5 Curiosities About the Portuguese MotoGP Grand Prix

3/18/2024

Second appointment with MotoGP on the Portuguese track for those who push the limits

After the thrilling start in Qatar, with 3 different manufacturers on the podium of the Sunday race, MotoGP moves to Europe for the second round of the season. For the Portuguese GP, this is the fifth consecutive edition, all held at the Algarve International Circuit, a facility built on the initiative of Paolo Pinheiro and completed in October 2008, in time to host the final round of the Superbike World Championship.

The GP data

According to Brembo technicians who work closely with all MotoGP riders, the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, with a length of 4.59 km, falls into the category of circuits that are moderately demanding on brakes. On a scale of 1 to 6, it earned a difficulty index of 3 because half of the 10 braking points fall into the Low category and only 2 are High. Moreover, these 2 are all contained within the first 5 corners, facilitating the return of the system to acceptable temperatures in the remaining corners.

Beyond limits

The motto of the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve is as follows: "First of all, forward. Because the more we look ahead, the farther we go. Like the rider who seeks to exceed his limits. Like all those who challenge movement. The future of motorsports is an endless race: efficiency, speed, rules, and safety. All issues raised by human determination. Challenges that do not stop us, because our minds continue to rotate, always planning new goals."

These words fit perfectly with the journey undertaken by Brembo in motorsport and the philosophy that inspired it. For Brembo, motorcycle competitions are the most suitable environment to promote the evolution of its innovations and technologies. Sometimes even going against orthodoxy, such as when it conceived and created the radial mount caliper, a project so visionary and radical that it initially found skepticism but today constitutes the "de facto" standard for motorcycles.

The toughest corner

The toughest corner of the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve for the braking system is the first, thanks to the 969-meter straight preceding it: by using the brakes for 4 seconds, MotoGP riders manage to reduce their speed from 330 km/h to 123 km/h while covering 243 meters. To achieve this, they exert a load of 7 kg on the brake lever while the pressure of the Brembo brake fluid reaches 14.9 bar.

Brazil's last

This is only the second time that the Portuguese GP has been the 2nd event of the calendar: the previous one was in 2005, when Alex Barros won with the Honda of team Pons ahead of 3 Italians. Valentino Rossi was second, Max Biaggi third, and Marco Melandri fourth. That was the last GP of the premier class won by a Brazilian rider. His RC211V was equipped with Brembo calipers, like all the bikes that won the 17 GPs of that championship.

The idol who brakes without exaggerating

In his first 5 seasons in MotoGP, the Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira has won 5 GPs, all with KTM. The race that revealed his talent to the world was the 2020 Styrian GP: at the entrance of the last corner, Jack Miller braked late to make a block pass against Pol Espargaró who was in the lead. Oliveira, at that moment 3rd, instead relied on Brembo brakes as he always had, without exaggerating, so when the 2 bikes ahead were forced to widen, he found the gap and with the momentum went on to win.