Curcuit De Catalunya

	Curcuit De Catalunya
	Track country: Spain
	Track length: 4727m, 2.937miles
	Track width: 12m
	Longest straight: 1047m, 0.651miles

Track left corners: 5

Track right corners: 8

Track time zone: GMT+1

Track location: Located in Barcelona.

Curcuit De Catalunya – track information

Catalunya circuit is made up of slow sections, with a series of corners taken at less than 85 km /h, and fast sections with coners taken at more than 140 km/h. Track also has two fast straights, where one of them is the fastest in the season. On the start/finish straight speeds of more than 320 km/h are reached whereas on the back straight the speedometer nudges 265 Km/h. Regarding the top speed reached on the main straight, there was a certain degree of controversy among teams and time-keepers during winter testing at the circuit.

The organisers registered a top speed of more than 347 km/h whereas the data from the telemetry indicated that speeds of just over 325 km/h were being set. The high speed on the straight means that, as is the case at other high speed circuits, the gear ratio must be set precisely so that the power delivery is always optimized. Unlike the Mugello circuit, where second and third gears are used predominantly, at the Catalunya Circuit all the gears are used during one lap. The first gear is used in the “Seat” corner, the second in the “Elf”, “Repsol”, “La Caixa” and “Banc de Sabadell” corners. Third is selected to negotiate the “Campsa” corner, the two corners leading onto the main straight and the complicated “Renault” bend. Fourth is used entering the “Repsol” and “Wurth” corners, and fifth to build up speed before the “La Caixa” corner. Sixth and top gear is engaged on the straights where the rear-wheel speed can reach 350 Km/h.

One of the peculiarites of the Catalunya circuit is the number of bumps and ripples on the track surface that have been appearing over the 13 years of its existence. Although the track was resurfaced recently, the bumps and ripples remain in some corners.

At the “Banc de Sabadell” the bupy surface is Duch that it seems to be designed on purpose to test out the suspensions. The “Renault” curve is also a tricky one to deal with since it is difficult to find the right racing line because the fastest line through the apex of the corner passes right through the bumpiest area of the track surface. Many riders choose to take a wider line which, in theory, is slower but in practice is more effective and faster since the apshalt is in a better condition on the outside of the corner. The bumpy surface at the circuit means that fairly soft suspension settings are used, even though this can have a detrimental effect on the bike’s performance through faster corners.

Another thing to bear in mind when setting the suspension, particularly in the MotoGP category, is the relative lack of grip of the track. To counter the bike is set up with more weight on the rear to increase the rear-wheel traction. The lack of grip is visible on the television images as the MotoGP riders slide out of the Repsol corner where the telemetry can register a difference in speed between the front and rear wheel of up to 80 Km/h over 3 or 4 seconds. This difference is normally only visible at other circuits in wet conditions.

The lack of grip means that the tyres chosen must withstand very high temperatures since the constant sliding heats the tyres up to well over their ideal operating temperatures.

Doha

	Doha
	Track country: Qatar
	Track length: 5400m,3.35 miles
	Track width: 12-14 m
	Longest straight: 1068m

Track left corners: 6

Track right corners: 10

Track time zone:

Track web address: http://www.qatargp.net

Track location:

Doha – track information

This incredible facility was opened in 2004 year and staged the very first Qatar Grand Prix. Around $58 million was spent building the state of the art 5.300km circuit in the desert. The facilities were superb while the long circuit provided a variety of bends and a start and finish straight over 1000 meters long.

The heat was intense throughout the race weekend but fears that sand would blow onto the surface were largely unfounded.

The Losail circuit is situated in the desert and this means that the climatic condition is a major issue. Track temperature was more 40 degrees at Sepang and it’ll probably be around the same at Losail, up in the 50s. As in Malaysia the bikes must be specially prepared to increase the refrigeration efficiency of the engine and radiators with larger capacities than normal will be fitted again.

The track combines a long start and finish straight of 1.068m. with various type of corners but it is very symmetric and not any of them need a lot of throttle. The base setting of the bike will be similar to that used at Sepang, an adequate compromise between the brakes and suspension settings to be able to give stability under braking and also to maintain grip throughout the other parts of the circuit.

