Bridgestone offer 'special tyres' for Mugello
Following the rear-tyre chunking problems suffered by several riders during the Dutch TT at Assen, Bridgestone is bringing extra 'special construction' rear tyres for this weekend's Italian round at the high-speed Mugello circuit.
In addition to the regular allocation of ten rear slick tyres, each rider will be supplied with four tyres in this special construction.
These tyres are specifically developed for circuits that generate exceptionally high tyre temperatures, such as Sachsenring and Phillip Island, where they have been in use for many years.
These additional tyres will be supplied in the hard compound, meaning the harder rear slick tyre will be available in both the regular and special construction, while the medium rear slick tyre will be supplied in just the regular construction.
"Bridgestone has decided to supply riders with special construction rear tyres at Mugello as a safeguard against excessively high tyre temperatures," confirmed Hiroshi Yamada, manager of Bridgestone's Motorsport Department.
"This additional supply of tyres has been welcomed by the Safety Commission, Dorna, the FIM and all the MotoGP teams.
"As always, we will monitor track conditions and examine the tyres used throughout the race weekend, and will work closely with teams to ensure the utmost safety for all the riders.
"Additionally, taking into account the lessons we have learned from last month's Dutch TT, we will also revise our tyre severity ratings for each circuit to determine if special construction rear tyres need to be supplied at any other MotoGP rounds."
Kawasaki's Shinya Nakano suffered a Bridgestone rear tyre failure at 300km/h during the 2004 Italian Grand Prix. The Japanese was unhurt.