Pirelli stops off at Imola for the eni FIM Superbike World Championship with a new ultra performance tire dedicated only to EVO riders

The new solution for the EVO class, developed and tested in the World Endurance and in national championships, uses a very soft performance compound that should offer an advantage, especially at high temperatures

Imola (Italy) – With the fourth round next weekend, the eni FIM Superbike World Championship moves into the heart of the season and Pirelli will also contribute with new solutions to maintain high competitiveness and the ‘show’.

In addition to the race weekend, the following Monday Imola will stage the second official test, carried out after the first at the beginning of the season in Phillip Island and before those scheduled in Portimão on July 21 and 22. The tests will be an opportunity for teams and riders to try out different development solutions that Pirelli will make available.

However, already for the race weekend, there will be two new tires available to the Superbike and Supersport riders. In the premier class EVO riders can count on a new tire exclusively dedicated to them, always in SC0 compound but more suitable and provides greater performance in case of high temperatures. In Supersport, it will be the debut for the standard SC0 compound, which is the most popular choice for riders when temperatures allow, because it can ensure the highest performance and grip.

At the moment the Superbike riders overall standings looks like a struggle within the Kawasaki team with the leader Tom Sykes and his teammate Loris Baz seperated by just 15 points. Between the two stands Aprilia Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli. In fourth place is Jonathan Rea on the Honda, who showed great strength in race two at Assen, going to win in the wet. Even the manufacturers’ championship the battle is between the manufacturer from Akashi, current leader of the overall standings by just 8 points, and the one from Noale.

Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari from a tire point of view: aggressive asphalt and strong temperature variations

In the set up for motorcycle racing, the Imola track is a 4936 metre long circuit with 9 right hand turns, 13 left handers and it runs anti-clockwise. It’s a rather technical and difficult track with complex turns and braking sections, and it is raced at a fast pace that demands excellent riding skills.

In August 2011, 70% of the track surface was repaved, reacquiring a good level of mechanical grip but also significantly increasing the aggressiveness on the rear tires, especially in medium-low temperatures.

Concerning the rear tires there are two demanding spots:

1) The slow Tosa bend where the rear tire traces a narrow and stretched line, but manages to provide the traction without losing side grip. As the rear tire comes out of this bend it heats up less than on the faster turns. The external temperature of the tire goes from 50°C coming into the turn to 120°C going out on the shoulder, affected with a lean angle of about 56°.

2) At the Variante Alta you go from one side of the tire to the other, from -55° to +55°, at an astonishing speed of 100°/s. In the first phase of the curve the tire’s steel belt helps to heat the opposite side of the compound which will be used less than a second later.

The choice of the front tires it’s more related to the rider’s riding style. With straight stretches and decisive, downhill braking sections, chicanes and turns, generally the front tire selection is always a mixture, without any significant critical issues for soft or more robust front tires. For the front tires the most demanding spot is the Rivazza, where the front tire suffers heavy stress – in about a half second the load on the tire goes from 125 Kg to 250 Kg.

The Pirelli solutions for Superbike and Supersport classes:

At Imola, Pirelli brings a total of 4642 tires for the races and over 500 for the official test on the Monday after the race weekend. 2065 tires are intended for Superbike riders, 1372 for theSupersport, 464 for Superstock 1000 and 585 for the Superstock 600, in addition to 156 intended for the European Junior Cup.

In the Superbike class, riders use slick DIABLO™ Superbike tires and, if necessary, carved tires for wet DIABLO™ Rain and intermediate DIABLO™ Wet. Each rider will have 71 tires including 36 front and 35 rear, notwithstanding the fact that for regulations only a maximum of 24 tires can be used and stickered for the entire race weekend.

At the rear, there is 4 solutions in total, two in common for riders and a third different for Superbike and EVO, meaning each rider will be able to choose among 3 solutions.

The news is, as already said, the new rear tire for the EVO class, the specification R1368. A solution in very soft compound with a good grip but, at the same time, is able to cover the whole race without presenting a significant decay. This solution has been introduced now because it is ideal when used with rather high temperatures, typical of months from May to September. This tire will be easily recognizable because it has two orange stripes on the tread.

Also confirmed is the solution intended only to Superbike riders, the development SC1 S1185. Already widely used in Assen and Aragón as an alternative to the standard SC1, it ensures more even wear and better performance.

As always, available to all riders in both Superbike and EVO will be the two standard solutions. TheSC0 in soft compound ideal for smooth asphalt and high temperatures, and the SC1 in medium compound, which is positioned in the middle between the soft solution and the hard one and performs best when the temperatures are not particularly high.

At the rear, and only for the 20 riders who participate in the Superpole on Saturday, there is one qualifying tire in very soft compound that allows 1-2 laps at maximum performance to find the best time to qualify.

At the front the three solutions already present at Aragón and Assen are confirmed: the standard SC1 and the development SC1 S1699. In the last two rounds, this was the most used by riders who lined up on the grid because it offers more support in the approach to the curves in favor of a better steering precision.

In the FIM Supersport World Championship there will be 49 carved DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC tires for each rider, 23 front and 26 rear.

The standard SC1 and SC2 solutions are confirmed for the front, at the rear will debut, for the first time this year, the standard SC0. Ideal when temperatures are higher, it will complement the standard SC1 and the development S0624 specification, an alternative to the standard SC1 already seen in action at Aragón and Assen.

As in Superbike also in Supersport in addition to the slick tires are available the intermediate DIABLO™ Wet and the wet DIABLO™ Rain tires.

The 2013 Pirelli statistics for Imola:

• Total number of tires Pirelli brought: 4894

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 6 rear

• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet): 4 front and 5 rear

• Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 33 front and 40 rear

• Number of tires available for each Supersport rider: 24 front and 27 rear

• Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’47.274 (Race 1, 13thlap) and 1’47.507 (Race 2, 3rd lap)

• Supersport Best Lap Award won by: Broc Parkes (Ten Kate Racing Products), 1’51.952 (9th lap)

• Temperature in Race 1: air 25° C, asphalt 46° C

• Temperature in Race 2: air 28° C, asphalt 54° C

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tires: 289,2 kms/h, Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) in Race 1 at 6th lap

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC tires in Supersport race: 255 kms/h, Fabien Foret (MAHI Racing Team India) at 13th and last lap.