Calls on Ducati to fix tyre problems

Rossi says Ducati to fix tyre problems, after problems in Argentina resulted in a shorter race, with a bike change.

For me it’s two [factors] together. It’s taller riders that are a little bit more heavy, like Baz and Redding. I’m also quite tall. But especially it is the taller rider and the [type of] bike. Because all through the winter tests and the races in Qatar and Argentina, with the Yamaha, we never have [tyre] problems. So last week we were ready to race, to make the 25 laps. About our feeling on the bike and data about the tyre temperature – we don’t have any problems, fortunately. So I hope that also the other bikes, in this case the Ducati, can fix the problem. Because if not also all the other manufacturers have to race with the very hard, hard, hard tyre. And I think that is not good for the show, it is not good for the performance. So I think they have to fix the problem.

Michelin state that the Baz incident was a puncture. Three front tyres (soft, medium and hard) will be available for the CoTA race rather than the usual two options. The rear tyre choice will be soft or medium, both asymmetrical, with a harder right-hand-side.