EVEN IF THERE ARE 7 BRAKING EPISODES IN AUSTRALIA, THE BRAKES DO NOT HEAT UP

10/11/2022

In the Australian MotoGP GP, the brakes do not heat up and the risk also averted for those who use Brembo brake fluid for road bikes

After a one-week break, MotoGP starts up again in Australia where it hadn’t been held since 2019 because the country had set strict restrictions to combat the pandemic. According to the Brembo technicians who work closely with all the MotoGP riders, Phillip Island is one of the least demanding circuits on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 6, it is rated 1 on the difficulty index.

Located on the island of the same name 140 kilometers from Melbourne, this circuit is the nearest to the South Pole in the whole championship with a latitude of 38 degrees. To keep a good initial temperature of the brakes, the MotoGPs often use carbon fiber covers, the same ones used on other circuits when it rains.

Brembo brake fluid can rise to 300 °C (572 °F) without reaching boiling point

In addition to brake calipers, discs, pads, brake master cylinders and clutch master cylinders, Brembo also supplies all the MotoGP riders with brake fluid. Two types are available: HTC64 brake fluid has higher heat resistance but lower hygroscopic properties. This refers to its ability to absorb the moisture in the atmosphere.

For this reason, if humidity is high, the brake fluid has to be replaced once a day. LFC 600 brake fluid that teams opt for when temperatures are low needs to be replaced much less frequently and is more stable in terms of compressibility and more hygroscopic. They also have different dry boiling points: approximately 315°C (599 °F) for the LFC 600 fluid and 335°C (635 °F) for the HTC64 fluid.

Brake fluids for road motorcycles 

LCF 600 Plus fluid is commercially available, although it is recommended for track use: since it has a high hygroscopic level, it has a limited lifespan. This depends on several factors, but it usually ranges from 2,000 to 4000 km (1242 to 2485 miles). It can be mixed with other DOT3 and DOT4 racing fluids but should not be used in brake systems with magnesium parts.

The Brembo Sport Evo 500++ DOT4 fluid, on the other hand, has a dry boiling point of 270 °C (518 °F) and is recommended for road use without compromising performance. Its excellent properties help it to reach a high mileage before it has to be replaced, usually from 12,000 to 24,000 km (7456 to 14912 miles). However, it is not for brake systems designed for mineral fluids.

You can see the characteristics of Brembo brake fluids here:

https://moto.brembo.com/it/media/product/fluido_freni_brembo_racing

Light as a feather!

The riders use their brakes on 7 of the 12 corners on the Australian track including 3 of the first 4 after the starting line. The brake system is used for 22 seconds on each lap amounting to 25 percent of the total duration of the race. This is also due to the braking on the really slow corner 4 which is taken on at less than 70 km/h (43 mph) and takes 4.6 seconds and a 4.7 kg (12.3 lb) load on the brake lever to reduce speed by 156 km/h (97 mph).

Adding up all of the force a rider applies on the brake lever from the starting line to the checkered flag, the result comes in at just 640 kg (1410 lb), the fourth lowest in the entire championship. This combined with the proximity to the icy waters of the Pacific Ocean can cause problems with the carbon fiber brakes which risk not reaching the minimum working temperature.

282 meters (308 yards) in 4 seconds

Of the 7 braking sections at Phillip Island, none are classified as very demanding on the brakes, 2 are of medium difficulty and the remaining 5 are light.

With a braking distance of 282 meters (925 feet), the first turn after the starting line is the hardest on the brake system: the MotoGPs go from 344 km/h to 181 km/h ((213.7 mph to 112.4 mph) in 4.1 seconds during which time the riders apply a load of 4.3 kg on the lever and are subjected to 1.5 G deceleration.

And what about the video games?

To tackle the first corner at Phillip Island in the MotoGP video game, you must move gradually onto the straight from the right to the left of the track. Identifying the braking point is not easy because there are virtually no points of reference. However, if you are observant, you will see a horizontal white line on the track: as soon as you go past it, put the brakes on. After reducing the speed by at least 120 km/h (74.5 mph), lean into the corner using the inside curb to fight off anyone who is behind you.