03
November
2017
|
13:32 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

Moto2 and Moto3 InFocus: November

The final rounds of the FIM Moto2™ and Moto3™ World Championships take place at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia next weekend (12 November). Both titles have been decided, but the battle for race wins is still raging, with six different winners claiming victory in Moto2 this season, a total of ten podium sitters, and four in Moto3 with 14 different riders on the podium.

October Recap – Records achieved and Championships decided

Wet conditions greeted the riders and teams in Japan for round 15 at Twin Ring Motegi, with no slick running at all for the Moto3 riders across the weekend. Nicolo Bulega secured his first pole of the season, but it was race winner Romano Fenati who became the most successful Moto3 rider since the series started in 2012, with a tenth victory. Nicolo Antonelli converted his front row start into second place, his first podium of the year, with Marco Bezzechi also taking his first podium, and putting three different manufacturers on the rostrum. Local hero Takaaki Nakagami took pole for Moto2, but Alex Marquez took the win, his third at the track. Xavi Vierge secured his first podium finish, with Hafizh Syahrin taking his second rostrum finish in three races, in third.

Phillip Island crowned Joan Mir as Moto3 champion after a dominant season that saw the Spaniard top the rostrum on ten occasions including Australia, where a red-flag ended the race at two thirds distance. The tenth win put him equal with Fenati. Mir’s team-mate Livio Loi claimed second, with eight-time pole-sitter Jorge Martin taking third, his seventh podium of the season. Miguel Oliviera took an historic first Moto2 win for KTM, with a three-second gap to team-mate Brad Binder completing a 1-2, and earning him his first podium of the season. Franco Morbidelli protected his title hopes with third place, his tenth podium of the year.

Morbidelli sealed the Moto2 title before the Sepang race after rival Thomas Luthi was ruled out with injury in a qualifying crash. The champion-elect pulled out all the stops to record his sixth pole of the year and establish a new lap record by nearly one second. Oliviera converted his front row start to his second win of the season, and set a new lap record on the way. In a repeat of the top three in Australia, Binder took second, with Morbidelli third, taking an 11th season podium. Mir sealed his commanding performance in Moto3 with his first pole of the season in dominant style, breaking the qualifying record that had stood since 2014. Mir converted his pole start to a tenth win of the year, in a race that saw local hero Adam Norrodin achieve his first lap record while battling for a podium, only to subsequently fall with eight laps to go.

#ForeverForward 2017

Andrea Migno continues to lead the battle for Dunlop’s #ForeverForward award, after his memorable charge through the field in Malaysia gained 13 places from his grid start to take sixth in Moto3, with a 12 place improvement in Australia. Moto2 rider Tetsuta Nagashima maintains second overall, with a total of 29 places gained across the three flyaway events. 2016 Moto3 Champion Brad Binder has moved up the order thanks to a string of charges through the Moto2 field. In Japan Lorenzo Baldassarri demonstrated tenacity in his recovery from 30th on the Moto2 grid, to gain a staggering 20 places on his way to tenth. Top mover in Australia was Livio Loi, who carved his way through the Moto3 field to claim an impressive 19 places, to second.

#ForeverForward Award after round 17:

1Andrea MignoMoto3129
2Tetsuta NagashimaMoto2107
3Brad BinderMoto2106
4Hafizh SyahrinMoto295
5Nakarin AtiratphuvapatMoto392
6Khairul Idham PawiMoto287

The full #ForeverForward table can be seen here​​.

Round 18: Valencia, Spain –  12 November 2017

  • One of the most popular events on the schedule, the Circuit Ricardo Tormo caters for 150,000 spectators and allows viewing from every grandstand around the 4km track
  • Valencia is notoriously hard on tyres, so the Dunlop engineers have introduced a brand new specification rear tyre for Moto2, the 2R1, which will offer extra grip and durability

Valencia Track Facts:

  • Length: 4km
  • Left Turns: 9
  • Right Turns: 5
  • Energy level: Mid
  • Left:right bias: 65% / 35%

Valencia Tyre Allocation:   

Moto2    
​Front: Medium '2' (black on silver)
Rear: 2R1 (yellow on black) / Hard ’4’ (white on black)
​Moto3
​Front: Soft (black on yellow) / Medium (black on silver)
Rear: Soft ‘S1’ (black on yellow) / Medium 'M1' (black on silver)

Valencia 2016 Highlights

  • Moto2 Champion Johann Zarco set a new pole record on his way to his seventh pole position of the season, beating the 2014 record of Pol Espargaro
  • The top 3 Moto2 riders were under the pole time, with the first 20 separated by one second
  • Zarco went on to claim his seventh Moto2 victory race to win the title by 42 points over Thomas Luthi
  • Local hero Aron Canet secured his first Moto3 pole position here last year
  • Brad Binder collected his seventh Moto3 win of 2016, and amassed a staggering 142 point advantage over second placed Enea Bastianini
  • Tyre performance was excellent throughout the Moto3 race, with no drop in lap times

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.

Moto2Moto3
MS0 Supersoft (blank)Soft ‘S’/’S1’ (black on yellow)
Soft ’1’ (fluorescent green on black)Medium ‘M’/’M1’ (black on silver)
Medium ’2’ (black on yellow) (front only)Hard ’H3’ (fluorescent yellow on black)
Medium ’3’ (fluorescent yellow on black)
Hard ’4’ (fluorescent white on black)
Special Hard ‘S1’ (blank)
Special Hard ‘S2’ (grey on black)