MotoGP in Germany where everyone loves Brembo

6/13/2023

 MotoGP returns to Germany where last year there was a record number of spectators for the season: 232,202 over the entire weekend.

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MotoGP returns to Germany where last year there was a record number of spectators for the season: 232,202 over the entire weekend. According to the Brembo technicians who work closely with all the MotoGP riders, the Sachsenring Circuit is a moderately demanding circuits for brakes.  


On a scale of 1 to 6, it is rated 3 on the difficulty index. The Nürburgring Nordschleife with its 73 corners is much more demanding on the brake system. This was the venue for the German GP in 1978, the year when Virginio Ferrari with the Gallina team’s Suzuki and Brembo brakes won the 500 class race which was its first GP on two wheels whereas its first success in Formula 1 was in 1975.



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Brembo uber alles

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German is the top European market for cars as well as motorcycles. No other country on the old continent, including the United Kingdom, has recorded sales figures for two- and four-wheels which can be compared with those of Germany. It is a time-honored passion even if several manufacturers have disappeared over the last fifty years. As we all know, the Germans are extremely practical: they prefer technique to aesthetics and quality to purely stylistic choices.

But when they discover objects that combine advanced technology with irresistible design, they fall instantly in love, even if they aren’t produced in their homeland. It is therefore no surprise that every year the surveys conducted by the most important car and motorbike magazines reveal that Brembo is the most popular brake system manufacturer.

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Just 22 seconds

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The twisting first part of the Sachsenring Circuit means that the brakes are needed on 4 of the first 5 turns, even if on 3 of these the drop in speed is less than 30 km/h (18.6 mph). In the second half, the straight sections become longer increasing the speed of the motorcycles too and consequently, the stopping distances increase and exceed 130 meters (426.5 feet) in 3 different points.

The 22 seconds the brakes are used per lap is the lowest figure in the entire championship helped by the fact the track is very short, less than 3.7 km (2.2 mi.) long. Summing up all the force applied by a rider on the brake lever from the starting line to the checkered flag, the result comes in at less than 750 kg (1,653 lbs), the third lowest figure for 2023.

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273 meters (298.5 yd.) of braking

Of the 8 braking sections at the Sachsenring Circuit only one is classified as demanding on the brakes, 3 are of medium difficulty and the remaining 4 are light.

The first corner is the most demanding on the riders and the brake systems: the motorcycles approach it at 297 km/h (184.5 mph) and come into the corner at 70 km/h (43 mph) after braking for 273 meters (298.5 yd.).

The riders use the brakes for 5.8 seconds with a load of 5.7 kg (12.6 lb) on the lever resulting in 1.6 G deceleration.

 

And in the video games?

To tackle the first turn on the Sachsenring in the video game, remember that it is a very short circuit and the stopping distances are therefore in proportion: start braking just before the pit wall disappears on the left.

Downshift through all the gears but make sure you do not come onto the turn too early.

You need to wait until you see the inside curb with the colors of the German flag but make sure you do not go up onto it to avoid throwing the motorbike off balance.