MotoGP returns to Indonesia. Look out for the first braking point.

3/15/2022

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about Brembo brakes and Marchesini wheels for Mandalika and your motorcycle

After a 25-year break, the MotoGP World Championship is returning to Indonesia but unlike the 1996 and 1997 editions raced at Sentul, this time the event will be held at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit. According to the Brembo technicians who work closely with all 24 premium class riders, this is a moderately demanding circuit on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it is rated 3 on the difficulty index.

The Superbike World Championship was already held on this track in November and was rated 4 on the difficulty index, higher than MotoGP. The track is treacherously windy with a very fast second section, but the longest straight section is just 507 meters (554.4 yards) long which means that riders cannot go above 320 km/h (198.8 mph).

Marchesini for whenever things get tough

Once again, in the 2022 season, Marchesini forged magnesium wheels will appear on almost two thirds of the bikes competing in MotoGP, 8 out of the 12 teams using them. 5-spoke Y design and 7-spoke wheels are available at the front and 7-spoke wheels at the rear. Marchesini has been part of the Brembo Group since March 2000 and shares the same production plant.

These wheels are crafted by 3D closed-die multiforging and heat treatment and provide maximum rigidity and minimum inertia. The Marchesini wheels make the bikes lighter which improves acceleration and handling when changing direction as well as when coming into a corner with the brakes on, going around the corner with up to 60° roll and coming out of the corner at a lean angle.

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, too. With their unique style, their wheels are made using cutting-edge design, structural analysis, and testing methods.

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

Find out more about Marchesini wheels.

One braking point on 7 turns in a row

On 9 of the 17 corners at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit, the MotoGP riders use their brakes for a total 28 seconds per lap, the second lowest value in the first half of the championship after the Sachsenring. For Superbikes, the figure is half a second higher but the percentage of the race that the brakes are used for is the same, 31%.

From turn 3 to turn 9, the MotoGP riders only use their brakes once and on turn 7, only for less than 2 seconds, a demonstration of the lack of big braking points in this section. The load of the brake lever does not exceed 5 kg (11 lb) in any part of the track and consequently, the total load exerted by each rider from start to finish is below 8.3 quintals (0.9 tons).

Less than 201 km/h (125 mph) in 4.4 seconds 

Of the 9 braking sections at the Pertamina Mandalika Circuit, 2 are classified as very demanding on the brakes, another 2 are of medium difficulty, and 5 are light.

The braking on the first corner is the hardest in the GP. The MotoGPs come onto it at 304 km/h (189 mph) and slow down to 103 km/h (64 mph) by applying 5 kg (11 lb) of pressure to the brake lever. To set up the turn, the riders brake for 4.4 seconds and cover a distance of 223 meters (244 yards) with a deceleration of 1.5.

The Italian hat-trick

The 2022 Qatar Motorcycle GP has made history with the success of the Italian riders in all 3 classes. The three winners are all Under 30: Celestino Vietti is 20 years old, Enea Bastianini 24 and Andrea Migno 26. Italy had not achieved a hat-trick in motorcycle GP since 1996 when in Malaysia Luca Cadalora won the 500 class, Max Biaggi the 250 class and Stefano Perugini the 125 class, all with Brembo brakes.