Bridgestone Explains 2010 MotoGP Allocation Process

The second season of Bridgestone’s sole tyre supply to MotoGP got underway at the Grand Prix of Qatar on April 11. On the championship’s official Dorna Sports’ operated website, chief coordinator of the Bridgestone MotoGP project, Thomas Scholz, has given an explanation of the new tyre allocation process in use this season.

“Using our data from 2009, we could clearly see that six rear tyres for each specification was far too much, so the riders accepted our proposal to reduce the number of rear tyres to five for each specification – five of spec A and five of B,” said Scholz. “For the front tyre they were not so happy for a couple of races about the total number of tyres they had available, especially when one compound tends to be much better than the other and the allocation is four and four. For this reason our proposal was that at the beginning (of the GP weekend) we give them three tyres of both specs. Then on Friday after the first free practice session the teams and riders have two hours in which to inform us which additional tyre they want to have. So it can be whatever combination of A and B they want if they are not quite sure which tyre will be the final choice for the race.”

In addition to this season’s changes to the allocation process, the tyres themselves have been altered; Scholz comments that the difference lies in the compound: “The 2010 tyres, soft and medium, are different from 2009. The two different rear tyre specs are a single tyre compound and an asymmetric one. We have soft, medium and hard of the single compound tyre, and we have medium, hard and extra hard of the asymmetric.”

“The normal front tyres we are using in the MotoGP class are single compound tyres in a range of soft, medium, hard and extra hard. We don’t use multi compound or asymmetric compound tyres. It’s easier for the riders to use single compound front tyres because this is a very important factor – to be able to trust the front tyre and how it works, and the rider can understand it better. If we offer an asymmetric compound on the front this can take too long for a rider to adjust to, so we leave them,” Scholz continued.

The postponement of the Japanese Grand Prix due to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Finland means that the next round of racing will now take place in Spain on May 2. Bridgestone’s ‘home grand prix’, as the tyre maker has called it, was originally scheduled to be held on April 25, however the race at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit near Mito will now take place on October 3.