Brembo brake fluid is undeterred by the scorching Argentine heat

3/28/2023

Seven days after the Portugal Grand Prix, MotoGP leaves Europe and moves to Argentina. For the eighth time, racing will be held at Termas de Rio Hondo, a city on the banks of the River Dulce in the north-west of the country.

Seven days after the Portugal Grand Prix, MotoGP leaves Europe and moves to Argentina. For the eighth time, racing will be held at Termas de Rio Hondo, a city on the banks of the River Dulce in the north-west of the country. Due to the clay soil that surrounds the circuit, the Autódromo de Termas de Rio Hondo has a very dirty track.

According to Brembo engineers, it is a track with a medium level of difficulty for brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it is rated 3 on the difficulty index. The circuit houses a museum with a Benetton B196 racing car on display which in 1996 won 10 podium positions in Formula 1, with the help of Brembo brakes.

There are those who seek the heat and those who are undeterred

Termas de Rio Hondo is the most important spa resort in the country thanks to its 12-kilometer long mineral springs that produce various types of water with temperatures ranging from 30 to 85 degrees centigrade (86 - 185°F).

These are very high temperatures for human beings but not for Brembo HTC64 brake fluid which has very high resistance to high air temperatures.

It has a dry boiling point of 335°C, at least 20 degrees higher than its rivals, which demonstrates the huge amount of hard work and effort that the Brembo researchers have put in to provide the best performance in all racing conditions.

This prevents the formation of vapor caused when the brake fluid reaches boiling point and guarantees maximum braking efficiency.

When the mean value obscures the difference 

On 8 of the 14 turns at Termas de Rio Hondo, the MotoGP riders use their brakes for a total 29 seconds per lap, amounting to 30% of the race. However, this value is based on two halves of the track which are very different: on the first 7 turns of the Argentine track, the brakes are used for over 19 seconds whereas on the next 7 turns, they are used for just 10 seconds.

The hardest and longest deceleration in terms of time and space is on the first 7 turns. On turns 9, 11 and 12, the loss of speed is less than 100 km/h (62 mph) and the pressure of the brake fluid does not reach 9 bar. The force that each rider applies to the Brembo brake lever from start to finish totals just over 780 kg (1719.6 lb).

A 6-second long braking episode 

Of the 8 braking sections in the Autódromo de Termas de Rio Hondo, 2 are classified as very demanding on the brakes, 3 are of medium difficulty and the other 2 are light.

Corner 5 is the most difficult one to tackle because riders come onto it after a 1,076 meter (1176.7 yards) long straight section where the MotoGPs reach a speed of 333 km/h (206.9 mph): the turn forces the riders to slow down to 71 km/h (44.1 mph) using the brakes for 6 seconds with a force of 5.7 kg (12.5 lb) applied to the Brembo master cylinder lever.

And what about the video games? 

To flawlessly tackle Corner 5 at Termas de Rio Hondo in the MotoGP videogame, you have to start braking as soon as you pass underneath the billboard.

Downshift 4 gears and once you have slowed down to 140 km/h (87 mph) bend into the turn but keep well away from the curb. Only move closer to it in the final stage of cornering and open up the throttle again.