In Valencia Marquez’s last race with HRC but not with Brembo

11/21/2023

 The 20th and last GP in the MotoGP season which will present in Valencia the world champion title for the second year running.

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The 20th and last GP in the MotoGP season which will present in Valencia the world champion title for the second year running. According to the Brembo technicians who work closely with all the MotoGP World Championship riders, the Ricardo Tormo Circuit is a medium difficult circuit for brakes.

On a scale of 1 to 6, it is rated 3 - the lowest of the three Spanish tracks in the world championship. Named after the first world motorcycle champion from Valencia who died prematurely in 1998, it is only 4005 kilometers (2488,5 mi) long (only the Sachsenring is shorter) which means that the spectators can see the entire circuit.

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Marc says goodbye to Honda but not Brembo

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The Valencia GP will also be Marc Marquez’s last race with Honda in GP. In his 11 years with the HRC, the Spanish ace participated in 167 GPs in the premium class and clinched 59 wins, 101 podiums, 64 pole positions and 59 fastest laps, but above all, he won 6 Rider World Championship titles, 6 Manufacturer titles and 5 Team World Championship titles.

Next year Marc Marquez will sport the Gresini Racing colors and will ride a Ducati. What his 8 titles all have in common is Brembo brake components, even if the specifications have changed: on the Derbi 125, the front caliper was a 2-piston one and the discs were 218 mm diameter steel ones. In Moto2, the Suter had 4-piston calipers and 290 mm steel discs. In MotoGP, the discs are made of carbon fiber with a 355 mm diameter and the rear caliper is a radial one.

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The last 360 braking moments

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The MotoGP riders use their brakes on 9 of the 14 turns on the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, twice on 3 consecutive turns: from turn 4 to turn 6 and from the last turn to the first two after the starting line. Considering both the Sprint race on the Saturday and the race on the Sunday, each rider will have to perform their last 360 braking moments in the season which, with its 20 GPs and short races, has been the hardest ever.

On one lap on the Spanish track, the Brembo brakes on the MotoGP bikes are used for 28 seconds, 32% of the total race time. From start to finish in a standard race, the total load exerted by each rider on the front brake lever is over 1050 kg (2314.8 lb), higher than the figure for the GPs held this year in Jerez and Montmelò.

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Amazing deceleration on turn 1!

Of the 9 braking sections on the Ricardo Tormo Circuit, only 1 is classified as demanding on the brakes, 2 are of average difficulty and the remaining 6 are not particularly challenging.

The most demanding hard braking for the MotoGP bikes is on the first corner after the starting line: the bikes go from over 326 km/h (203 mph) to 122 km/h (76 mph) in just 3.8 seconds and cover a distance of 226 meters (247 yards).

To do this, the riders apply a load of 6.2 kg (13.6 lb) on the brake lever and are subjected to deceleration of 2 G, while the brake fluid pressure soars to 12 bar.

 

And in the video games?


Taking on the first corner in the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in the MotoGP video game is not difficult.

As soon as you go under the advertising bridge, keep your eye on where the pit wall ends. This is the signal when to apply the brakes and downshift three gears with the motorcycle in a straight line. Lean into the corner while continuing to slow down and move down another gear.

Move towards the curb just past where the green area appears but avoid it or you will risk penalties.