Moto2 and Moto3 InFocus: July

Dunlop Moto2 and Moto3 battles grip the world

The 2017 FIM Moto2™ and Moto3™ World Championships near the mid-point with Sachsenring, Germany, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, next up on the 2017 schedule (2 July). Heavy rain affected both races last year, leading all riders to race on Dunlop’s wet tyres. The track is the second most challenging circuit in terms of tyres where the unequal mix of corners means heat generation is key. Joan Mir holds a 30 point lead in Moto3 over last round winner Aron Canet, while Franco Morbidelli, despite winning five Moto2 races, is just 12 points ahead of Thomas Luthi.

June Recap – gripping race across Moto2 and Moto3

Round six at Catalunya nearly saw a maiden Moto3 win for Jorge Martin after taking a fourth consecutive pole position. Leading for much of the race, Martin just lost out to a charging Joan Mir who made best use of his medium compound tyres and took the lead with a stunning pass in the final sector. Romano Fenati quickly followed by at the next corner, pushing Martin to the bottom podium step. If Moto3 was close, Alex Marquez demonstrated a masterclass in Moto2. Leading from the start on 2-2 fronts and 2-4 rears he went on to take a commanding 3.5sec win. Joining him on the rostrum were Mugello winner Matthia Pasini and Thomas Luthi who claimed a staggering 43rd Moto2 podium.

Assen lived up to expectations, on the series return to the circuit dubbed the ‘Cathedral’. Franco Morbidelli took his fifth Moto2 win of the year but had to fight for it, beating Thomas Luthi by just 0.158s who claimed his second runner-up position of 2017. Takaaki Nakagami continued his run of podium finishes, with his fourth third place in a race that saw the top five separated by just 0.6s. The Moto3 race was even closer, the top nine separated by less than a second in a race that saw Aron Canet collect his second win of the year with a daring move at the final chicane. Romano Fenati claimed his third second place, while the ride of the race came from John McPhee, who came from 16th to take his second third place, a sixth career podium.

Mid-season round-up

• Qualifying for round one in Qatar was cancelled due to torrential rain, the grids were determined by combined practice times
• Franco Morbidelli recorded his first Moto2 win
• Morbidelli took back-to-back wins with victory in USA and Argentina
• The Moto2 lap record was broken at COTA by Morbidelli
• Alex Marquez took a first Moto2 win of the year in Spain, and set a new lap record
• Joan Mir took a second successive Moto3 win in Argentina
• The Moto3 podium in Argentina was filled for the first time by riders using the harder compound Dunlop tyre
• Morbidelli took a fourth Moto2 win and broke the Le Mans lap record by half a second
• Mattia Pasini took his first Moto2 win in Italy, his first win since 2009
• A crash that took out half the Moto3 field caused a red flag at Le Mans – Joan Mir went to take a third win and establish a new lap record
• Andrea Migno took his first win on his home track at Mugello
• Juanfran Guevara claimed his first Moto3 podium
• Thomas Luthi collected his 43rd Moto2 podium

#ForeverForward 2017
After eight rounds of the Dunlop Forever Forward competition, it’s all change at the top as Moto3 racer Andrea Migno has leapt to the top of the overtaking league, thanks to two 12 place improvements in Catalunya and Assen. Rewarding the riders who make the most place gains from grid to finish position, Migno leads by nine points from early leader Nakarin Atiratphuvapat. In Cataluyna Hafizh Syaharin again topped the Moto2 riders who’d made most place gains, with 13 places achieved, and now holds fourth in the table. In Assen top movers were Marcos Ramirez and Juanfran Guevara, with a staggering 17 places gained in the Moto3 race while Briton John McPhee came from 16th to take his fifth podium finish and now lies fifth. Top Moto2 mover was Andrea Locatelli moving up 12 places from his grid position.

#ForeverForward after round eight:

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

Round 9: Sachsenring – 2nd July 2017

• The Sachsenring celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2017
• The track is particularly hard on tyres, its abrasive nature and unequal mix of corners means heat generation is key
• To compensate, Dunlop engineers have selected its two special hard compound tyres to offer the best grip and durability

Sachsenring Track Facts:

Length: 3.671km
Left Turns: 10
Right Turns: 3
Energy level: 70%/30%
Left:right bias: High

Tyre Allocation Sachsenring:

Sachsenring 2016 Highlights

• Moto3 practice was held on a damp cool track, all combinations of tyres worked well and it was not clear which would be the favoured race option
• ​Qualifying saw the top three Moto3 riders select medium front and soft rears to set their times
• ​The Moto2 qualifying offered the best track conditions, with medium fronts and soft rears the preferred options
• ​The Moto2 S1s gave the riders the ability to slide the rear around to set their bikes up for quicker corner exits
• Heavy rain across both races meant many riders crashed out

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.