Pirelli will be the Event Main Sponsor of the Jerez round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship
The Italian tire company brings a new front solution for the Superbike class and two new rear tires in 190 size for Supersport
Jerez de la Frontera (Spain), 14 September 2015 – The eni FIM Superbike World Championship starts again after the summer break. As happened in Sepang, the last round ridden, Pirelli will be the Event Main Sponsor of the next round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship which will be held in Spain at the Jerez Circuit on 18-20 September.
Therefore the official name of this eleventh round of the season will be; Pirelli Spanish Round.
The round in Andalusia could be decisive for the assignment of the World title in the Superbike class: the standard bearer of the Kawasaki Racing Team Jonathan Rea currently leads the riders’ standings with 452 points and a strong advantage of 144 points over his closest rival, Ducati rider Chaz Davies. With three rounds still to run and 150 points up for grabs, the Northern Irishman needs just 6 points (given the greater number of victories achieved during the season in comparison to Davies) for the title of World Champion with two races before the end of the Championship. A similar situation with regard to the Constructors’ Championship of the main class: Kawasaki in this case has a clear advantage on Ducati, the two manufacturers are in fact separated by 112 points.
The Supersport class is more closely fought and still sees fighting for the title Turk Kenan Sofuoglu on Kawasaki with 168 points in the standings, Frenchman Jules Cluzel on MV Agusta on 155 and American Patrick Jacobsen with Honda and 140 points. The Supersport Constructors’ Championship sees MV Agusta leading with a gap with 1 point over Kawasaki, respectively 173 and 172 points, more faraway is the Honda with 152 points.
Although the season has arrived in its final phase, the development work of Pirelli continues. The Italian tire company is already projected into the 2016 season. In Superbike, after the successful testing sessions of June in Portimão, Pirelli wants to consolidate the feedback obtained and for this reason till the end of the year it will bring to the races some of the solutions seen so far only in the Portuguese tests.
As for the Supersport class, last year Jerez proved to be an excellent testing ground to evaluate the handling and the performance for those solutions which could then be used for the difficult start of the year at Phillip Island, which is why Pirelli will make available to the riders two new solutions in the increased 190/60 size.
Jerez Circuit VS tires: a varied circuit where tires need to be balanced in terms of handling and support whilst leaning
Jerez de la Frontera is a town located in Andalusia, in southern Spain near the town of Cadiz, which gives the name to the famous circuit inaugurated on December 8, 1985. When it was built, the track was 4218 meters long then, after some changes in Turn Sito Pons and thanks to the inclusion of Senna Chicane, it became longer and faster, now measuring as a 4423 meters track. In the last decade the pit lane has also been lengthened and, in order to make the circuit more safe, escape routes of some of the curves were asphalted. The track was paved for the last time in 2005.
The straights make up 69% of the total length of the track, which is equal to 3038 meters, while 1385 meters, the remaining 31%, are curves. The start-finish straight measures 600 meters with a width of 12 meters, while the rest of the track is 11 meters wide. In total the circuit presents thirteen curves, eight right and five to the left, with a corner radius that varies from the 30 meters of the curve 2, 6 and 13 to the 116 meters of the curve 4. The maximum slope is 5.1 % on the main straight while the maximum gradient is 5% at the exit of curve 5. The maximum bank is recorded at the exit of the curves 2, 6 and 13 and is equal to 7.46%, the minimum is 4.70% on curves 4 and 12. In general the Jerez circuit is very popular among the riders and teams who choose it very often to make private tests over the winter. This is due to the fact that the track is very varied with a series of curves at low, medium and fast speed that are technically good to develop the bike.
As for the tires, just for the fact that the circuit presents different curves, in a complete lap the rear reaches levels of stress which is quite balanced between the left and right side. Although the lateral loads generated during the race are not very high, in order to meet the different needs of the track (fast sections alternating with slow corners, some of these elevated) a rear tire with a good balance of handling and support in the lean is needed.
It is also worth mentioning that the type of asphalt used to cover the track of Jerez has a quite aggressive grainy character, although now it is less so than in the past. This factor must not be underestimated because it could create problems of uneven wear or abrasion on the rear tire.
