Lorenzo makes it three in a row in Catalunya04/07/2010

Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard.  Rear: Hard, Extra Hard (asymmetric)  

Jorge Lorenzo took his third victory in a row at Catalunya today in tricky conditions. He and his Yamaha M1 machine used the harder front and softer rear Bridgestone slicks most efficiently on a hot and slippery track.  

After witnessing the performance of the softer slicks during yesterday’s qualifying session, during which they proved their durability and consistency even in such hot conditions, the softer option rear tyre became the preferred race tyre for many riders. Only Randy de Puniet, Loris Capirossi, Mika Kallio and Wataru Yoshikawa opted for the harder rear tyre for the race. The softer rear slick proved to be the winning choice, being used by the top three riders.  

Every rider with the exception of Hector Barbera favoured the harder front slick tyre because of the high track temperature which reached 55 degrees Celsius. The heavy braking points and the condition of the tarmac, which was not helped by the high temperature, tested the durability of the front tyres as the front-runners pushed hard in their respective battles. Tyre performance was consistent though and the final laps of Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner were within 0.9seconds of their respective best efforts, which came within the first three laps of the 25-lap race.  

Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director, Bridgestone Motorsport said:
“Congratulations to Jorge and the Fiat Yamaha Team for their third victory in a row today. Spain is an important market for us and it is great to see that MotoGP is so popular in this region. We invited many guests and VIPs to the circuit this weekend to experience Bridgestone’s activity in MotoGP, and this showcase of our technology continues to be very valuable for driving sales and OE supply negotiations. Our track signage was strong in Catalunya too and I am happy that through television and photography this helps us communicate the Bridgestone brand to a worldwide audience. I am looking forward to our involvement in many more grands prix.”  

Tohru Ubukata, Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department said:
“Last year we brought the same tyre specifications to Catalunya and every rider chose the harder options. This year however even with a higher track temperature the softer option rear worked best in the race so I am very pleased with this and it shows how much the teams have improved their bike packages on our single supply tyres. Front tyre wear appearance was good but, as some riders experienced, such hot conditions like today can affect front stability under hard braking at this kind of tough circuit. Many riders were fighting for position until the end and with the high track temperature, the circuit’s nature and the less than ideal track conditions, this made the challenge for the tyres quite severe, but the timesheets show that the consistency of both the front and rear slicks over race distance was good.”  

Jorge Lorenzo, Fiat Yamaha Team Race Winner said:
“It was a hard race but I think we rode an intelligent and clever one. The track conditions were worse than ever, especially for the front tyre. From the first corner the track felt slippery, but fortunately the front tyre didn’t drop so much by the end and I could be consistent. I didn’t know which rear tyre to use for the race, but we didn’t want to take any risks so we chose the softer tyre that it looked like everyone would use. It was a difficult race but for this finish I am so happy. It’s been an almost perfect start to the season and to win five races in seven is better than all my dreams.”