The 2020 Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix according to Brembo

7/15/2020

A guide to Brembo braking systems in the premier class and their use on the Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto

According to Brembo technicians, who work closely with all the MotoGP World Championship riders, the Circuito de Jerez Angel Nieto falls into the category of very difficult tracks for the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 4 on the difficulty index, matched by the tracks at Aragon and Brno.

The 4,423 meters (2.75 miles) of track is a sequence of slow, fast and super fast corners. The thirteen turns make up 31 per cent of the total length of the track and offer numerous opportunities for overtaking. The major changes in slope call for a bike that is easy to handle and well balanced, as well as stable on the brakes.

Brembo calipers for MotoGP 

The Brembo 4-piston one-piece calipers for MotoGP are made starting from a single block of billet-machined aluminum. Compared to casting, billet machining allows for the use of materials with better mechanical characteristics and greater resistance to high temperatures.

The shape of the caliper body is conceived to optimize the mass/stiffness ratio using the topological optimizer, a computer program derived from 40 years of victories in 500/MotoGP. The calipers used from this year onward have a higher number of cooling fins and are lighter than in the previous year. The surface finish has a nickel filler.

Brake use during the Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix

On each lap, riders need to use their brakes 11 times, for a total of 33 seconds. That calculation includes three braking sections, at turns 4, 7 and 10, where deceleration is less than 30 km/h (19 mph) and the brakes are used for no more than one and a half seconds.

Summing up all of the force applied by a rider on the Brembo brake lever from the starting line to the checkered flag, the result comes in at more than 970 kg (2,138 lbs), second only to the Misano track. Practically speaking, that means a rider has to apply 39 kg (approx. 86 lbs) of force on every lap.

The most demanding braking section of the Jerez GP 

Of the eleven braking sections of the Circuito de Jerez, two are classed as demanding on the brakes, six are of medium difficulty, while the remaining three have only a slight impact on the braking system.

The most complex braking section is at turn 6, where the riders start braking at 292 km/h (181 mph) and complete the section at 67 km/h (42 mph) after only 5.3 seconds, in which they cover 236 meters (774 feet).