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Michelin cites aggressive kerbs for Marc Marquez’s dramatic Thai GP tyre puncture

· Yahoo Sports

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Michelin has issued an initial explanation for the tyre failure that forced MotoGP champion Marc Marquez into a sudden retirement at the Thailand Grand Prix.

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The factory Ducati rider was chasing Raul Fernandez for third place with five laps remaining when the rear rim of his GP26 failed at Turn 4. Marquez was fortunate to avoid crashing as the tyre rapidly deflated and partially detached from the wheel.

Read Also: Marc Marquez on Thai GP puncture: 'It was like I hit a big rock'

Several other riders reported tyre-related issues in hot conditions at Buriram, with Marquez’s former Honda team-mate Joan Mir also registering a DNF. However, Marquez’s failure was the most spectacular of all – and caused the most damage.

After the race, Marquez suggested the issue may have been triggered by contact with a kerb, although he remained puzzled as he hadn’t taken a different line at Turn 4.

Michelin’s MotoGP chief Piero Taramasso indicated there was no inherent defect in the tyre itself, pointing instead to a combination of aggressive kerbs and extreme track temperatures on a weekend where other riders also suffered from bent wheels.

"That's right, that's what Marc told us. He said, 'The only mistake I made was going wide'. He hit the kerb, the wheel bent, so the air came out and the tyre came off,” Taramasso told Canal+.

“It's a shame for him because at that point he was the fastest on the track. We had this problem all weekend, we had a lot of wheels that were bent when they came back under our pit tent because it was very hot. 

“The material is really soft and the kerbs are very aggressive. For example, Jorge Martín's loss of pressure at the front yesterday was the same thing: he hit a kerb, the front wheel bent and the air came out. Jorge had a slow leak and Marc lost air all at once."

Davide Tardozzi: I’ve never seen something like this

Marquez’s tyre woes compounded a tough Sunday for Ducati, as its four-year podium streak in MotoGP came to an end.

Read Also: Ducati's four-year MotoGP podium streak ends in nightmare Thai GP

Although Aprilia had been the dominant manufacturer for the majority of the weekend, Marquez remained in the hunt for a podium position, especially with Fernandez struggling with tyre degradation in closing stages.

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi admitted he had never witnessed a similar failure in his time in MotoGP.

“Unfortunately, he went to the kerb at Turn 4, and he broke the rim,” he said. “That’s why he lost the air, and he was forced to stop. He hit the edge of the apex and he broke the wheel.

“No, I don’t remember that I’ve ever seen something like that. We could say that it was a mistake, but he has been really unlucky because many riders went out in Turn 4 and nobody had this problem.

“Anyway, it’s like this. [He said] he hit the kerb, he doesn’t know why, but the rim exploded.”

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