The Michelin MotoGP Tire Explosion
MotoGP control tire manufacturer Michelin suffered a disastrous weekend in Argentina. Less than a fortnight after being heralded for the huge advances their tires have made over winter testing, the French manufacturers were left reeling following an explosive delamination of a rear tire during Saturday's Free Practice Four session. The rider was lucky to walk away with only minor injuries from rubber hitting his back and destroying his motorcycle's rear end.With potential causes ranging from a failure within the tire itself to a build-up of excess heat caused by a combination of aggressive riding, weight and the power of the engine, it may be weeks before a definitive answer is found.
However, while there may be blame to be laid at the hands of Michelin for some of the weekend's issues, many in the paddock directed their wrath towards MotoGP's race control, after a series of bizarre decisions made in the aftermath of the incident.
Formost among these was the decision to immediately restart the FP4 session in the wake of the incident, with riders questioning whether they would be safe to run on the tires at all. As if to highlight their move even further, race control then went on to stop the session some 20 minutes later in order to analyze the incident.
But the most bizarre and amateur looking decision came when they announced that teams would run a special reserve tire kept for such emergency situations, only to then withdraw the option and instead opt for a shortened race with a mandatory pit stop.Tag: MotoGP Michelin Tire Racing Argentina Rear-Tire
