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When race fans tune in to this weekend's inaugural MotoGP event at the new Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas, it will be almost impossible not to fixate on the awesome power produced by the motorcycles blurring past; these two-wheeled prototypes churn up to a rumored 250 horsepower, lending them some of the highest horsepower-to-weight ratios of any land-based motorized vehicle.
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The mechanical demons accumulate momentum at such a breathtaking rate that it's difficult to comprehend the gargantuan task of scrubbing off all that speed. Heck, I, a mere mortal, was able to hit the rev limiter in sixth gear on a stock Ducati Panigale R on the track's back straight; imagine how much more these machines are taxed when they produce oodles more power and are piloted by phenoms like Valentino Rossi or Nicky Hayden (pictured.)
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The brake gurus at Brembo have broken down (pun intended) stopping specs for the new 3.4-mile circuit, and concluded a few interesting tidbits about the track. For instance, though it's not the longest straight on the circuit, the section that runs past the grandstand sees speeds approaching 200 mph, but the sharp, off-camber left-hander at the top of the hill requires slowing down to a piddling 40 mph using 15 pounds of hand lever force across a 650 foot braking zone. And that crazy back stretch between turn 4 and the rather tight turn 5? Expect to see riders hit up to 220 mph before grabbing a whole bunch of brakes-- enough to pull 1.8 Gs in decelerative force-- as they prepare to lean their bike over for the next kink.
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For an interactive guide to braking at Circuit of the Americas (which stubbornly displays stats using the metric system), check out Brembo's dedicated microsite; for a downloadable PDF, click here.
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Related: Circuit of the Americas: Homegrown Hellraising
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