Round 2 of World Superbike at Jerez, according to Brembo

7/29/2020

A guide to the Brembo braking systems on production derived bikes, and their use on the Jerez circuit

According to Brembo technicians who work closely with the World Superbike riders, the Jerez Angel Nieto circuit is one of the most demanding for the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 4 on the difficulty index - equaled only by Aragon and Magny-Cours.

The considerable changes in gradient call for a bike that's maneuverable and well-balanced, apart from guaranteeing stability when braking. Another problem lies in the track temperature, much higher than it would've been if the race had been held in March. .

Brembo brake pads for Superbike 

The Brembo brake pads most widely used in World Superbike are the Z04: the friction coefficient is higher than 0.8 already at 50°C, and doesn't fall below this threshold until a temperature of 400°C (752°F) is reached. The result is stability and constant performance, even with high disc temperatures, making the fading effect less likely to occur.

Some riders use front brake pads with the radiator. They're fixed to the pistons so don't run the risk of tilting when the wheel is being mounted; this means the front wheel can be changed more quickly. In addition, the radiator limits the overheating of the brake fluid.

Brake use during Round 2 of World Superbike

Apart from the third bend, the Superbike riders use their brakes on all the other twelve of the circuit. The braking section on bends 4, 7, 10 and 12 is minimal because in all four cases the speed is reduced by less than 35 km/h (22 mph).

In one complete lap, the brakes are used for just over 33 seconds - more than double that of Phillip Island, even though the Australian track is about 20 meters (66 feet) longer. The average deceleration figure is lower at Jerez however, owing to the four braking situations mentioned above and for which the riders are subject to deceleration values lower than 0.9 g.

The most demanding braking section of the Jerez Round 

Of the twelve braking sections on the Jerez circuit, a couple are classified as very demanding on the brakes, five are of medium difficulty and the other five are light.

The hardest of all of them is the first bend, which is one of the most demanding of the whole world championship: the Superbikes arrive at 274 km/h (170 mph) and lose 188 km/h (117 mph) thanks to the use of the brakes, dropping to 86 km/h (53 mph) in just 201 meters (659 feet). To obtain this result, the rider uses his brakes for 4.2 seconds, exerting a load of 5.8 kg (12.8 lbs) on the brake lever.