Reigning MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner has won the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca two years in a row, and both times, the Repsol Honda rider made the winning pass on title-rival Jorge Lorenzo over blind Turn 1.
According to Brembo, the Italian manufacturer that currently supplies all but three of the 21 machines in the series with carbon-carbon front brake systems, maximum speed approaching double-apex Turn 2 this year was a staggering 172 mph, an increase of seven mph from 2011. Corner entrance speed was up from 62 mph to 65. Further, braking distance dropped from 1148 feet to 1076. Actual braking time decreased from 6.5 seconds to 4.1, and load at the lever jumped from 6.6 pounds to 9.3. Maximum deceleration, however, was the same—1.1 g—indicating the riders arrived at that point sooner and remained there longer.
How does Brembo know all this? At the end of qualifying, all of the teams supplied series officials with data from the session. From this information, Brembo’s engineers were able to determine which rider braked hardest and deepest into Turn 2. Here are the results:
Top Ten “Late Brakers”
1. Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1
2. Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda RC213V
3. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda RC213V
4. Ben Spies, Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1
5. Cal Crutchlow, Monster Yamaha YZR-M1
6. Valentino Rossi, Ducati Team Desmosedici GP12
7. Andrea Dovizioso, Monster Yamaha YZR-M1
8. Nicky Hayden, Ducati Team Desmosedici GP12
9. Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini
10. Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP
Reigning MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner has won the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca two years in a row, and both times, the Repsol Honda rider made the winning pass on title-rival Jorge Lorenzo over blind Turn 1.
According to Brembo, the Italian manufacturer that currently supplies all but three of the 21 machines in the series with carbon-carbon front brake systems, maximum speed approaching double-apex Turn 2 this year was a staggering 172 mph, an increase of seven mph from 2011. Corner entrance speed was up from 62 mph to 65. Further, braking distance dropped from 1148 feet to 1076. Actual braking time decreased from 6.5 seconds to 4.1, and load at the lever jumped from 6.6 pounds to 9.3. Maximum deceleration, however, was the same—1.1 g—indicating the riders arrived at that point sooner and remained there longer.
How does Brembo know all this? At the end of qualifying, all of the teams supplied series officials with data from the session. From this information, Brembo’s engineers were able to determine which rider braked hardest and deepest into Turn 2. Here are the results:
Top Ten “Late Brakers”
1. Jorge Lorenzo, Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1
2. Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda RC213V
3. Dani Pedrosa, Repsol Honda RC213V
4. Ben Spies, Yamaha Factory Racing YZR-M1
5. Cal Crutchlow, Monster Yamaha YZR-M1
6. Valentino Rossi, Ducati Team Desmosedici GP12
7. Andrea Dovizioso, Monster Yamaha YZR-M1
8. Nicky Hayden, Ducati Team Desmosedici GP12
9. Alvaro Bautista, San Carlo Honda Gresini
10. Stefan Bradl, LCR Honda MotoGP