Aprilia and KTM were unable to get the full potential out of Michelin’s rear tires in the 2024 MotoGP season – this is how the big gap to Ducati came about
One of the biggest changes in this MotoGP season was the introduction of a grippier rear tire from Michelin. This innovation was a major factor in the breaking of long-standing lap records at several circuits.
While Ducati was able to make optimal use of the new tires right from the start, giving them a head start, the competition had a much harder time of it and were still looking for answers when the season ended in Barcelona.
Three-time MotoGP race winner Aleix Espargaro, for example, admitted that Aprilia was still at a loss to explain why the RS-GP is not working with the new tires in 2024.
“I don’t understand. It’s the same question I’m asking my engineers, and they don’t have the answers,” he said at the season finale in Barcelona. We have analyzed many, many parameters and worked hard to understand many things.”
“Fortunately, thanks to Raul, we had the information from the 2023 bike with the new rear tire on some tracks. But there is something we can’t put together. We have no traction, no grip. Only Ducati can handle it, and we are struggling a lot with it.”
Ducati also suffered from chattering at the beginning, but…
The ability to use the rear tires effectively was a key advantage for Ducati in a season in which the team won 19 of 20 Grands Prix. In addition, the GP24 prototype had a clear advantage over the older GP23, as the engineers had developed the new Desmosedici specifically for the 2024 tires.
Although the new tires improved lap times at most circuits, they also led to increased chattering (vibrations in the rear wheel), which affected all bikes to a greater or lesser extent as the season progressed – including Ducati.
However, outgoing KTM rider Jack Miller suspects that as well as eliminating chattering, Ducati managed to tune their machine to maximize mechanical grip.
When asked why KTM have not been able to get the most out of their rear tires throughout the season, while Ducati have been so strong in this area, Miller replied: “That’s the million-dollar question. It could also be a 40-million-dollar question!”
Miller: Ducati benefits from more comparative data
“I wouldn’t say we haven’t figured it out. The others are just extremely strong at the moment, but we have always been able to get closer to them and at least fight with them in the last few weeks,” said the Australian.
“I think Ducati, by whatever means, is managing to eliminate the vibrations first and then set up the bike so that they can really use the rear tires as the support you need.”
Ducati fielded the largest contingent of any manufacturer at the track in 2024, as they equipped three satellite teams with bikes in addition to their factory team. Miller believes that the eight bikes used were a crucial factor in Ducati’s early understanding of Michelin’s new rear tires.
“Of course that’s a big factor, I think. The amount of data they gathered from the test in Malaysia and beyond gave them a clear advantage,” said Miller. ”They definitely had a head start because they were able to try different approaches to dealing with the initial vibrations.
“Everyone is affected by the vibrations differently, but they are definitely much lower than they were at the beginning. But as I said, we are still unable to use the full performance of the rear tires, which is obviously there.”