Bridgestone adds two new tyres to 2015 allocation

Bridgestone might be quitting MotoGP at the end of 2015 but the Japanese manufacturer has made new developments available throughout this season.

Teams and riders will now have six different specifications of tyres for use throughout the season with a new extra-hard rear compound to be available from the Argentine Grand Prix and other circuits that are highly abrasive. The asymmetric tyre front will also be available throughout the season, crucially at circuits such as Sachsenring and Philip Island where one side of the tyre gets far more use than the other.

The asymmetric front was introduced at the Australian Grand Prix last year and received some positive feedback from riders but ultimately in the race, where track temperature dropped very midway through the race, riders suffered numerous crashes using the tyre. Even so over the course of the season it would be hugely surprising if it did not become the favoured option at numerous tracks.

The new compounds also require new tyre markings so that they can be readily identified on track. As in 2014 the extra-soft compound tyre will retain its green strip. The softer compound will use a white stripe and the medium compound will have no stripe with the hard compound retaining its red stripe. The extra hard rear compound will use a yellow stripe and the asymmetric front tyre will use a light blue marking.