MotoGP riders praise Silverstone track surface
Tarmac surfacing expertise put riders on track for record-breaking weekend at British Grand Prix
SILVERSTONE’s new surface staged yet another weekend of high-octane action with the 2019 GoPro British Grand Prix MotoGP event witnessing incredible racing, huge crowds and lap records smashed in every class.
Tarmac used precision technology and expertise to develop a completely new track surface in June this year, ahead of the sell-out Formula One race in July, where Lewis Hamilton set a new track record.
The August Bank Holiday weekend marked another high point with more than 114,000 fans visiting the historic Northamptonshire track for the premier motorcycle racing event.
It was immediately clear riders were happy with the bespoke track surface laid by new contractors Tarmac, and lap times were fast from the first free-practice session on Friday morning.
Reigning MotoGP champion Marc Marquez said: ‘As soon as I went out, I felt like it was another track. I enjoyed riding it a lot more and, I think, so did everyone else. Last year we complained, but this year we have to say congratulations to the circuit because they did a great job.’
Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi said: ‘The new asphalt has good grip, but the biggest difference is a lot less bumps, so you can push more and ride the bike more at the limit. You can also use the perfect line because in the past Silverstone was very, very bumpy. I don’t want to say perfect – but it’s close to perfect.’
Silverstone’s managing director, Stuart Pringle, said: ‘The success of this weekend’s MotoGP racing, the incredible lap times, the atmosphere, and the great racing are testament to the incredible hard work by the Silverstone team.
‘Seeing a race finish where the winner is separated from second place by just 0.013 seconds is something special.
‘The work we have done on the new track surface has allowed us to rebuild trust with the fans. We know they endured the most miserable of days last year, but we have demonstrated today, Silverstone is back to being a world-class track.’
Paul Fleetham, managing director of Tarmac’s Construction business, said: ‘It took more than 7,000 working hours on site to get the new surface ready using cutting-edge digital construction technology and expertise drawn from across our business.
‘The weekend’s incredible spectacle of speed and engineering underlined the success of the resurfacing project, and it’s great that we can now join with the riders and fans in celebrating another important milestone in Silverstone’s long and distinguished history.’
