At the university of Assen, the first throttle-off point is an exam

6/21/2022

The importance of Brembo and Marchesini at the Dutch MotoGP and in road use

The TT Assen is the halfway point of the season, and it’s the only one of the original World Championship races (1949) still run today. According to the Brembo technicians who work closely with all the MotoGP World Championship riders, the TT Circuit Assen is not very demanding on the brakes.

On a difficulty index scale of 1 to 6, it earned a 2 - the lowest of the European tracks and higher only than Phillip Island. Assen has a maximum speed of 310 km/h (193 mph) but, thanks to the many fast bends, the braking systems are really able to cool down. And it’s precisely the presence of so many bends that makes it the best test-bench for the Marchesini rims.

Marchesini, to improve any situation

Once again in the 2022 season, Marchesini’s forged magnesium rims will be used on two thirds of the bikes competing in MotoGP: 8 teams out of 12. For both wheels, there’s the choice of the 5-spoke Y design or the 7-spoke version. Marchesini has been part of the Brembo Group since March 2000, and shares the same production plant.

All these models are the result of long 3D closed-die multiforging and heat treatment experience, guaranteeing maximum rigidity and minimum inertia. The weight saving obtained with Marchesini wheels improves acceleration and handling when changing direction, entering a bend with the brakes on, turning the corner with up to 60° roll, and coming out of the corner at an angle. The combination of rigidity levels in their design ensures excellent tire grip, even when the rider is really leaning into the bend.

Lightness and performance for road bikes too

Marchesini not only gives professional riders an exhilarating experience, but develops solutions that guarantee high performance for road motorcycle users as well. With a unique style, these rims are made using cutting-edge design, structural analysis and testing methods.

The M7R Genesi rims have 7 spokes made of a magnesium alloy used in the aerospace industry, with multi-directional forging and dies optimized for the final wheel geometry: they’re 26 - 41% lighter than standard rims, depending on the motorcycle model.

Find out more about Marchesini rims.

Six seconds more than Superbikes 

Despite its 18 bends, there’s a lot of driving on the TT Circuit Assen, with several fast bends and 10 braking points on every lap, although on 7 of them, the deceleration is less than 100 km/h (62 mph). The riders use their brakes for just under 32 seconds on each lap, which is exactly the same as the Algarve International Circuit (which is of a similar length).

The Superbikes raced on this track two months ago but, for the production derived machines, those same 10 braking points called for just 25 and a half seconds of braking time per lap because the maximum speeds are lower. On the other hand, the G-force levels that the riders are subjected to are similar, both on the individual bends and over the whole race. In MotoGP, each rider exerts a load of 880 kg (1940 lbs) on the lever between the starting line and the checkered flag.

Just over 4 seconds with 1.5 g

Of the 10 braking sections of the TT Circuit Assen, only one is considered relatively demanding for the brakes, whereas all the others can be considered as not particularly challenging.

The downhill braking point at the Haarbocht bend (turn 1) is where the riders and braking systems have to work the hardest: the bikes come in at 291 km/h (181 mph), and the riders brake for 4.3 seconds in which they cover 213 meters (233 yards). To get down to the 113 km/h (70 mph) necessary to take the bend, the riders have to apply a 5.3 kg (11.7 lb) load on the lever and are subjected to a deceleration of 1.5 G.

And in the video games?

To handle the first bend of the TT Circuit Assen well in the MotoGP video game, it’s vital to make no mistakes entering and leaving the chicane that comes before it. You have to brake in fifth just as you go past a block of tarmac on the left, in line with the billboard. Drop down to second and move into the bend when your speed is at 140 km/h (87 mph). You can also ride over the curb without losing control, but wait before you hit the gas.