Grip at Losail is a topic matter speaking about tyres’ performances. The layout of the track isn’t particular hard on tyres. The major concern is the sand blown onto the surface which dramatically reduces the grip. Unfortunately the track doesn’t get used a great deal and the sand has not many chances to get cleared away. If it is sandy, you do everything you can to find grip, but if you use really soft tyres, the sand wears them out quickly, whereas if you use hard tyres you have no grip, which makes tyre choice a tricky task.

Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans

	Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans
	Track country: France
	Track length: 4180m, 2.598miles
	Track width: 13 m
	Longest straight: 450m, 0.28miles

Track left corners: 4

Track right corners: 9

Track time zone: +1 GMT

Track web address: http://www.lemans.org

Track location: Southern part of the Le Mans city.

Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans – track information

The French Grand Prix has seen many venues since the first race at Albi in 1951. Road circuits such as Rouen, Reims and Clemont -Ferrand staged the early grands prix with Le Mans staging it’s first race in 1969 on part of the 24 Hour car racing circuit. The delightfully located Paul Ricard in the South of France also became a regular venue with Nogaro also staging two races.

The Bugatti circuit was constructed in 1965 incorporating part of the 13.605 kms 24 Hour road circuit. It has been modified over the years to it’s present day 4.180 kms configuration. The circuit uses the main straight and the awesome fast right hand bend between that towering grandstands that leads to the famous Dunlop chicane. The remainder of the circuit is very stop and start with a crucial slow right hand bend leading back into the start and finish straight. The track had a reputation for being very slippery but was resurfaced in 2004 when Spaniard Sete Gibernau achieved his second successive victory.

Le Mans is a circuit made up of a number of second gear hairpins linked together by a series of long straights,with only the occasional chicane breaking up the run to the next hairpin. A design of the past, the French circuit causes little concern for engineers regarding set-up. Turns three and five are the most likely passing points and all efforts for set-up on this track is often focused towards finding stability under brakes in these areas.

Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello

	Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
	Track country: Italy
	Track length: 5245m, 3.259miles
	Track width: 14m
	Longest straight: 1141m, 0.709miles

Track left corners: 6

Track right corners: 9

Track time zone: GMT+1

Track web address: http://www.mugellocircuit.it/english

Track location: Near the Firenze.

Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello – track information

At 5.245km the Mugello circuit is one of the longer contemporary MotoGP circuits, in no small part due to the fact that, unlike many other classically sculpted tracks, it has retained its original length and layout. Running across two sides of an impossibly scenic Tuscan valley, Mugello also differs from other super fast circuits in its frequent changes of gradient and the speed of its chicanes. There is a mix of slower and high-speed corners, although even the slowest corners are wide, allowing several ‘ideal’ lines.

Having foregone the modern tendency to reduce speeds by creating ‘bus stops’, Mugello’s four significant chicanes are taken at a relatively high pace. Balancing out the need for firmer suspension on the high-speed sections, which compress front and rear suspension due to centrifugal forces, is the requirement for enough pliability to give tyre side grip and traction around the slower off-camber corners.

The suspension set-up quest is further complicated by the fact that on one section of the track the approach to the corners is uphill, on the other half downhill, altering the parameters in the search for ideal spring and compression damping rates. Horsepower is a significant factor, with the long Mugello straight a possible passing place at top speeds of over 330kmph.

Good top speed aside, the rideability and balance of the machine have to be second-to-none at Mugello, such are its spread of corners. A magnificent but stern test of the complete machine, Mugello demands perfection lap after lap, but rewards precise and spirited riding.

Phillip Island

	Phillip Island
	Track country: Australia
	Track length: 4448m, 2.764miles
	Track width: 13m
	Longest straight: 900m, 0.559miles

Track left corners: 5

Track right corners: 7

Track time zone: GMT +10

Track web address: http://www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au/

Track location: 100 km south of Melbourne

Phillip Island – track information

Phillip Island – track facts

Phillip Island is one of the greatest MotoGP tracks in the world . The fast flowing nature of the 4.448 km circuit is the reason that makes Phillip Island one of favourite MotoGP tracks among riders for the last 15 years. The one big drawback can be weather on this outpost of South Australian coastline . Heavy rain and winds can cause chaos at this time of the year to the Island, which is linked by a bridge to the mainland, some 100 kms south of Melbourne.