On the other side the front tires are affected by other factors. The front end can ‘hop’ due to the undulations of the asphalt in addition to the requirements of being manageable and stable in braking. The motorcycle will require tires able to absorb the roughness of the asphalt and properly orientate in the faster corners. In this sense it will be interesting to note which one of the different SC1 and SC2 solution will better adapt to these conditions.
The Pirelli solutions for the Superbike and Supersport classes:
For the third last round of the 2015 Pirelli brings 4282 tires to meet the needs of all classes of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship.
In particular, each Superbike rider will have 64 tires to choose from, 35 front and 29 rear, but according to the rules, everyone may use only 24 over the entire race weekend.
In addition to the solutions to be used in wet, which are the intermediate DIABLO™ Wet and the full wet DIABLO™ Rain, every rider can choose between three different front slick solutions and two rear. Also those who will enter the Superpole on Saturday will receive a rear super soft qualifier tire.
At the front there are two development solutions in medium-soft SC1 compound and an SC2 in medium-hard compound. As for the SC1 solutions the novelty is the new T1616, which has never been brought to a race so far but that the riders were able to test during the tests in Portimão in June. This solution, compared to the standard SC1, further improves stability by limiting any phenomena of movement with high temperatures. The second development SC1 that can be chosen by the riders is the S1699 which debuted successfully at Aragón in 2014. It offers more support in the approach to bends in favour of a better steering precision and was the most widely used front tire through 2014. This year it has been brought to all rounds.
The last option for the front is the development SC2 U0104, brought to the race for the first time at Sepang but tested and highly appreciated by the riders in the official tests of Portimão. Compared to the standard SC2 this latter solution should ensure greater grip, more similar to that of the SC1.
For the rear two solutions in soft compound. The standard SC0, ideal for smooth asphalt and high temperatures, offers maximum indentation on asphalt and maximum traction at high temperatures, in addition to the higher stability to thermal decay performance. It debuted in Thailand and so far has also been taken to Aragón, Assen, Imola, Donington, Portimao, Laguna Seca and Sepang.
Alternatively riders can use the T0611, a development solution that debuted in Imola and was taken also to Portimão, Misano, Laguna Seca and Sepang. This tire uses a really soft compound which can offer a very high level of grip when used with high temperatures.
In Supersport, there are three front solutions and as many rear, in addition to the tires for wet. For the front two options in SC1 compound and one in SC2 compound. In addition to the standard SC1, ideal for demanding circuits, there is the development solution S1485, which made its debut at Misano in 2014 and has also been taken to Portimão and Magny-Cours. Usually it provides greater support in the approach to bends in favour of better steering precision. This year it was taken to Australia, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Great Britain, Portugal, USA and Malaysia. The third and last option is the standard SC2 in medium compound, suitable for aggressive riders who prefer the compactness of the tread band.
At the rear, Pirelli alongside the standard SC0 brings two new development solutions in soft compound and in increased 190/60 size compared to the classic 180/60 usually used in Supersport. The first of these solutions is the U0748 that, in circuits where there are high temperatures like Jerez and Phillip Island, it should dispel the severe environmental stress faced by the tires. The second alternative in increased size is the U0757 that, as the U0748, was developed particularly for Phillip Island and which differs from the U0748 in terms of structure.
The 2014 Pirelli statistics for Jerez:
• Total number of tires Pirelli brought: 4882
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 7 rear
• Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 38 front and 34 rear
• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (dry, intermediate and wet): 5 front and 4 rear
• Number of tires available for each Supersport rider: 26 front and 26 rear
• Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Davide Giugliano (Ducati Superbike Team),1’41.939 (Race 1, 2nd lap) and by Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team), 1’42.223 (Race 2, 3rd lap)
• Supersport Best Lap Award won by: Kenan Sofuoglu (Mahi Racing Team India), 1’44.849 (2nd lap)
• Temperature in Race 1: air 23° C, asphalt 26° C
• Temperature in Race 2: air 28° C, asphalt 40° C
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tires: 281.9 kms/h, in Race 1 by Marco Melandri (Aprilia Racing Team) at 5th lap
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tires in Supersport: 247.9 kms/h, Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport Team) at 2nd lap.