POWERED BY
The reasons for Pirelli ’ s now often copied desire to be the sole tyre supplier of a major series were clear and multiple to the famous Milan-based manufacturer . Central among them was working alongside all of the best Superbike riders on the planet to prove - and then improve - their products in the most extreme testbed of all , intense on-track WorldSBK competition .
Fred Merkel was the first Pirelli WorldSBK champion , against all comers , way back in 1989 . From the very beginning until the arrival of Pirelli as the single make supplier , the WorldSBK Rider ’ s title was usually won by Honda or Ducati competitors , with just Scott Russell and Kawasaki breaking that long run in 1993 .
As soon as the full ‘ Pirelli Era ’ began in 2004 , the overall competitiveness of the championship was revolutionised , with Aprilia , Suzuki and Yamaha all reaching the status of World Championship winners within a few years .
Riders of the calibre of two-time champions James Toseland ( 2004 and 2007 ) and Troy Corser ( champion with Pirelli in 2005 ) became the ultimate test riders , along with a field full of proven talent and potential champions from all manufacturers .
2006 and eventual three-time champion Troy Bayliss won his last two World Championships with Pirelli tyres . One-season American sensation Ben Spies took the crown in 2009 , before Max Biaggi became the first Italian WorldSBK champion in 2010 . He then repeated the feat in 2012 , after Carlos Checa had won the title for Spain in 2011 .
Tom Sykes , Sylvain Guintoli , six-time and continuing legend Jonathan Rea celebrated their successes on Pirelli products . The most recent champions - Toprak Razgatlioglu and Alvaro Bautista - bring us right up to date .
It has been a long , always winding , and constantly moving road for Pirelli to follow since 2004 , with the constant travelling companions of technical improvement and customer benefit pushing along every advancde and every major development .
In 2005 there was the birth of the DIABLO Superbike range ; in 2007 the arrival of the DIABLO Supercorsa family . These World Championship level tyres were not only available to professional riders but to all motorcyclists around the world as Pirelli coined the motto , " We sell what we race , we race what we sell .”
This FROM RACE TO ROAD concept used WorldSBK not only as a visibility platform for the brand but also as a tyre development laboratory that is staffed by top racers , with final products in the range that can be purchased by all motorcyclists . To date , DIABLO Supercorsa in the SP version , is the best example of technology transfer from the track to the road that we have among our long history of tyre development .
Pirelli ’ s range of racing tyres have provided the grip and endurance required for three different manufacturers - Kawasaki , Yamaha and Ducati - to win the championship in the past three seasons . As well as the WorldSBK development options , many race winning tyres are commercial products - tyres in the ‘ range ’ as they are described - and available for anyone to buy from Pirelli ’ s racing dealer network . Tyres in the ‘ range ’ are exactly the same as those that may have won the most recent WorldSBK race .
For 2023 there will be more excursions into new areas of development and product validation . Pirelli will focus its efforts on improving the recent SCQ specification , so that it can be increasingly used not only in Superpole qualifying but also in the 10 laps of the Superpole Races . This year the SCQ solution will be put into the Pirelli range and therefore can also be purchased and used in local championships , from Pirelli dealers .
In addition to the expanding SCQ news , Pirelli will be working on the development of an unprecedented front solution , in the form of the SC0 soft compound family . Until now there were only SC1 and SC2 options available for the front - but no longer - as the SC0 option expands the possibilities for riders and teams at the highest level .
OFFICIAL PROGRAMME
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