Pirelli on the way to Magny-Cours for the closing stages of the WorldSBK Championship, the match point for WorldSSP300 and STK1000 riders
The Milanese brand continues the development of their larger size tyres for the WorldSBK class bringing a new rear solution which was well appreciated by riders at the recent test at Portimão
Starting from next Friday, and throughout the weekend, the Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit will host the eleventh round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. It marks the final three rounds with only Argentina and Qatar remaining for the riders of the WorldSBK and WorldSSP600 classes, but is the final match for those of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship and the Superstock 1000 European Championship.
In the WorldSSP300 class there are four contenders still potentially fighting for the title, three of them riding Kawasaki, who are already Manufacturer Champions. Spanish female Ana Carrasco leads the standings with 90 points followed by Dutchman Scott Deroue (80) and the Spanish rider Mika Perez (72). More detached, but potentially still mathematically in striking distance is KTM German rider Luca Grunwald.
BMW has already secured the Manufacturers title in the European STK1000 class but in addition to the BMW riders Markus Reiterberger with 140 points and Roberto Tamburini with 122, also Maximilian Scheib on Aprilia can potentially aspire to the European title.
As for the tyres, Pirelli essentially confirms the solutions already taken onto the field in the last two rounds of Misano and Portimão. In the WorldSBK class the novelty is the new slick solution in the soft compound X0914, debuting but tested recently at Portimão in late August. Like other solutions already developed, this is also available in the innovative 200/65 size but has a different carcass.
The Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit, inaugurated in 1960, is 4411 metres long and has a layout with nine right-handers and 8 to the left, with a minimum bend radius of 5 metres and a maximum of 474.45 metres plus a finishing straight which measures 250 metres in length. The maximum slope uphill is 2.38%, with a 2.68% descent. The rider in pole position starts on the right hand side of the track.
Nevers multifunctional facility has evolved over the years, changing several times and adapting itself to demanding standards in order to obtain the certifications required to host prestigious championships. The latest configuration of the Burgundian circuit, still used by the FIM World Superbike Championship, dates back to 2003, with a change of the two sectors; Château d’Eau and Lycée.
This track is characterised by sudden deceleration and re-acceleration, interspersed with medium length straights, with plenty of altitude changes. In its default configuration it also provided a hairpin (Adelaide) with one of the heaviest braking points present among the international circuits, arriving from a fast straight.
The asphalt has a smooth and regular surface and is therefore relatively, more kind to the tyres. The only aspect critical to the circuit is linked to braking in the downhill sections putting the front tyre under stress. And the great unknown is of course the weather which at this time in that area of France, can supply warm and dry days or just as easily, cold temperatures and rain.
The solutions for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP600 classes
Pirelli arrives at Magny-Cours with a total of 5026 tyres available to riders of all four classes of the FIM Superbike World Championship. As always, in addition to dry tyres, there are wet tyres to be used in the case of bad weather.
Among the dry solutions, the riders of the WorldSBK class can choose between four front and three rear, on top to these the are two supersoft qualifier options, one in standard 200/60 size and the other in the larger 200/65, both of which can be used by the riders who graduate to the second session of Superpole®.
At the front Pirelli focuses on solutions in soft compound: the standard SC1 is flanked by the development SC1 V0952, much appreciated by the riders in all the rounds of this year, and the X0417 which was introduced in Misano and also carried to Portimão. This last is presented in the innovative 125/70 size compared to the standard 120/70 used by all other solutions.
For the rear three solutions in soft compound and one in medium compound. Among the solutions in the soft compound, two are well known to the riders: the standard SC0, and the X0175 which debuted at Brno and was then brought to Misano and Portimão , appreciated by riders. The last solution in a soft compound is the new X0914, never brought to a round but tested by the riders during the official testing in Portimão at the end of August. The latter is also presented in the innovative 200/65 size and uses the same compound of the X0175 but with a different structure.
The fourth solution, the one in SC1 compound, will be the X0140specification, introduced in Aragón and also carried to Assen and Brno. This solution has been designed to offer a high level of performance and limited wear and could be the race solution in case of low temperatures.
In the WorldSSP600 six dry solutions are provided, three for the front and as many for the rear.
At the front in addition to the standard SC1 there are also the soft X0012 and the medium X0582 solutions, the latter designed to offer greater grip and less wear compared to the standard SC2.
At the rear as an alternative to the standard SC0 will be present the development SC0 X0633, which compared to the standard solution should offer better resistance and constant performance. The third and final option is the development SC1 X0093, already brought by Pirelli to Aragón, Assen, Misano and Portimão, which is designed to guarantee a high level of performance and limited wear, especially if temperatures are lower.
The 2017 Pirelli statistics for Magny-Cours
• Total number of tyres brought by Pirelli: 5022
• Number of solutions (including dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 7 rear
• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 40 front and 39 rear
• Number of solutions for the Supersport class (including dry, intermediate and wet): 5 front and 4 rear
• Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 28 front and 22 rear
• Superbike Best Lap Awards both won by: Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), in 1'52.749 (Race 1, 21st lap) and in 1'43.148 (Race 2, 4th lap)
• Supersport Best Lap Award won by: Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team), in 1'42.185 at 18th lap
• Temperature in Race 1: air 16° C, asphalt 18° C
• Temperature in Race 2: air 16° C, asphalt 21° C
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 290.3 km/hin Race 2by Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) at the 17th lap and by Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) at the 20th lap
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC tyres in Supersport race: 261.5 km/h, by Lorenzo Zanetti (Team Factory Vamag) at 7th lap.
