The World Superbike Championship: all the secrets of Navarra

8/17/2021

The hardest braking points, the demands made on the braking system and the Brembo discs for superbikes and sports bikes.

According to Brembo technicians, who work closely with 17 World Superbike riders, the Circuito de Navarra is a highly demanding circuit for brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 4 on the difficulty index – exactly the same as a couple of other Spanish tracks – Aragon and Jerez.

Inaugurated in 2010, it has been home to the CEV Championship since 2012 but will host the World Superbike Championship for the first time. The track has a couple of long straight sections which alternate with a series of bends of different types and radii. Riders need to pay attention to the numerous differences in height which reduce grip when accelerating and braking.

2.1 percent carbon

Each rider has a choice of 338.5 mm (13.33 inches) or 336 mm (13.23 inches) diameter discs. The larger diameter means that more pressure can be exerted, but it also weighs more. As of this year, Brembo is also making the innovative ventilated steel disc available to the teams.

Carbon has been barred from Superbike since 1994 to limit costs. In fact, the discs are made of steel, even though regulations permit the use of carbon as long as it doesn't account for more than 2.1% of the total disc weight. Alloys containing beryllium are also banned for the same reason.

High heat dissipation for street motorcycles, too

For street motorcycles, Brembo makes High Performance discs that guarantee uncompromising performance, racing aesthetics and a significant reduction in weight compared to factory discs. The first option consists of Supersport discs, available with a 34 mm (1.34 inches) braking band and a thickness of 5.5 mm (0.22 inches), thicker than the standard ones.

These are entirely floating discs, thanks to the band in thermally treated martensitic steel and the housing in billet aluminum alloy. The two parts are connected by 10 fastener studs, and this ensures less wear and greater heat dissipation because the braking band is free to warp.

Find out more about Brembo High Performance discs .

4 quintals more than Assen 

Extending over 3.933 km (2.4444 mi), the circuit has 15 turns and on 11 of these, the Superbike riders use their brakes for just under 30.5 seconds per lap. This is the record value in the first half of the championship. The total value of decelerations that the riders face is also a record: 12.1 G per lap compared with 8.7 G at Donington Park.

The pressure exerted on the brake lever is also high: half a quintal per lap per rider which amounts to 1.2 tons from the start to the checkered flag. This is 4 quintals more than Assen and, together with the heat, will be very challenging for the riders.

180 km/h (112 mph) less on turn 9

Of the 11 braking sections at the Circuito de Navarra, 2 are classified as highly demanding on the brakes whereas 6 are of medium difficulty and 3 are light.

The hardest of all is turn 9 even if riders approach it at a speed of “just” 248 km/h (154 mph) before braking compared with the 290 km/h (180 mph) reached on the final straight. However, on turn 9, the motorcycles come on to the bend at 68 km/h (42 mph) after a deceleration of 180 km/h (112 mph) which requires 4.4 seconds of braking. The deceleration measures 1.4 G and the load on the brake lever is 6.1 kg (13 lbs).