The European 2020 MotoGP Grand Prix according to Brembo

11/3/2020

A guide to Brembo braking systems in the premier class, and their use on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo.

According to the Brembo technicians who work closely with all the MotoGP World Championship riders, the Circuit Ricardo Tormo is a moderately demanding circuit for the brakes. On a difficulty index scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 3 - the lowest of the four Spanish tracks.

At just 4,005 meters (2.49 miles), it's the shortest track used this year. It runs counterclockwise, with far more left-hand corners (9) than right-hand ones (5) but, unlike some other circuits, the riders and teams have all the data of past years to hand because the race is being held in the same month as in previous seasons.

Brembo brake pads for MotoGP

The friction material used for the Brembo MotoGP brake pads is carbon. The outstanding friction coefficient and constant performance when hot together guarantee powerful, even and stable braking without any fading (the "lengthening" of the lever or pedal).

Compared with the brakes of a sports bike for road use, the mass is different, along with the duration and even the maximum temperature. The Brembo brake pads for MotoGP weigh just 50 grams (1.76 oz) - less than half the weight of the road-going version - while the duration is no higher than 900 km (559 miles) and the maximum temperature that can be reached is 800°C (1472°F).

Brake use during the European MotoGP Grand Prix

Apart from the final straight (876 meters/958 yds), the feature of this track is its narrow, technical bends where the lower gears are often called into play: on 6 of them, the approach speed is less than 100 km/h (62 mph). The brakes are used 9 times per lap - 5 for the left-hand corners and 4 for the right-hand ones.

In one complete lap, the brakes are used for a total of 29 seconds; that's the same as for the Catalan GP, whereas at MotorLand Aragon and Jerez it's 33 seconds. There are only two points where the braking distance is more than 150 meters (164 yds), and on another couple it doesn't even reach 90 meters (98 yds).

The most demanding braking section of the European GP

Of the 9 braking sections on the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, only one is classed as demanding for the brakes, 5 are of average difficulty and the remaining 3 are not particularly challenging.

The hardest throttle-off moment for the bikes is the first after the start/finish line, which is the only point where they exceed 300 km/h (186 mph): the prototypes go from 324 km/h to 129 km/h (201 to 80 mph) in 4.2 seconds, traveling 251 meters (275 yds). To do this, the riders apply a load of 5.6 kg (12.3 lbs) on the brake lever and are subjected to a 1.5 G deceleration, while the brake fluid pressure soars to 12.1 bar.