so seldom seen in action . It was justification to Pirelli for all their belief in Inters over the years . They have had to almost insist on continuing to bring them to races , even having to persuade the overall powers-that-be that they were a good idea to include on the tyre allocations at all . “ We have got over the fight we had with the promoters , Flammini first and then Dorna , plus the FIM , because they always asked us to quit the use of intermediate tyres , like they did in MotoGP™ ,” said Barbier . “ But we continue to bring them because we know in certain conditions these tyres are incredible , and very safe as well . In the conditions of one of the races at Aragon you risked not to finish the race on a wet tyre , and to have a lot of sliding after a certain number of laps . And yet on slicks it seems impossible to race - so the intermediate is the right answer . In the last 18 years we have used them just a few times . One race won by Pierfrancesco Chili on intermediates , but to see the real value of these tyres you need a race . No-one uses these tyres in a practice session , because the teams consider it a loss of time . In the races , if the conditions are right , you can have a big advantage with an intermediate .” The way Pirelli works closely with the teams in WorldSBK was explained by Barbier , but in the final decision making system of which tyre options to select for each race is always up to the teams and riders . “ We always give suggestions to the teams , starting from before the first practice , the approach to the racetrack from the first session on Friday ,” said Barbier . “ We explain the range of tyres , we say what we would like to see , then we face the conditions . But , when it comes to the races , I say to my engineers , stop your judgement for the teams . Riders and teams have to take the decision . Even if it seems to us strange … They have this possibility and they have in their hands all their moves . Then they have to use it . After the race we can explain what we saw from all the others and then bring this experience and the choices from the top . Clearly in conditions like we had in Motorland Aragon , a few minutes before the start , in pitlane , if they need to have information they come ten minutes before Superbike starts . For example , Fabien Foret and Jonathan Rea may come to us and say , “ What do you think about the intermediate ?” And I would tell them what I think about it . The riders will come out , look at the racetrack , the engineers too - but it is a matter of their decision . We are there to provide suggestions .” Mutual trust is key , according to Barbier . “ A weekend like Motorland is one in which we got a lot of data and feedback and we can build our relationship with the riders and the teams . It is important in a moment
PIRELLI STATS PITSTOP
Pirelli has competed at 42 different WorldSBK circuits since 1989 . Navarra , Most and Mandalika are the new challenges for 2021 .
Since the dawn of the single make tyre era in 2004 , Pirelli as brought over 750 new tyre solutions .
Over 1 million Pirelli tyres have been taken to WorldSBK races since 2004 .
of crisis that they have to find us and talk with us . Trust you create in the moment of crisis .” Barbier , a man with long experience in the tyre industry , and WorldSBK in particular , thinks that WorldSBK in general is very good and strong shape right now , with a bright future . “ We have seen not only how much Kawasaki , Ducati , Yamaha trust in the championship , increasing their participation , BMW and Honda have come back very strong ,” he stated . “ The manufacturers are trusting in the championship . We have good riders , the level of the teams is at a good average , we saw some private teams on the podium as well now . In my opinion the championship is improving and growing . And the performance is quite interesting . The good life of the championship you can see even in WorldSSP . Two years ago it seemed a class without a future . Now we have 28 riders , in Misano we had at least 36 riders . The 300 class , at entry level , shows that it is also very powerful . These three classes are really healthy .”
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