They say that – as always – the real MotoGP starts from Jerez. From this iconic circuit, which is almost 40 years old and is named after the great Angel Nieto, with a sort of space disk overlooking the finish line, where F1 also raced (in the last century: too slow for 4 wheels, today they only use it for testing) but above all the MotoGP riders are measured after the first appointments far from Europe. In reality, this year we have already raced in Portimao: but do you want to include the Andalusian track? It was first Crivillé’s garden (3 successes), then Valentino (7), then Lorenzo (3) e Marquez (3): Bagnaia has been triumphant for 2 seasons and it must mean something, given that Pecco took the title in the same seasons.
Bagnaia’s torments: “I’m in difficulty”. Vinales one more rival for the World Championship
by Massimo Calandri
April 15, 2024
A ton of braking at 700 degrees
It is a circuit for “brakers”: the technicians of Brembo, which supplies the braking systems to all the champions, give it a difficulty index of 4 (on a scale from 1 to 6), due to 11 braking sections for 33 seconds each lap: the total load on the brake lever applied by each rider during the entire race is close to one ton. Thirteen curves (8 right, 5 left). The most complicated curve is curve 6: you go from 296 to 67 km/h in 5.1 seconds and 229 metres, with the carbon discs reaching 700 degrees of temperature.
Sprint on Saturday at 3pm, GP on Sunday at 2pm
We return to racing at traditional times: for the MotoGP, the start of the sprint race on Saturday is scheduled for 3pm, that of the Sunday GP at 2pm. Running starts at 9am on Friday, in the afternoon of the same day the so-called Practice 1 of Moto3 at 1.15pm, that of Moto2 at 2.05pm, while the MotoGP Practice – which indicates the top 10, those who go directly to Q2 on Saturday morning – is at 3pm. On Saturday, Practice 2 at 8.40am (Moto3), then 9.25am (moto2), finally free practice from 10.10am for MotoGP followed by Q1 (10.50am) and Q2 (11.15am). In the afternoon it’s time for Moto3 qualifying (12.45) and then Moto2 (1.50). At 3pm, the MotoGP sprint race. Sunday, 10 minute warm up for MotoGP starting at 9.40am. At 11am, the Moto3 race will be held over 19 laps. At 12.40pm, off to Moto2 (21st). MotoGP starts at 2pm (25pm). Live TV on Sky Sport Uno and Sky MotoGp and streaming on Sky Go and Now. Qualifying and Sprint Race also live on TV8.
