In the fifth world round, the sole manufacturer Pirelli brings a new ultra-soft rear tire: could this be the anti-Ducati joker?
About Paolo Gozzi de Motoracing
Pirelli works tirelessly to make Superbikes go faster and faster, using road concept tires, which are then made available to ultra-sporty users for track days. During the fifth world round which will take place this weekend in Misano, the sole supplier will introduce a very interesting new feature, namely a new SCQ (ultra-soft) concept, available both for qualifying and for the Superpole Race. The novelty, signed C004, will offer the same level of grip as the previous SCQ, but has been designed to have more regularity in performance, therefore to face the ten laps of the Sprint without worrying about durability.
By coupling this new SCQ with the new SC0 before, introduced during the previous round in Barcelona, a very formidable mixture could emerge to try to beat those who will instead go towards safer solutions. In other words: it could be an additional grip joker to try to chip away at Alvaro Bautista's dominance, who also recently used the B-800 in the Superpole Race, that is to say the SCX-A (evolution) which represents the medium-soft choice. To sharpen these new weapons, however, drivers and teams will need a weekend of very stable weather, with possibly hot-very hot asphalt. In fact, the SC0 before in Spain was tested very little by the best drivers, who in the absence of certain data and on a track that was extremely tiring for the tires, avoided risking it even in the Sprint.
Unlike Michelin in Grand Prix, Pirelli works on the search for performance in WSBK
Pirelli bets very strongly on the “SCQ generation” not only with the intention of attacking ever deeper the limits of Superbike, which lately are collapsing more and more frequently. But also with the prospect of putting ever more efficient solutions on the market, ideal both for amateur use but also in national competitions. In the National Trophy in Italy, for example, the races are very short, in line with the Superpole Race of the World Championship, so for about a year now the SCQ has become the winning weapon that Pirelli has equalized against the competition.
“The previous SCQ gave us excellent results in the national championships held in Italy, France and Spain,” comments George Barbier, head of Pirelli's Motorcycle Racing division. “ The use is more extreme in the World Championship, so we were missing something to be able to use it on a large scale in the Superpole Race. With this new solution, we believe we have closed the gap ».
To get an idea of how riders and teams guide tire choice, one must keep in mind the available quantities of each solution. We remind you that according to the regulations, each Superbike rider cannot use more than 33 front tires and 36 rear tires. In Misano, the distribution will be as follows. Front: SC0 six pieces, SC1 eight pieces, SC2 eight pieces. Rear: SCX 8 pieces, SCX-A (B800) 8 pieces, SC0 5 pieces, SCQ (only for qualifying and Superpole race) 4 pieces. In case of bad weather the solutions are unique: Intermediate (3 front pieces, 3 rear pieces). Wet: front SCR1 8 pieces, rear SCR1 8 pieces.
