The iconic brand confirms its undisputed leading status in the world of two-wheel racing, with its participation in 110 championships over five continents, including the Superbike World Championship, Motocross and Endurance, AMA Supercross Championship and British Superbike
Addition to the range of compounds for riders to choose from: both front and rear, the new SC3, developed for endurance competition and situations in which good resistance and lasting performance are needed, has joined the existing family.
120/70 R17 DIABLO SUPERBIKE SC3 NHS
180/60 R17 DIABLO SUPERBIKE SC3 NHS
200/60 R17 DIABLO SUPERBIKE SC3 NHS
2016, another year in which Pirelli will be the undisputed star of the most important national and international motorcycle competitions. From Phillip Island to the desert sands and US stadiums, via some of the most fascinating locations and tracks in the world: the iconic brand will be participating in 110 motor cycle championships over five continents. Of these 34 as Sole Tyre Supplier and 76 in ‘open’ competition with other tyre manufacturers.
Among the most important are the Superbike, Motocross and Endurance World Championships, AMA Supercross Championship and MCE British Superbike, as well as numerous national and local championships, in both on and off-road. Pirelli has been involved in these for several years, true to the strong sporting spirit which has always been a distinguishing characteristic of the company.
A glaring example of Pirelli's full circle commitment to competition: on the weekend of 27 and 28 February the tyre manufacturer's motorsports team will be competing at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia for the first date of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta for the eighth race of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross an FIM World Championship and lastly at Losail, just a short distance from the capital of Qatar, for the opening leg of the FIM Motocross World Championship.
The most important change for 2016 is Pirelli's introduction of a new compound to the DIABLO™ Superbike slick range of tyres. This is used in both World Superbike and available for the Superbike classes of national championships and road racing competitions. The new SC3 solution, available for the front and the rear, adds to the existing range as the hardest of the available solutions and has been specifically developed for endurance races and situations where good resistance and lasting performance are needed. This means that as well as being used in the FIM Endurance World Championship, this compound could also occasionally appear in action at the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, but only as a front option since given the length of the race. Such a hard, resistant solution would be superfluous for the rear wheel and unlikely to be chosen by riders completing relatively few kilometres at maximum performance.
This year too Pirelli will be participating, in some cases as the Sole Tyre Supplier and in others in an open competition, in some of the most important motorcycle events at a national and international level. These include the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, the FIM Motocross World Championship, the FIM Endurance World Championship, Monster Energy AMA Supercross (a FIM World Championship), the MCE British Superbike Championship, Italian Speed Championship, German IDM Championship and French Superbike series.
The racing series: the DIABLO™ for road competitions
Pirelli's road racing tyre series designed for use on the track and in road racing competitions consists of four products from the DIABLO™ range:
DIABLO™ Superbike: is the top of the range product for the racing series,a slick NHS (abbreviation of "Not for Highway Service") tyre, in other words not approved for road use, able to guarantee maximum performance thanks to the variety of compounds it is offered in. It is used for example in the Superbike class of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship and the FIM Endurance World Championship as well as in national championships.
DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC: unlike DIABLO™ Superbike this tyre is not slick but treaded, it too is available in different compounds. It's the product used in the Supersport and Superstock classes where the performance offered by a slick tyre is not required and the motorcycle should be as true as possible to those for sale on the market.
DIABLO™ Rain: the benchmark wet tyre for all classes and championships. With a grooved tread, it's the ideal solution in conditions of heavy rain or on thoroughly wet surfaces. The compound used for this product guarantees maximum traction in the wet both at cold temperatures and at medium-hot temperatures.
DIABLO™ Wet: an intermediate solution between the dry tyre and DIABLO™ Rain. This tyre has a pattern with a smaller number of grooves than the wet tyre and a compound halfway between a slick and a wet solution which enables it to work well in surface conditions which is still wet or in conditions of drying asphalt with already dry lines.
Focus on the new DIABLO™ Superbike SC3 compound
The new SC3 solution, available for the front and the rear is the sturdiest of those present in the Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike 2016 series. This solution was developed by the brand as a result of the years of experience acquired while participating in the FIM Endurance World Championship and the many victories in competitions such as Le Mans 24 Hours or the Bol d’Or. It is therefore a solution developed above all for use in endurance competitions and in all those cases where a high level of resistance and longer lasting performance than those which other compounds can offer, is needed.
As regards the rear, compared to the SC2 which is the closest solution to it in terms of characteristics, the SC3 offers greater durability and more constant performance in all ranges of use, at the cost of peaks in performance.
On the front, the SC3 is versatile and offers constant performance. In detail, compared to an SC1 it ensures a longer mileage but at the cost of grip and contact feeling while if compared to the SC2 it continues to offer a mileage but at the price of less driving precision.
For these reasons the SC3 is an excellent solution for endurance competition and all those racing contexts, such as, for example, Northern Championships, where a highly protected, resistant solution unlikely to tear with the cold, needs to be used. During the year it will also be appearing in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship but only as a front option: the circuits the World Championship are raced on, the length of the races and the temperatures normally encountered on these occasions do not in fact make it a valid solution for the rear where, in almost all cases, riders prefer the higher performance SC0.
These are the rear solutions with corresponding features and range of use:
There are three front compounds of the DIABLO™ Superbike but the criteria for use are not the same as those used to choose the rear compounds.
In this case as well as the temperature and hardness of the asphalt, it's important to bear in mind the layout of the track, and above all the rider's driving style.
Generally speaking however, when the temperature of the track increases the compound tends to become less compact and lose rigidity, sometimes causing problems of movement when leaning. In this case it's advisable to use a harder compound such as the SC2.
On the other hand, when the track is cold, the compound tends to become more rigid and this leads to less grip with possible under-steering and decreased stability while braking. In these conditions it is better to use a soft compound such as SC1.
These are the front solutions with corresponding features and range of use: