Moto2 and Moto3 InFocus: June
Dunlop Moto2 and Moto3
The 2017 FIM Moto2™ and Moto3™ World Championships stay in Europe for rounds seven and eight, which take place in Catalunya on 11 June, and Assen two weeks later (25 June). The opening six rounds of both championships have produced some incredibly close battles, where the Dunlop tyres have once again provided unrivalled grip and stability. The Catalunya track is a popular one on the schedule with riders and teams alike, while the famous Assen TT is steeped in history as the longest running event.
May Recap – Records set along the way
Franco Morbidelli bounced back from a crash in Spain to take his fourth Moto2 win of the season, alongside a record-setting fastest lap in France. His 1:36.836 lap was nearly half a second faster than the previous record, underlining the performance of the Dunlop rears. Francesco Bagnaia took the runner-up spot, his second podium finish, ahead of Thomas Luthi, himself a record-setting pole-sitter. In Italy Mattia Pasini took his first Moto2 win, his first victory since 2009, in a fight to the flag with Thomas Luthi and Alex Marquez that saw the top three covered by a tenth of a second.
In Moto3 Joan Mir overcame the interruption of an early red flag that saw nearly half the field down at turn one to take his third victory of the season. His fastest lap of 1:42.485 was also half a second faster than the existing record. Aron Canet followed up his Jerez win with second place in France, ahead of Fabio Di Gianntonio for his second podium finish of the year. Jorge Martin took his third pole in a row in Italy but was later dropped to 13th after penalties were applied. The race saw Andrea Migno take a first win on his home track, with Juanfran Guevara claiming his first podium in a battle that will go down in history as the closest ever race.
#ForeverForward 2017
Six rounds in to the Dunlop Forever Forward competition and it’s Nakarin Atiratphuvapat who still holds station at the top of the standings following a staggering 17 place improvement from grid to finish position in France. In Italy it was fellow Moto3 rider Ayumu Sasaki, who made up the most places and received maximum points, with 16 place gains across the race. Top Moto2 movers in France were Hafizh Syahrin and Takaaki Nakagami, with 12 place gains. Brad Binder made the most improvement in Italy, gaining 13 places from his start position.
#ForeverForward after round six:
1 | Nakarin Atiratphuvapat | Moto3 | 52 |
2 | Jules Danilo | Moto3 | 41 |
3 | Andrea Migno | Moto3 | 39 |
4 | Simone Corsi | Moto2 | 38 |
5 | Tetsuta Nagashima | Moto2 | 35 |
6 | Yonny Hernandez | Moto2 | 34 |
The full #ForeverForward table can be seen here.
Round 7: Catalunya – 11th June 2017
Catalunya Track Facts:
Length: 4.7km
Left Turns: 5
Right Turns: 8
Energy level: High
Left:right bias: 40% / 60%
Tyre Allocation Catalunya:
Moto2
Front: Medium ’2’ (black on silver)
Rear: Hard ’4’ (fluorescent white on black) / Special Hard ‘S1’ (blank)
Moto3
Front: Soft (black on yellow) / Medium ‘M’ (black on silver)
Rear: Soft ’S1’ (black on yellow) / Medium ‘M1’ (black on silver)
Round 8: Assen – 25th June 2017
Assen is the oldest race of the MotoGP schedule, hosting a round of the world championship every year since 1949
Assen Track Facts:
Length: 4.5km
Left Turns: 6
Right Turns: 12
Energy level: Mid
Left:right bias: 35% / 65%
Tyre Allocation Assen:
Moto2
Front: Medium ’2’ (black on silver)
Rear: Medium ’3’ (fluorescent yellow on black) / Hard ’4’ (fluorescent white on black)
Moto3
Front: Soft ‘S’ (black on yellow) / Medium ‘M’ (black on silver)
Rear: Medium ‘M1’ (black on silver) / Hard ’H3’ (fluorescent yellow on black)
2017 Tyre Specifications
The 2017 specification tyres remain similar to last season, utilising the No.2 fronts in Moto2, and with several options for the rears, each carefully selected by the experienced Dunlop engineers to cater for the demands of the different tracks and surfaces. Moto3 equally will feature the same tyres that were successfully used last year, all of which offer increased durability for the ultra-competitive lightweight class.
Moto2 | Moto3 |
MS0 Supersoft (blank) Soft ’1’ (fluorescent green on black) Medium ’2’ (black on silver) (front only) Medium ’3’ (fluorescent yellow on black) Hard ’4’ (fluorescent white on black) Special Hard ‘S1’ (blank) Special Hard ‘S2’ (grey on black) | Soft ‘S’/’S1’ (black on yellow) Medium ‘M’/’M1’ (black on silver) Hard ’H3’ (fluorescent yellow on black) |