PIRELLI TO DEBUT NEW EVO TIRE AT ARAGON FOR SECOND ROUND OF THE ENI FIM SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

On the Spanish track, Pirelli makes available for the first time a different rear solution for Superbike and for EVO riders – without affecting the total number of solutions per rider

Alcañiz (Spain) – After over a month’s break, Pirelli and the eni FIM Superbike World Championship are back on track in Spain at the MotorLand Aragón circuit, for the first European round of the 2014 season.

The Iberian round will also see the debut of the mechanism that allows Pirelli to provide a different rear solution for both Superbike and Superbike EVO riders, without affecting the total number of solutions and the amount of tires available for each rider. The solution dedicated solely to EVO riders will not necessarily be the same for all rounds, as Pirelli want to develop more solutions during the year, some dedicated to both classes, others only to one of the two categories.

The goal of Pirelli is to try to reduce the gap of EVO motorcycles compared to the Superbikes, from which they differ for horsepower, electronics and engine set-up. This will provide an opportunity for the fastest riders in this class to be competitive in the races, and consequently, to make the Championship more balanced and compelling.

MotorLand Aragón VS tires: a track with an abrasive asphalt

La Ciudad del Motor de Aragón, better known as Motorland Aragón, is a race track 5,344 m long designed by the well-known German architect Hermann Tilke and opened in 2009. It has hosted the World Superbike Championship since 2011.

The most important aspect of this circuit is definitely the track’s high level of aggressiveness which affects, in particular, the rear tires. This is primarily due to the marked roughness of the surface, the frequent presence of sandy residue blown in by the wind and, sometimes, to the medium-low temperatures which can be found during the month of April. Moreover the residue that comes to rest on the road surface prevents the tire tread from correctly contacting with the asphalt, causing loss of grip and drifting toward the center in turns.

The goal of Pirelli has been to try to find the right balance between rigidity and stability of the compounds and the grip that they can express when warm. The front tires, beyond the aggressiveness of the asphalt which has only a partial impact on their wear, must bear the violent braking section on the straights and the steep slopes that cause high stress as well as the fast turns and the multiple changes of direction, where excellent precision and grip on the surface are required.

Pirelli’s solutions for Superbike and Supersport classes:

Pirelli brings to MotorLand Aragón a total of 4755 tires for all the classes of the Superbike World Championship and for the European Junior Cup. 2107 for the premier class, 1404 for Supersport, 464 for the Superstock 1000, 540 for Superstock 600 and 240 for the European Junior Cup. Each rider of the Superbike class will have for the entire race weekend 75 DIABLO™ Superbiketires including 35 front and 40 rear. Three front solutions, the standard SC1 and SC2 and a new development SC1, the specification S1699, which should provide greater support for the approach to the curves in favor of a better steering precision.

Regarding the rear options, in addition to the supersoft rear tire dedicated only to the 20 riders who will participate in the Superpole, all riders will have four options , three of which in common to all and one different for EVO and Superbike riders. The three solutions available for all riders are: the standard SC0, the soft solution ideal for tackling smooth asphalt and high temperatures as it offers maximum tread contact on smooth asphalt and maximum traction development at high temperatures as well as higher resistance to thermal performance decay. The standard SC1, in medium hardness compound, places it halfway between the soft and the hard solution. The development solution S1258 that at the level of the compound is positioned in the range of SC1 but is more robust and improves the thermal and mechanical properties ensuring less wear than the SC0 in the case of lower temperatures. The fourth solution for the Superbike riders will be a development SC1 (S1185), as an alternative to the standard SC1 which should guarantee a more uniform wear and a better performance, while the EVO riders can rely on alternative to the standard SC0, the R1120, which is able to offer a higher resistance to consumption.

In the Supersport class, in which riders use DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC tires, there will be 52 tires per rider, 23 front and 29 rear. Standard SC1 and SC2 are the options for the front, on the rear in addition to the standard SC1 riders will have the S0624 specification, an alternative to the standard SC1 with respect to which should be more robust and offer more grip. The development SC2 R1288 solution in hard compound is more protected in comparison to the SC1s in case of low temperatures.

The minor categories Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and Superstock 600 UEM European Championship will have available, as for the whole season, the DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC tires of the range: specifically in the 600 riders run using the 120/70 front the SC1 compound and on the 180/60 rear the SC2, in the 1000 using in both cases the SC2 compound in 120/70 front and 200/55 rear.

In addition to slick tires all classes can rely on intermediate DIABLO™ Wet tires, which have a tread with a number of grooves and a compound halfway between a slick solution and a wet one which enable it to work well in conditions of still wet asphalt with puddles or in conditions of drying asphalt and with already dry lines, and on wet tires DIABLO ™ rain, grooved solution for rain.