Brembo unveils the 2019 Malaysian MotoGP

10/28/2019

 AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE PREMIUM CLASS' USE OF BRAKING SYSTEMS AT SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT

​For the sixth year in a row, the second-last race in the MotoGP World Championship will be held at Sepang International Circuit. The Malaysian GP is scheduled for November 1-3 on the circuit designed by Hermann Tilke, which was inaugurated in March 1999. ​

Located 85 km (53 miles) from Kuala Lumpur on a 260-hectare oil palm plantation, this is the second longest track in the World Championship after Silverstone and one of the most difficult for the MotoGP braking systems.

Formula 1 also raced here, but the brakes on the single-seaters were under less stress compared to the motorcycles. There are lots of braking sections for the MotoGP bikes, and the time spent braking is significant.

This combined with the tropical weather make managing the temperatures of both the brakes and the riders crucial. During last year’s race, the air temperature reached 34°C (93°F) and the tarmac hit 53°C (127°F).

In the 2016, the rain played a key role in FP2, FP4, Q1, Q2 and even during the race: Several riders tested the Brembo carbon discs to eliminate the problem of weather variations and intermittent rain.

That experimentation proved decisive for Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso’s victories respectively at Misano Adriatico and Motegi, where they used carbon discs to compete in the rain.

According to Brembo technicians, who assist 100% of the 2019 MotoGP pilots, Sepang International Circuit is very demanding on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 5 on the difficulty index, the same score given to Motegi, Spielberg and Barcelona. ​

 

 

 
 

The demand on the brakes during the GP

At the Sepang International Circuit the Formula 1 cars used their brakes eight times per lap for a total of 17 seconds, while the MotoGP bikes have to use them 11 times for more than twice the time, 39 seconds.​

That means the brakes on the motorcycles are in use for 32% of the race and those of the single-seaters for only 17%. The average peak deceleration per lap of the MotoGP bikes is 1.04 G due to there being six braking points that measure less than 1 G. ​

Summing up all of the force applied by a rider on the brake lever from the starting line to the checkered flag, the result comes in at about 760 kg (1,676 lbs). ​

In other words, the riders are required to apply a force of about 19 kg (42 lbs) on the brake pedal every minute of the race.​


 

The most demanding braking sections

Of the 11 braking sections on the track, four are classified as very demanding on the brakes, one is of medium difficulty and the remaining six are light. ​

The most challenging corner is the Pangkor Laut (turn 1): The MotoGP bikes hit the turn at 319 km/h (198 mph) and enter it at 70 km/h (43 mph) after traveling 293 meters (961 feet) in 6.1 seconds. ​

The riders are required to apply significant force: 1.5 G in deceleration and a 5.8 kg (12.8 lbs) load on the brake lever, while the Brembo HTC 64T brake fluid gets up to 12.5 bar of pressure. ​

Turn 15, which is after the Penang Straight, is also difficult: The MotoGP bikes go from 309 km/h (192 mph) to 67 km/h (42 mph) in 5.9 seconds thanks to the 5.2 kg (11.5 lbs) load on the brake lever. ​

The braking space on this corner measures 278 meters (912 feet) and the deceleration is 1.5 G. ​

​There are two other corners where the braking distance is over 200 meters (656 feet): Turn 4 is 202 meters (663 feet) long and turn 9 is 201 meters (659 feet).

 

 

Brembo performance

Motorcycles with Brembo brakes have won all the last 27 Malaysian GP races contested in the premium class, including the ones hosted at Shal Alam and Jojor. ​

From 2001 to 2006, Italian riders won five consecutive races: Valentino Rossi took the victory at four and Max Biaggi and Loris Capirossi each won one.

Honda won five of the last seven races in Malaysia. Yamaha, on the other hand, hasn't won at Sepang since 2010.