During the upcoming Phillip Island MotoGP round, Michelin will conduct an extra 20-minute tyre test session for the premier class taking place from 15:55 to 16:15 local time which will not count towards combined practice time classification.
The session is to give Michelin the opportunity to assess a new specification slick rear tyre at an especially demanding circuit for the rear.
This latest evolution has a new construction designed to improve performance at all tracks and has already been tested at the Barcelona, Brno and Misano Tests with the aim of introducing it in 2020.
The version that Michelin will bring to the Australian Grand Prix is asymmetric with a harder left-hand side and features the existing compounds specifically designed to combat the huge stresses the tyres are placed under at Phillip Island.
Each rider will have one rear tyre in the new specification available and will be able to choose between a soft and a medium compound. Riders will also be given an extra front tyre of their preferred specification – soft, medium or hard – and will be asked to do a minimum of 11 timed laps.
Following the 20-minute evaluation session, a decision will then be taken as to whether the rear tyre will be added to next year’s race weekend allocation.
