Brembo engineers offer a guide to braking for this weekend’s WorldSBK race to run at the Mandalika International Street Circuit Nov. 19-21.
The World Superbike Championship will come to a close with the round on the brand new Mandalika International Street Circuit, which has just been completed. The Superbike Championship was held for the first time in Indonesia in 1994 but at the Sentul Circuit, where four World Championship rounds were held until 1997.
According to Brembo technicians, who work closely with 17 World Superbike riders, computer simulations show that Mandalika International Street Circuit is a demanding circuit for brakes. On a scale of one to five, it is rated four on the difficulty index.
No friction or locking with the Brembo radial master cylinder for Superbikes
Most Superbike riders use the Brembo radial brake master cylinder. Both the strength of the fingers on the brake lever and the strength of the lever itself move in the same direction, i.e. radially, with regard to the point where the cylinder is fastened to the handlebar without generating friction or locking. This ensures that no energy is wasted.
When the World Superbike Championship began in 1988, the bikes in those days still used axial master cylinders, which were made using casting and were rather bulky. Just a few months later, billet radial master cylinders with shaped levers appeared, already successfully tested in World Championship GP Motorcycle racing in the late ’80s.
Technology for street-legal motorcycles, too
Drawing inspiration from its extensive experience in MotoGP and Superbike, Brembo created the 19RCS Corsa Corta radial master cylinder, perfect for leisure riding both on the road and on the track. One of its special characteristics is the rider’s ability to adjust the free play (i.e. bite point) to three different levels.
In other words, the rider can adjust the stage during which braking is not active, determining the point when the braking system starts to apply pressure according to his or her own riding style, the conditions of the asphalt or the weather.
Would you like to know more? Discover the benefits and uses of the Brembo 19RCS Corsa Corta.
Record use of brakes
On 11 of the 17 turns on the Mandalika International Street Circuit, the Superbike riders use their brakes for over 33.5 seconds per lap, the highest value in the championship. At Jerez, they are used for 1/10 of a second less and the Spanish circuit is the only other track in the championship where they are used for over 32 seconds per lap.
In Indonesia, the Superbike riders will use their brakes on four consecutive turns in two different parts of the track, from turns 10 to 13 and between one lap and another, from turn 16 to turn 2. The main straight section which is only 507 meters (554.4 yards) long, stops the bikes from reaching very high speeds, but even so, in three parts, deceleration is about 190 km/h (118 mph).
270 meters (295 yards) for the hardest braking
Of the 11 braking sections at the Mandalika International Street Circuit, three are classified as very demanding on the brakes, three are of medium difficulty and the remaining five are light.
The hardest of all is the penultimate turn: To go from 247 km/h (153.4 mph) to 58 km/h (36 mph), the Superbikes take 6.5 seconds, during which they cover a distance of 270 meters (295 yards).
This article is brought to you by Brembo.
