After a recent successful Test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Tony Arbolino returns to the 4.6-kilometer track to kick off the race action this weekend in round nine of the Moto2 2022 World Championship.
Arbolino thrilled his home crowd in Italy last weekend with a valiant challenge on the podium before settling for 13 valuable points with a fourth-place finish that puts him just 25 points off the World Championship lead.
This weekend it's Spain's turn instead, and the Italian has fond memories of the Catalan Circuit, which saw him qualify in Pole Position in Moto3 in 2020 and finish in second!
Tony is therefore confident that he will be able to fight at the front in Sunday's 22-lap race, after being able to produce a fast and consistent race pace during the two days of testing last month.
So we look forward to seeing him hit the track and begin preparations for the clash in Catalunya, which will officially start tomorrow at 10:55 a.m. local time.
The circuit ofBarcelona-Catalogna,also known asMontmeló, was included in the MotoGP calendar in 1992 and will again host the MotoGP for the 30th year in a row.
The track is4655 meters long and consists of 16 curves, most of them very wide and fast, interspersed with straights much loved by drivers because they allow them to reach high speeds in a few seconds.
However, because of the heat and the big braking, this is also one of the most challenging tracks all year for thedrivers' physiques and for the brakes, which are heavily stressed throughout the course.
For the braking system, in fact, the most difficult corners are in order the first, tenth and fourth. The first one is definitely scary: you come down the straight at a speed of 342 kmh and in a braking distance of 275 meters, the MotoGP drops to 99 kmh in 5.6 seconds.
Almost all other braking is firm and close.
The Catalan circuit therefore represents a challenge for Brembo, a leading company in braking systems. In fact ona scale of 1 to 6 it earned a difficulty rating of 5, identical to Sepang International Circuit and lower only than the Red Bull Ring, Twin Ring Motegi and Chang International Circuit tracks.
