Michelin bosses say they have a clear direction for the rest of MotoGP 2017 after the rider vote to bring back a stiffer carcass front tyre first debuted at last year’s Valencia test.

Only three riders from the whole grid reportedly voted against the old/new tyre, and it will make its competitive debut at Mugello this weekend after a successful test at Jerez.

“This race will see us changing the construction of the front tyre to a stiffer version from what we have used so far this year. We had a request from several riders to test this tyre again after the decision had been made following the pre-season tests to use the current spec,” said Michelin’s Piero Taramasso.

“So we supplied it at the recent Jerez test for a comparison – this stiffer construction tyre was originally used with a lot of success at the final race last season in Valencia and partly in the winter tests along with the current one, so the riders already had knowledge of it.

Following this test all riders and teams were consulted by Dorna and a majority decision was taken to introduce this tyre from Mugello and onwards for the rest of the season. We are happy with this decision because it again gives us a clear direction for the year, and again highlights how Michelin is working to give the best solutions for the MotoGP field.”

Because bikes travel at the business end of 220mph at Mugello, this weekend’s rear tyre allocation will feature both symmetric and asymmetric designs. The soft (white band) will have the single compound across its design, while the medium (no band) and hard (yellow band) will have a harder right-hand-side designed to give increased grip and durability throughout the race.  

All these tyres will need to work very hard to give the best performance as the riders load the power coming out of the slower corners and through the faster bends where edge grip is pushed to the extreme.