Aprilia, KTM still unable to exploit new MotoGP rear tyre

Aprilia and KTM are at a loss to elucidate why they struggled to extract the utmost efficiency out of Michelin’s new MotoGP rear tyre all 12 months in 2024.

One of many greatest adjustments in MotoGP this season was the introduction of Michelin’s new grippier rear tyres, which performed a serious function in riders breaking long-standing lap data at a number of circuits.

Whereas Ducati was in a position to exploit the brand new rubber from the very starting of the season and get a headstart, its rivals have been nonetheless scratching their heads when the season concluded in Barcelona earlier this month.

Three-time MotoGP race winner Aleix Espargaro stated he recurrently sought solutions from Aprilia over the course of the 12 months, however the group was puzzled in regards to the RS-GP’s incapacity to make the brand new tyres work in 2024.

“I do not perceive. It is the identical query that I am asking my engineers they usually do not have the solutions,” he stated in Barcelona.

“We analysed many, many parameters and we labored so onerous attempting to know many issues. We had fortunately the knowledge of the ’23 bike on some circuits with Raul [Fernandez] with the brand new rear tyre. 

“[But] there’s something that we can not put collectively. We wouldn’t have traction, we wouldn’t have grip. Solely Ducati is having fun with it and we’re struggling lots.”

Making the rear tyres work was a key energy for Ducati, which gained 19 of the 20 grands prix this season. It’s additionally an space the place its GP24 prototype had a definite benefit over the year-old GP23, with the Borgo Panigale engineers having designed the brand new Desmosedici round 2024-spec rubber.

Whereas the brand new tyres lowered the lap occasions at most circuits, a serious facet impact was elevated rear chatter, which affected all bikes in some unspecified time in the future over the course of the season, together with Ducati’s.

Outgoing KTM rider Jack Miller thinks the Italian producer was not solely in a position to remove chattering, but additionally set the bike up in a strategy to maximise mechanical grip.

Requested why KTM couldn’t make the rear tyre work all season when Ducati was so robust on this space, the Australian replied: “It is a million-dollar query. May very well be a couple of 40-million-dollar query! 

“I would not say we’ve not labored it out. The others are on a really robust stretch in the meanwhile, however we’ve got been getting nearer and nearer and not less than been in a position to battle with them in the previous few weeks.

“I really feel prefer it’s simply a type of issues the place they [Ducati] are in a position to, with no matter they have, whether or not it could be mass damper, whether or not it could be a few of their techniques, they’re to start with in a position to remove the vibrations [and then] set the bike up the place they will actually use the rear tyres as the assistance that you just want.”

Ducati had the largest presence of any producer on the grid in 2024, because it provided bikes to 3 satellite tv for pc groups along with its manufacturing unit squad.

Jack Miller, Pramac Racing

Photograph by: MotoGP

Miller feels having eight bikes was an enormous think about Ducati gaining an early understanding of Michelin’s new rear tyres this season.

“In fact, that can also be one other huge issue I feel as properly. The quantity of information they might have gotten by way of Malaysia [testing] and onwards. It is a jump-start for certain, by way of boys attempting other ways to go about organising for what was the vibration within the preliminary stage. 

“I feel the vibration is affecting all people in another way nevertheless it’s lots lower than what it was, that is for sure. 

“However nonetheless like I stated we [KTM] should not in a position to make use of the efficiency of the rear tyre, which is clearly evident that it’s there.”

Extra reporting by Germán Garcia Casanova and Oriol Puigdemont