The technological bar is rising more and more in MotoGP and to realize this just take a look at the shape that the bikes have taken on, with aerodynamic profiles that are now popping up everywhere, but there is one thing that will never change: for To be competitive, you need to make sure that your vehicle is able to take advantage of the tyres.
An even more important aspect when working in a single-supply regime. Something that can make the work of those who produce the tires seem trivial, but which in reality makes everything even more complicated, with the need to create a product that is able to guarantee high performance, a high safety standard, but above all that can best match the prototypes of five different brands.
Precisely for this reason, tires are also the element on which it is easiest for everyone to point the finger when things don't go exactly as hoped. Indeed, sometimes the attacks are even quite vehement, as was the case with Jorge Martin after the Qatar GP, when the Prima Pramac Racing rider spoke of the “World Championship decided by a tyre”, complaining about the performance of his rear.
This is what the tire looks like upon arrival in Gravanches
Photo by: Michelin
To respond to this situation, Michelin has decided to give life to what motorsport director Matthieu Bonardel called “transparency operation”: the Clermont-Ferrand company has in fact opened the doors of the Gravanches plant to journalists, where they are produced the tires of the road supercars, but above all the rear ones of the MotoGP, with the aim of making people understand the quality and technology behind the creation of the tires that are taken to the track by the premier class motorbikes.
We were shown the entire process, from when the raw materials arrive at the factory to when the finished tire is ready to be sent to the circuit, and we have to admit that what we witnessed was at times astounding. Basically there are three phases: the verification of the quality of the raw materials, the actual production of the tyres, but also a multi-phase inspection which must certify the final validity of the product.
The raw materials are composed of textile fibers and metal fibres, which serve to find the right compromise between durability, performance and support in the construction of the carcass, as well as obviously from rubber, which in the case of that used for the MotoGP tires is produced precisely in Clermont-Ferrand.
This is what the rubber strips look like after the extrusion process.
Photo by: Michelin
The rubber arrives at Gravanches as if it were a long “carpet” about half a meter wide. At this point, after having verified that it actually corresponds to the expected composition, it is subjected to an extrusion process, aimed at creating much thinner strips which are then loaded onto reels.
Once you reach the key moment, that of the creation of the rear tyre, you then understand that these coils are nothing more than “cartridges”. The surprise, in fact, is that it is a sort of enormous 3D printer that gives life to the MotoGP tires: it starts from a metal base that has the shape of the carcass and on this material is applied longitudinally, radially and transversally based on the composition required by the rubber. Once the construction phase is complete, we then move on to the final heat treatment, with the entire process taking approximately 35-40 minutes.
The rear tire at the end of the production cycle.
Photo by: Michelin
The aspect that was mainly underlined is that it is therefore a completely automated operation, which takes place under the supervision of an employee who is able to verify in real time that there are no anomalies (in which case the rubber is automatically discarded ). All MotoGP rear tires are made by this machinery, with the aim of having high standards of product repeatability, as well as very high quality.
Quality that is subjected to three different verification phases. The first takes place a few centimeters from the exit from the “printer”, with a visual check carried out by the machine operator, who also takes care of eliminating those “shavings” that remain stuck to the tread. Subsequently, the rubber is taken into an X-ray machine, thanks to which it is checked that the composition is actually the correct one.
Visual inspection and removal of chips
Photo by: Michelin
Finally, there is the uniformity control, which checks the vibrations and any deviations of the tyre. This is a test that is carried out both with the bare tire and under pressure, which is then also repeated on the circuit, to confirm that everything is in order even when it is then mounted on the actual rim, which is different from the one on the machinery.
But that's not all, because to make sure that there are no hitches in the production process, one tire out of every 100 is cut to see its quality first-hand, thus verifying the correct functioning of the machinery. In short, although a tire that performs a little less than expected can always be part of the game in motorsport, it is undeniable that Michelin is trying to do everything in its power to prevent this from happening.
X-ray inspection of the tyre
Photo by: Michelin
For the moment, the automated process is reserved only for the rear tires, which are those for which the performance and durability aspect is fundamental. The front ones, which instead base their quality mainly on the feeling transmitted to the rider, are still produced in a more traditional way. However, the medium-short term objective is to implement this new technology for the front as well.
Among other things, track manager Piero Taramasso explained that all the drivers were invited to visit the Gravanches factory to see first-hand the quality and fairness of the production processes, but that for the moment they are only a a couple of those who accepted, later admitting that they were positively impressed by what they had the opportunity to observe. And, honestly, it's hard to blame him.
The Michelin factory
Photo by: Michelin
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