The Austrian GP: a hard nut to crack for MotoGP brakes

8/4/2023

 The Austrian GP marks the halfway point in the MotoGP championship and will be held on the same track that hosted Formula 1 at the beginning of July.

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The Austrian GP marks the halfway point in the MotoGP championship and will be held on the same track that hosted Formula 1 at the beginning of July. According to the Brembo technicians who work closely with all the MotoGP World Championship riders, the Austrian track is an extremely demanding circuit on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 6, it is rated 6 on the difficulty index.

A chicane was introduced in 2022 to the layout used in Formula 1 to improve motorbike safety on Turn 2. The riders have to move from right to left which puts their skill to the test and offers new possibilities for overtaking, making the GP even more demanding on the brakes because of this additional braking section.



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Brembo Greenance pads: zero compromises

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According to the Environmental Performance Index, a study performed by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the universities of Yale and Columbia and based on 32 indicators, Austria is the 6th cleanest country in the world. This is by virtue of one of the strictest air pollution and waste management standards in Europe. Brembo is very sensitive to environmental issues as demonstrated by the new Greenance pads where the name conveys a wish to combine performance and sustainability.

These pads in the Aftermarket range offer improved performance thanks to a more stable friction coefficient at high temperatures and high speeds and a 10% higher average friction efficient. The Greenance pad compounds are also made with zero copper and nickel and for the type with ceramic compounds, no asbestos and antimony. Methane gas has also been eliminated from the production process which, when fully operational, will reduce CO2 emissions by 176 tons per year.

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One two three four - what hard work!

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MotoGP riders use their brakes 8 times per lap at the Red Bull Ring, for a total 30 seconds which amounts to 34% of the overall race time. It is the only GP in Europe in which the brake system is used for more than one third of the race which explains the massive stress it is subjected to, due also to the mid August heat.

The toughest braking sections are almost all concentrated on the first 4 corners: on each one, the motorcycles reduce their speed by at least 160 km/h (99 mph) with a top speed of 213 km/h (132.4 mph) on the first corner thanks to braking lasting at least 4 seconds which increases the pressure of the Brembo brake fluid by more than 11 bar. Summing up all the forces applied by a rider on the brake lever from the starting line to the checkered flag, the result comes to over 1.2 metric tons, just slightly lower than the Qatar GP.

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Six hair-raising seconds

Of the 8 braking points at the Red Bull Ring, 4 are classified as hard on the brakes, 2 are of medium difficulty and 2 are light.

The hardest braking section is on turn 4 even if this is not where the top speed is reached: the MotoGPs go from 298 km/h (185 mph) to 88 km/h (54.6 mph) in 6 seconds during which time they cover a distance of 292 meters (958 feet) and are subjected to a deceleration of nearly 1.5G.

The load on the Brembo lever is 6 kg (13 lb) whereas the brake fluid pressure is 11.5 bar.

 


And what about the video games?


To tackle turn 4 in the Austrian GP in the MotoGP video game, don’t despair about the apparent lack of points of reference caused by the green areas surrounding the asphalt.

Start braking when the guardrail ends and the blue and white protective guards begin on the right. Since you are going downhill, the brakes should be applied more than usual and only lean to the right once you have downshifted into second gear. Moving onto the curb is not recommended but given the width of the track, this is a mistake that not many people will make.