The track, which is the second fastest in the MotoGP calendar, requires complete riding skills. There are five right and seven left hand corners and 900 meters start and finish straight which leads into the very quick Doohan right hand bend.

Tradition of racing on Phillip Island is 75 years long, but the permanent circuit was built in 1956. It fell in to disrepair but had a complete revamp in the mid eighties and staged the very first Australian MotorCycle Grand Prix in 1989.

First Phillip Island race was won by Australia´s first 500cc World Champion Wayne Gardner and the whole country celebrated his success. Valentino Rossi has incredible record of 4 consecutive wins on this track from 2001 to 2004.

Phillip Island – Technical Details

The average lap speed is 177.785 km/h, making it the second fastest track of the World Championship calendar behind Assen. This high speed would seem strange at a circuit with very few straights, however, although the main straight is relatively short at less than 900 metres long, the corner leading onto it and the corner at the end of it are both extremely fast corners taken at more than 180 km/h.

The ideal settings would give the bike stability to be able to take the fast corners with as much precision as possible and use the maximum amount of track surface. There are six corners taken at over 180 Km/h and three of these are negotiated at more than 200 Km/h.

Given the presence of these high speed corners, and the constant changes of direction at high speed, technicians tend to fit hard springs so that when the rear of the bike is under compression the riding precision is not affected and the rider can maintain the racing line through corners. However, the presence of many bumps on the track surface means that the springs to be fitted cannot be as hard as we would like. To demonstrate the pressure on the springs, the point of greatest compression of the rear of the bike takes place between corners seven and eight where the bike is travelling at more than 230Km/h. This speed creates a force of more than 500kg on the rear springs.

Regarding the front suspension, the points in the circuit where there is most movement of the front shocks are the two hairpins taken at slow speeds. The rider must brake hard at these two points, but this is not a circuit where hard front springs are fitted because of hard braking. Due to the bumpy track surface in the fast corners, softer springs are fitted in the front to maintain the precision and the grip, even through these bumpy areas. Some of these bumps are so big that the bikes literally take off as they lose contact with the track in both the front and rear. The best place to witness this is at the end of the straight where the bikes leave the ground at more than 305 km/h.

In Phillip Island the gear ratios are a little special since the higher gears are used more frequently than is usual. Most of the corners are taken in third, fourth and even fifth gear. These gears must be set so that there is not too large a step between them and also so that sixth can accommodate speeds of nearly 350 km/h. It is not always easy to find a good compromise. Unlike most other tracks in the MotoGP calendar, there are only two corners taken in first and two taken in second.

Another special factor at Phillip Island is rear-tyre wear. As well as being a very abrasive track, the characteristics of the layout of the track put an excessive amount of stress on the rear tyre. The left side of the tyres is critical since the left-handed corner onto the straight is very fast and the rider can open the throttle early, and in doing so heating the left side of the tyre to temperatures that can affect the tyre´s durability. Sometimes we must sacrifice the rear suspension settings and make them softer to prolong the life of the rear tyre so that it lasts the race distance of 120 km.

Another important aspect at this circuit is the front brake. There are no hard braking areas around the track so brake discs with smaller diameters are fitted so that they reach the correct working temperatures more easily. At Phillip Island discs of 305mm diameter are fitted compared to a normal diameter of 320mm.

Twin Ring Montegi

	Twin Ring Motegi
	Track country: Japan
	Track length: 4801m, 2.983 miles
	Track width: 12-15m
	Longest straight: 762m, 0.473miles

Track left corners: 6

Track right corners: 8

Track time zone: GMT +9

Track web address: http://www.twinring.jp/english/

Track location: Circuit is 100km from Tokyo Narita Airport.

Twin Ring Motegi – track information

Honda constructed the 4.801km circuit, which also incorporates an Indy Car style oval, in 1997 in the hilly countryside 100kms north of Tokyo. It was a massive construction project and the complex also includes the famous Honda Museum and a hotel.

