It's not only MotoGP engine design that will be froze🉐n for the 2018 season at the opening round in Qatar next weekend.

Michelin will not introduce any new ꩵtyre designs once the world championship is underway.

Last season the168澳洲幸运5官方开✨奖结果历史: front tyre design changed from Mugello, round si𒆙x, after a majority of riders voted in favour of th♑e change.

"We want to keep stability in terms of tyres," said Piero Taramasso, manager of two-wheel motorsport for Michelin. "This is w♒hat the riders and teams asked us🍌 to do.

"So starting at the beginning of the season we will fix the front casing and the front profile, plus the rear casing and the rear profile. This will not change all se🌄ason.

"And also the compounds. 80% of the compounds w൲e will use this season are from last year, plus two or three new ones which we have been validating [in t🐟he pre-season tests]. So teams and riders will know the tyres very well.

"We will not change during the season, so they can wor🌼k on the bike, the setting, the engine, without having a problem with tyres changing.

"Especially in the first year [2016], w✅e wanted to develop very quickly, to try to give the best tyre as soon as possible. And the riders complained, 'the tyres change too much, they change the hand♍ling, this and this and this'.

"So this year, t🐈here will be no change. There will be ൲stability of the tyres."

The new front compounds tested for use in 2018 are described as "quite hard… we want to use them at tracks where we faced some wear problems. It's ♔a different way to mix the rubber, a different technology, just to𝓰 be wear resistant.

"Here [in Qatar] we will bring one solution, the 'E', for the race as 𝓡🍸the hard option. And the second one [the 'X'] we will probably bring to other tracks like Argentina or Austin."

In t♔otal, Mic🍨helin will use around 7 different front compounds and 11-12 different rear compounds during the 19 rounds.

Thဣere are three events which require special attention this season - the new Buriram track, where an official pre-season test has been held, plus the resurfaced Silverstone and Barcelona circuits.

"Buriram, we needed to go. Barcelona has been resurfaced, so we have pl🦋anned one test before and we will have data for that. Silverstone will also be resurfaced. We don't plan to do a test there, but we have an agreement with Dorna to bring four front specifications and four rear specific🅷ations, to be sure to have the right ones.

"For the other tracks, we have enough experience and data after two years to make the right tyr🧔es."

Taramasso conceded "from a Michelin poin𝐆t of view, we want to develop" but with no new tyres being introduced during 2018, Michelin's attention is already turning to 2019.

"If we want to bring a new solution - a new casing, new profile, new compound - we can test during the [offici🃏al] IRTA tests, but these solutions can only be used for 2019," he said. "So we are still developing, but slower, and any [new tyres] we validateꦍ this year will only be for next year."

A change for 2018 in ter𓄧ms of Michelin's wet tyres is that they will all feature asymmetric compounds.

"All the rears are as🌊ymmetric. Last year we had some asymmetric tyres, some had a different compound on the left, some were the same compound [throughout]. This year they will be all asymmetric - specific for left-hand or right-hand circuits.

"💛So more made-to-measure for ꦺthe track. More specific to the track, like we do for the rear slicks."

Alongside stability in tyre design🌳, the remaining criticism sometimes heard from riders - 'quality control', meaning a difference in performance from tyres of⛄ the same design - is also being addressed.

"It's not easy to understand where this comes from. We need to work, this is our goal. We are working in the factory, in transport, to try to understand [how that affects 🍃the tyres], and of course, we keep statistics, which we then send to Dorna to prove that we improved compared to last year.

"So far, we had a small problem in Sepang, but this was just our mistake, because we left some tyres from last year'♔s race in the containers at the Sepang circuit, and then we used them at the IRTA test. But probably the temperature in the container had gone up too high, and the tyre was not good.

"Then in Thailand and here [in Qatar], it has been good. So faℱr, we have no issues. So I hope𒆙 it will continue like this."

Being a single tyre supplier in top level motor♔sport is often a thankless task and, while Taramasso wants𒐪 "people to speak about the tyres, but in a good way" he knows the reality is:

"When we do well, nobody speaks about the tyres,🍸 When something goes wrong, everybody speaks about the tyres. This is the wayꦿ it has been forever!"

This season will see an increase in responsibi🐠lity for Taramasso, following Nicolas Goubert's move 🥀from Michelin to head the new FIM MotoE World Cup.