This weekend, a new track layout waits riders at the Indianapolis MotoGP round with many of the formerly tight turns, that have caused some wailing and gnashing of teeth, opened up to promote closer racing.

The revised course is 2.59-miles in length and features a re-surfaced infield section which should yield more consistent grip levels for the riders.

Three sections of the track has had modifications made to the layout: turns 2-4, turns 7-9 and turns 15-16. The overall effect is that some of the tighter corners have been opened up with the aim of improving rider safety, as well as the quality of racing.

Bridgestone will take medium and hard compounds for the Factory riders while the open-class men get medium and soft, while three front compounds are available.

“A recent re-surfacing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway means that there’s only a single type of tarmac on the infield section, whereas in previous years there were a few different types of tarmac which caused variable grip levels for riders,” said the tyre firm’s Shinji Aoki.

“The circuit has also had some corners modified for this year, but overall the circuit still retains its usual character with many low-speed corners. The layout of the circuit puts greater stress on the left shoulder of the tires and the run from turns twelve to fourteen generates very high temperatures on the left shoulder of the rear tire.

“To ensure adequate temperature resistance and durability, we supply asymmetric rear slicks with harder rubber on the left shoulder at this circuit. The front slick compounds for Indianapolis are from the harder end of our compound range for maximum durability and braking stability at what is a ‘stop-and-go’ circuit.”