In Aragón the Superbikes brake less than in MotoGP

5/18/2021

Characteristics and use of the Brembo system at MotorLand and similar solutions for your motorcycle

According to Brembo technicians, who work closely with 17 World Superbike riders, MotorLand Aragón is a highly demanding circuit for the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 4 on the difficulty index – exactly the same as a couple of other Iberian tracks – Estoril and Jerez.

The track is identical to the one used by MotoGP, but the Superbikes are slower by 2.3 seconds, partly due to a top speed that is more than 35 km/h (21.75 mph) lower. The first part of the track, full of turns, does not favor cooling of the discs – made of steel for the Superbikes and carbon for the MotoGP motorcycles.

2.1 percent carbon

Each rider has a choice of 338.5 mm (13.33 inches) or 336 mm (13.23 inches) diameter discs. The larger diameter means that more pressure can be exerted, but it also weighs more. As of this year, Brembo is also making the innovative ventilated steel disc available to the teams.

Carbon has been barred from Superbike since 1994, to limit costs. In fact, the discs are made of steel, even though regulations permit the use of carbon as long as it doesn't account for more than 2.1% of the total disc weight. Alloys containing beryllium are also banned for the same reason.

High heat dissipation for street motorcycles, too

For street motorcycles, Brembo makes High Performance discs that guarantee uncompromising performance, racing aesthetics and a significant reduction in weight compared to factory discs. The first option consists in Supersport discs, available with a 34 mm (1.34 inches) braking band and 5.5 mm (0.22 inches) thick.

These are entirely floating discs, thanks to the band in thermally treated martensitic steel and the housing in billet aluminum alloy. The two parts are connected by 10 fastener studs and this ensures less wear and greater heat dissipation because the braking band is free to warp.

Find out more about Brembo High Performance discs.

3 seconds less than MotoGP 

For Superbike, there are 10 turns where the riders use their brakes, one less than MotoGP, where the riders brake on turn 4, too. Reaching lower top speeds, the factory derivative motorcycles use the braking system less on the other turns as well: less than 29.5 seconds per lap, compared to 33 seconds for the MotoGP motorcycles.

The total load exerted on the brake lever in one lap is also higher for the MotoGP motorcycles at 43.3 kg (95.5 lbs) compared to 40.3 kg (88.8 lbs) for the Superbikes. However, for the latter, the braking system pressure reaches almost 10 bar (145 psi) in 7 turns, a value that the MotoGP motorcycles hit in only 3 spots on each lap.

Pressure of 12.1 bar (175.5 psi) at the first braking section

Of the 10 braking sections at MotorLand Aragón GP, 2 are classified as highly demanding on the brakes, whereas 5 are of medium difficulty and 3 are light.

The absolutely most difficult is the first turn because the delta-v is higher than on the last turn: 182 km/h (113.1 mph) vs. 165 km/h (102.5 mph). In fact, the Superbikes arrive at 274 km/h (170.3 mph) and drop to 92 km/h (57.2 mph) thanks to 4.1 seconds on the brakes with a load of 12.1 bar (175.5 psi) on the lever that generates a deceleration of 1.5 Gs.