These are Brembo's $20,000 MotoGP Brakes

With maximum speeds approaching 220 mph, the prototype racing machines of MotoGP are braking harder than ever to win races. This requires supreme stopping power, which is why every bike on the GP grid is equipped with Brembo brake components developed and custom made to meet the special requirements of each team.

For MotoGP racing, Brembo offers two different calipers rated for light or heavy duty and four different types of carbon discs. There are 320mm and 340mm disc options, each with the choice of a standard or a “high-mass” configuration, with deeper discs for more swept area. Each rider has their preference depending on track and weather conditions.

The carbon discs and pads achieve peak stopping efficiency when operating temperature reaches 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and the surface of the discs can reach a white-hot 1,500 degrees during a race. That high operating temperature requirement is one of the reasons why even the best streetbikes aren’t equipped with MotoGP-grade carbon brake components. On the brake pad alone, there can be a 200-degree temperature difference from the leading edge to the trailing.

If it rains, teams switch from carbon brakes to more conventional steel discs with light-duty calipers and sintered pads for softer initial bite and more gentle deceleration.

Every team has a massive budget for Brembo parts, which includes the R&D and custom processing to suit each special application. “We work with the riders to get them what they want,” said Davide Acerbis, Brembo’s lead engineer for MotoGP development.

The cost of a set of Brembo GP carbon discs and monoblock calipers would likely set you back about 20 grand, if you could purchase them. You can’t. Brembo only sells these exotic bits to MotoGP race teams. But we can dream, can’t we?