Michelin is aiming to cut MotoG꧟P lap times by ar✤ound half-a-second at certain tracks next season, thanks to a new rear casing.

Of the 19 rounds on the current calendarꦉ, nine of the race lap records still date from the pre-2016 Bridgestone era: Argentina🔯, Austin, Mugello, Assen, Brno, Aragon, Motegi, Phillip Island and Sepang.

Howevౠer, Michelin's 2020 rear tyre constru𒊎ction has been designed specifically to increase performance and lived up to that billing on its debut at the Barcelona post-race test.

"The goal was to improve grip. 18 riders tried it and all 18 said it was better for grip and feeling," said Miche𒐪lin's Piero Taramasso.

"The riders felt the tyre is a little bit softer so you gain espeღcially whe🌟n leaning the bike.

"Some riders impro💧ved their lap time by 0.2s compared to the standard tyre. But some imꦇproved by 0.8s.

"When we made an average, the improvement was 0.4-0.5s. So a🐬lmost h💛alf-a-second quicker.

"We were looking for at least 0.4s. If it had been less than that we w🦋ould have stopped working on that tyre."

The new🍒 casing continues a general trend towa♋rds 'softer' MotoGP tyres.

To date, this has been ♐achieved by using a 'new technology' for mixing the co🎃mpounds, plus an ever-growing archive of track data.

"In general we've gone softer because with this new technology we🦩 gain in consistency and grip, so we are able to go one step softer compared to last yeaꦑr," Taramasso said.

"Sometimes we also make this choice because last year the soft tyre reached the end of the race still with a lot of rubber, very little consumption, so we know we can go one step softer [this 🎀ye𒈔ar]."

The next official MotoGP post-race test wil�𒐪�l be held after the Czech Republic Grand Prix, at Brno next month.