Absent from last year’s MotoGP calendar, Aragon has also been resurfaced 💫ahead of next weekend’s 2024 grౠand prix return.

The Spanish track joined the MotoGP calendar in 2010 and, including the second 2020 Teruel round, hosted 14 premier-class events before last year’s temporary absenc🌠e.

With no testing data for the new surface, Michelin will bring a🌠n expanded line-up of three (rather than two) rear tyre specifications, alongside the usual three fronts.

“Aragon will be another kind 🧸of challenge because the asphalt is new and we haven’t ridden there,” said Michelin’s Piero Taramasso.

“So because it’s a new asphaltꦛ without a test we are allowed to bring more specificಌations.

“So we will have 3 front tyres with ൩symmetric [compounds]. And three asymmetric rear tyres, witꦯh a harder compound on the left side.

“So let's see at💃 the end of the month how Aragon will be.”

Honda is the most successful MotoGP manufacturer at Aragon wit🍸h 7 wins, for Ca♑sey Stoner (1), Dani Pedrosa (1) and Marc Marquez (5).

Following Marquez’s most recent win in 2019, the victories have b🌺een shared between Suzuki (Alex Rins), Yamaha (Franco Morbidelli) and Ducati (Francesco Bagnaia, Enea Bastianini).

The 2022 race saw Gresini rider Bast🔜ianini take a close victory over Bagnaia, who was on his way to a first MotoGP title.

Bagnaia returns chasing his third premier-class crown,෴ with Bastianini as his factory Ducati team-mate.

"Last year we didn’t race in Aragon, but two years ago we had a great fight between me and Enea," Bagnaia said after victory in Austria l🙈ast Sun𒈔day. "He won in the last lap, so I would like to have revenge this season! 

"They resurfaced the track, so I feel that the grip will be fantastic, but also the wea🍌ther will be completely different compared to 2022 because at the moment in Aragon during the day it’s 40 degrees!"

Last weekend’s Austrian MotoGP cꦆontinued the trend of new lap and race records, although the margin was smaller than at other events.

“[Suᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚnday in Austria] was a positive day for Michelin because the track is very, ve🌱ry demanding,” Taramasso said.

“Everything is pushed to the limit: The brakes, the en𝕴gine, gasoline consumption and of course also the tyre.

“But🅘 we managed to do a very fast race. We beat the old rac🃏e record [from 2022] by three seconds.

“Al🌳so the lap time was there. It was very, very consistent for all the race.

“So we leave this track with the three records [pole, race lap, rac꧅e time🤡] beaten.”

Michelin uses a special construction to deal with the added stress placed on the rear tyres in Austria but will revert to the normal construction for Aragon📖.