One of the controversial topics in MotoGP this year was the creation of rules for a minimum limit on front tire pressure, for safety reasons – punishable, as has already happened. Some blame the supplier, Michelin, for the need for this measure, but KTM’s sports director, Pit Beirer, blames the current bikes.
The Austrian told the site SPEEDWEEK.com that today’s tires are well constructed: ‘The problem with tire pressure has nothing to do with the manufacturer’s specifications, because Michelin provides brilliant tires to MotoGP. You have to think about the overload on a MotoGP front tire when the rider is going 350km/h, the rear wheel is in the air, and you can still turn the bike. What we have in terms of compounds, carcasses, and constructions in MotoGP is the most ingenious thing that can exist in the construction of a competition tire. And if the manufacturer says the front limit is 1.88 bar, we don’t want to go below that‘.
Beirer emphasized that the design of the bikes, with the aerodynamics and rear height adjustment devices, make tire pressure regulations necessary: ‘Why are tire pressures so difficult to control, the problem must be found elsewhere. This has to do with the fact that we have almost built small competition cars in terms of aerodynamics and the window in which fresh air can no longer cool the tires is so large that when you are riding behind another bike the cause must be found here. This problem, which has been discussed for months, is caused by the rear height adjustment devices that keep the bikes so low. These devices, in combination with the aerodynamic packages, exacerbate the tire pressure problem. Regulations and recommendations for tire pressure have existed since tires exist. Anyone who has a car in the garage at home can see this for themselves’.
And the KTM representative warned: ‘If we change the tire pressure limit, everyone will be faster again, so the tires will overheat even more. As a result, the same problem arises with the air pressure in the front tire, which is a tenth below the current 1.88bar’.