The track has a comparatively long back straight but a series of slow corners and also two tunnels which allows the oval to run round the outside. The circuit staged its first grand prix in 1999, the very wet Japanese Grand Prix, which was won by the Kenny Roberts riding the Suzuki. Roberts won the Pacific Grand Prix the next year at the track but after that it became the domain of the circuit owners Honda and also the Honda Pons team.

Valentino Rossi won the 500cc race at the Pacific Grand Prix in 2001 but after that Sito Pons’s Honda team have won three races in a row. Alex Barros won on his first appearance on the RCV four-stroke Honda in 2002. A year later Max Biaggi brought the Camel Honda team success and in 2004 Japanese Grand Prix, Makoto Tamada totally dominated the proceedings. Not only did he win the 24 lap race, but he also started from pole position and set the fastest lap, riding the Camel Honda.

Ricardo Tormo

	Ricardo Tormo
	Track country: Spain
	Track length: 4005m, 2.489miles
	Track width: 12m
	Longest straight: 876m, 0.544miles

Track left corners: 9

Track right corners: 5

Track time zone: GMT +1

Track web address: http://www.circuitvalencia.com/

Track location: Valencia

Ricardo Tormo – track information

The Ricardo Tormo circuit was only completed in 1999 and is named after the former 50 cc World Champion Spaniard Ricardo Tormo, who died of leukaemia. The grand prix at the track attracts huge crowds who create a truly amazing atmosphere packed into the grandstands that surround the tight 4.005m circuit which is situated 10km from Valencia airport. Valencia is also the firework capital of Europe and the controlled explosions to celebrate the end of races just add to the party atmosphere at this last grand prix of the season.

The track, despite a comparatively long main straight, is the second shortest and second slowest on the MotoGP calendar. There are five right hand corners and nine lefts and its a favourite testing track for Formula One cars especially before racing in Monaco.

To make a good race here it is necessary to prepare the bike so that it is light and agile. The corners come one after another all around the lap and a manoeuvrable bike is key to setting good lap times. In general one can say this is a track where a shorter wheel base is desirable and often special plates are fitted to make the bike turn more easily into the corners. This setting can though lead to problems in turn one, turn seven and the final corner where the rider must brake when the bike is leaning, which tends to block the steering and the fitting of these special plates can accentuate the problem. Also in the final corner the rider must change from fourth gear to first with the bike leaning over on the side where the gear change is located, making it very difficult to find a good racing line through the corner.

Although Cheste is not a high speed circuit, the braking points are nevertheless sharp and hard suspension shocks are normally fitted. The most movement in the front fork is experienced on the short straight leading up to turn 2, and also the tricky corner 12 where the track suddenly starts to climb, producing even more force on the front shocks. Luckily the track is in good conditions and there are not too many bumps so hard springs can be fitted without too much pondering.

Rear suspension is not an excessive problem either, although we must bear in mind that the rear tends to sink under acceleration when the throttle is opened at low speeds, and also when the rider accelerates through the long corner with the bike leaning over. To counteract this effect harder springs can be fitted or the hydraulic brakes of the rear shock can be adjusted to dampen the compression and sinking effect in these areas.

Another important factor to consider when setting the bike is the engine brake. A well-adjusted engine brake that lets the rider turn with ease is invaluable in setting fast times here.

In Cheste, all the gears are used around the lap, with three taken in first gear, seven in second gear, three more in third and finally turn 13 is taken in fourth. And we could really say that turn 7 is taken in fifth gear although under braking in preparation for turn 8. Since the top speed on the straight is not so high, it is relatively easy therefore to find a good adjustment for the gear ratios.

Tyre choice is not such a big problem in Cheste as it is not a circuit that causes excessive tyre wear. The only thing to look out for is the left side of the tyre since there are many more left corners than right corners, and also the possible heavy tyre wear produced in turn 13.

Ricardo Tormo – travel information

Easy drive from airport and city centre – join A3 route, heading towards Madrid, and take the 334km exit, adjacent to service station/hotel, and drive into circuit approaches.

Ricardo Tormo – address and contact information

Circuit de la Communitat
Valenciana Ricardo Tormo,
Autovia A3 Madrid Valencia,
Salida 334 Cheste,
Apartado de correo 101
46380 Cheste, Valencia
Spain