MotoGP 23 Catalonia Setup: Catalan Grand Prix setup guide - Circuit de Catalunya guide

The MotoGP Catalonia round is hosted by the brilliant Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, and we take you through how to setup for it in MotoGP 23!

We're really impressed by MotoGP 23 and showed why in our full review right here. MotoGP 23 is probably our pick for the best motorbike game of the year so far, but it's difficult to get on top of.

In MotoGP 23's Single Player Career Mode, Round 12 of your first full season takes place in Catalonia. The Catalan GP is the twelfth race on the full calendar, but isn't featured on the short calendar.

Here's our setup guide for Barcelona in MotoGP 23!

MotoGP 23 Catalan setup

The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has hosted the Catalan Grand Prix ever since its inception in 1996. It was the most modern facility when it was built in the 1990s and is still a great venue for motorsport.

This is the second of three Spanish MotoGP rounds on the 2023 calendar, the most of any one country. Barcelona has one of the best mix of corners and straights out there, hence why it's such a popular testing venue.

Starting with the tyres, we think that you should go for a Hard on the front and a Medium on the rear axle. This will give you good and consistent levels of grip through the race.

A Medium tyre on the front would mean that you need to tyre save going into the final laps of the race, so we don't recommend it.

Suspension

Front pre-load needs to be low at 2 to allow for more consistent steering through the high-speed corners in Barcelona. Oil quality should be slightly higher at 4, with the front spring hardness also at 4.

The front fork compression is best at 4, with the fork extension around 3.

On the rear, the rear pre-load should be down at 2, with the Swingarm connector around 4. Spring hardness should also be at 4, with shock absorber compression at 4 and the extension also at 4 to help the bike's overall grip.

Vehicle geometry

For your Vehicle Geometry, the steering head inclination should be up at 1 to allow for more responsive steering.

The trail should be down at 1 but the steering plate needs to be up at 3. Lastly, the rear swingarm length needs to be around 5.

Transmission

Your lower gears in Barcelona should be high to help speed around the medium and high-speed corners.The higher gears should be set lower to help top-end acceleration.

So, 1st gear should be set to 4, with 2nd and 3rd as high as they can go. 4th is best at 5, with 5th at 4 and 6th and top gear at 3.

The slipper clutch should be at 3, though, to help the bike's steering responsiveness.

Brake System

In Barcelona, there are a few long braking zones at the end of the pit and back straights. So, you need heavy anchors to get the bike stopped safely.

A 340mm high mass brake on the front and a 220mm on the rear is the only way to go here.

ECU

As usual, electronic aids that are available to you in MotoGP definitely come in handy here. You'll need to turn all of them up quite high to keep your bike on the road. Traction Control is best at 4, as there are numerous big traction zones.

Engine Braking should be cranked up to 4 in order to shave speed around the long corners. Anti-wheelie should also be at four, thanks to the inclines and declines in the first and final sectors.

Power mapping is best at 3 for a flying lap, but you'll need to turn this around during some points in the race. This is to save the engine and fuel.

All of these can be adjusted out on track using the HUD in the bottom-right of the screen.