5 Curiosities About the Qatar MotoGP

3/7/2024

The MotoGP season opens with a Grand Prix that debuted 20 years ago and serves as the venue for recent testing.

Less than 4 months after the previous edition, the Qatar Grand Prix returns to be the opening event of the MotoGP World Championship. This tradition has been ongoing since 2007, with the exception of 2023 and previously in 2020. Four years ago, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only Moto2 and Moto3 raced at Lusail, as their teams and riders had already been in Qatar the week before the Grand Prix for testing.

The GP Data

According to Brembo technicians working closely with all MotoGP riders, the Lusail International Circuit, with a length of 5.38 km, falls into the category of circuits that are moderately demanding on brakes. On a scale from 1 to 6, it earned a difficulty index of 3, despite featuring 13 braking points per lap: 3 are categorized as Medium, and an impressive 6 fall into the Low category. Additionally, only one braking point per lap sees deceleration exceeding 160 km/h, with braking space extending beyond 200 meters.

Iluminosity and Brakes

The Qatar Grand Prix has been held since 2004, but since 2008, it has taken place at night, illuminated by artificial light. However, when Valentino Rossi, Loris Capirossi, and Kenny Roberts Junior conducted the initial tests in April 2006, the reviews were not flattering. Three issues were identified at the time: the presence of shadows, low brightness, and insufficient coverage of the lights. These problems were overcome in the following months, and on March 9, 2008, the Qatar Grand Prix took place without any hitches.

The night race allows spectators to admire the incandescence of Brembo carbon discs during the most intense braking moments, a phenomenon usually masked by sunlight in afternoon races, even on circuits that are more demanding on brakes. With sunlight, to witness the glowing discs, they would need to increase their temperature by over 120 °C compared to the usual levels.

The Toughest Turn

The most challenging turn for the braking system at the Lusail International Circuit is the first one, thanks to the preceding 1,068-meter straight. MotoGP bikes rely on their brakes to decelerate from 346 km/h to 99 km/h in 5.3 seconds, covering a distance of 294 meters. To achieve this, they apply a load of 5.2 kg on the brake lever, while the Brembo brake fluid pressure reaches 11.2 bar.

The Revolution of Wings

The 2015 Qatar Grand Prix was marked by the debut of the Desmosedici GP15, a motorcycle entirely different from the Ducatis that had preceded it, both in terms of the engine and the introduction of wing profiles designed to increase aerodynamic load. The GP15 is considered the cornerstone of Ducati's current dominance. In the same year, Brembo introduced heavy-duty aluminium calipers specifically designed for use with high-mass brake pads.

The Phenomenon

The most celebrated sports figure in Qatar is Nasser Al Attiyah, a bronze medalist in skeet shooting at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The 43-year-old is primarily known as an off-road racing driver, evident in his five triumphs at the Dakar Rally. His memorable 2015 included winning the Dakar Rally with a Mini and securing the WRC2 World Championship title with Skoda. The common denominator in both achievements was the Brembo braking system.