CoTA (Circuit of The Americas) has a capacity of 120,000 spectators and was built in the early 2010s in the city of Elroy (Travis County), near Austin, the capital of Texas. It is 5.513 km long, with 20 bends (9 right and 11 left), and significant elevation changes of almost 40 m, including an impressive straight uphill straight to the first turn!
Other highlights include the more than 1,200 m long straight, where MotoGP bike speeds exceed 350 km/h, and also the 49 m high Cobra-shaped tower inside turn 17. The MotoGP World Championship has visited CoTA every year since 2013, and This year MotoGP comes once again which is the third round of the 2024 season after two very competitive races at the Lusail (Qatar) and Portimão (Portugal) circuits.
This circuit in the southern United States also has several characteristics that have a direct impact on the tires, starting from the lack of grip on the asphalt. There is also the bumpy nature of the track to consider, as the track is built on ground that can deform over time.
“We know the COTA circuit very well, but we introduced a new rubber compound this year, which created some unknowns,” emphasized Piero Taramasso, Michelin Two-Wheel competition manager. “On the other hand, we know that the grip will be low, and the surface will be uneven in places.
” Based on our data and taking into account the circuit configuration, we chose symmetrical tires for the front, in three compounds (Soft, Medium, Hard) and two asymmetrical options for the rear, in Soft and Medium. The right wall of the rear tire will be harder, but this is not due to the ratio of the number of turns, but [because of the presence of] the triple right-hander sequence (turns 16, 17 and 18) which produces very high pressure on the tire. .
” We intend to provide the perfect technical package to our partners, who broke many records at this track last year and of course intend to try to do even better this year, thanks in part to our tyres.”
In Austin, the weather is generally dry and the average temperature reaches 25°C during the day. However, Michelin will also present a series of MICHELIN Power Rain, in case of rain consisting of symmetrical Soft and Medium tires for the front, as well as asymmetrical Soft and Medium options for the rear, with the right side being harder.
On Friday, MotoGP’s first free practice session will take place during a 45-minute session in the morning. Then, in the second hour-long session this afternoon, the 10 fastest riders will immediately access the second stage of qualifying the following day.
Saturday will start with 30 minutes of free practice, then the first qualifying session (15 minutes) will allow the two fastest riders to join the 10 riders who have already qualified in Q2. This final session (also 15 minutes) will determine the starting grid order throughout the weekend. The start of the 10 Lap Sprint race will be at 3 p.m. on Saturday, and the start of the 20 Lap Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, at 14:00 local time.
