Michelin needs to address “strange” vibration issues on 2024 MotoGP bikes

Rear chatter has become a recurring problem in MotoGP this year, with Ducati riders being particularly outspoken about the issue since the opening round of the season in Qatar.

Tech3 GasGas rookie Acosta hasn’t been spared of chattering either and once encountered the vibrations on his rear tyre at Jerez as he finished a distant 10th, his worst result in the premier class so far.

Speaking afterwards, the 19-year-old said it’s time for MotoGP’s official tyre supplier to fix the issue and make the tyre more stable, as the problem is not directly related to the bike or the braking system.

“At the end, it’s something that Michelin needs to think about,” he said.

“Because other brands are also talking about this, we have from the first moment that I jumped on the bike in Malaysia. 

“And it’s something that is quite strange because it doesn’t come from the shock [absorbers], it doesn’t come from the bike. 

“It’s quite difficult to understand where it is coming from and also to resolve the problem or to avoid the problem for this.”

Asked if he faced a similar issue in the Americas GP at Austin, Acosta said: “Sprint race more than [the grand prix] with the softer tyre. But today it was with the medium, not with the soft for this. 

“It’s quite tricky to understand where it’s coming from.”

“The limiting factor for me was the vibration, on the entry to Turn 4, 7, and 8 a little bit,” said the Australian.

“All the corners I wanted to let the bike roll or [move] forward in quite fast, it kind of starts vibrating from the rear like a lateral slide and you have to wait for the vibration to settle before you can start to come out. 

“We made some headways in some ways but then obviously we found a wall there.”

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull GASGAS Tech3

Photo by: Rob Gray / Polarity Photo

“I was struggling a little bit,” he said. “I had a lot of chatter from the first lap of the race and it made it really difficult to carry corner speed. But other than that side I can’t complain.

“First time in the race…