The third round of the MotoGP season moves to USA for the Americas GP, which will take place for the twelfth time.
The first edition took place in 2013, and aside from its cancellation in 2020 due to COVID-19, the race has been held annually ever since. In total, there have been 36 Grand Prix events in the United States, including 15 at Laguna Seca, 8 at Indianapolis, and 2 at Daytona.
The GP data
According to Brembo technicians working closely with all MotoGP riders, the Circuit of the Americas, with a length of 5.513 km, falls into the category of moderately demanding circuits for brakes. On a scale from 1 to 6, it has earned a difficulty index of 3 because it features 3 high-level braking points, an equal number of medium-level, and 4 light. In each lap, riders use the brakes for 37 seconds, which is 30% of the race duration.
The toughest corner
The toughest corner for the braking system at the Circuit of the Americas is corner 12, aided by the preceding 1.2 km straight: MotoGP speeds drop from 334 km/h to 69 km/h due to a 6.5-second braking phase during which the bikes cover 325 meters. Riders apply a load of 5.3 kg on the Brembo brake lever, experiencing a deceleration of 1.5 g while the brake system pressure reaches 11.3 bar.
Marc's early talent
In 2013, Marc Marquez arrived in MotoGP without needing any learning curve. On his debut, he finished 3rd in Qatar and, in the following round at Austin, he accelerated: setting the fastest times in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Free Practice sessions, a prelude to pole position with a margin of 254 thousandths of a second over Dani Pedrosa and one second ahead of everyone else. In the first 12 laps of the race, Marc allowed his teammate to push harder, distancing the other rivals. He then took command and extended his lead until the third-to-last lap. At 20 years and 63 days old, Marquez became the youngest winner of a premier class GP, breaking Freddie Spencer’s record by 133 days, a record that had stood since 1982.
The brake setup change
In 2013, Marc Marquez immediately felt at home with the Brembo MotoGP braking system: his Honda RC213V was equipped with 320 mm carbon discs and monobloc aluminum-lithium calipers materials permitted under the regulations at the time with 4 pistons. Until the previous year in Moto2, he had instead used 290 mm steel discs with hub-mounting (since carbon was banned in the lower classes) and 4-piston front calipers. Moreover, on his Suter bike, the Spaniard had a brake master cylinder with a piston size smaller than that used in MotoGP.
The evolution of calipers
Aluminum-lithium was banned at the end of 2014; hence, current calipers are made from an aluminum alloy that does not include lithium. However, the performance of today’s Brembo calipers is not inferior to those from 2013, thanks to Brembo’s continuous research. Compared to 2013, Brembo has introduced several innovations, including external fins on the caliper body that enhance cooling and improve performance even at the end of the race. Additionally, current calipers feature an amplification system that generates extra force and include an anti-drag system that prevents the pads from contacting the disc when there is no system pressure.