If you want to start a heated argument in a minimoto paddock, just walk up to three different dads and ask them what tire pressure they are running.
In the MiniSBK and FIM MotoMini series, almost everyone runs PMT slick tires. They are incredibly sticky, but getting them to work perfectly is a dark art.
You can’t just set them at 20 psi and forget it. Track temperature, ambient temperature, the abrasiveness of the surface, and the rider’s weight all change the math. A pressure that worked flawlessly at 9:00 AM in the cool morning air at Lombardy will turn the bike into an unpredictable mess by 2:00 PM when the asphalt is baking in the sun.
Jamie, the real technician, spends half the day with a highly calibrated digital pressure gauge in one hand and an infrared temperature probe in the other. I just show up to help. Jamie checks the cold pressure before they go out and sprints to the hot pit to check the hot pressure the second they pull in.
Get the pressure right, and the bike is on rails. He can drag a knee through the fast sweepers at Shannonville with total confidence.
Get it wrong, and the tire either overheats and gets greasy, or stays too cold and suddenly breaks traction, sending them flying into the weeds. It is a stressful, constant calculation, but nailing the perfect setup is one of the most satisfying parts of being a Race Dad.