGP in 2016 we made sure that we would keep evolving and are determined to push the envelope of performance even further this year. The new rear slick tyre has been designed to work for all riders and machines, and following the last tests in Qatar – where we saw some fast lap-times – we are confident that all manufacturers will have found the best setting to make their respective bikes work to the optimum and give a first-class show for all, with hopefully some new records for Michelin at both the events at Jerez.

“The programme in Jerez is a busy one, as we also have MotoE during the two weekends. This series got off to a good start in 2019 and I’m sure it will continue to progress this season with the contribution of Michelin’s new range of even better tyres. MotoE is a very important competition for our group, which this year is introducing tyres incorporating biomaterials and regenerated materials into the discipline. We are delighted to be the technological partner of a race-series focused on energy efficiency, sustainable mobility and respect for the environment. The 2019 World Cup was marked by some fine sporting battles, which gives us even more motivation at the start of this second season.”