For the Pirelli French Round, the penultimate event of the FIM Superbike World Championship, Pirelli brings a new rear Rain solution for the WorldSBK class
Pirelli is the Event Main Sponsor of the French round at Nevers Magny-Cours circuit next weekend which could be a decisive round for the run-up to the SBK world title
Next weekend the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship circus moves to France where, at the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit, the second last round of the season will take place. Pirelli is the Event Main Sponsor of this event, which for the occasion is named the Pirelli French Round.
The brand of the elongated P logo will equip riders with a new rear Rain solution for the WorldSBK class on top of the standard and development solutions already known, while the WorldSSP class will only have available standard solutions.
There are only two rounds to go before the end of the Championship and the French round could be a pivotal moment in the run-up to the world titles of the Superbike and Supersport 300 classes. In WorldSBK Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) dominates the overall standings, fifty-one points ahead of Ducati rider Scott Redding. So at this round the five-time World Champion could attempt the assault on a sixth consecutive world title. While in WorldSSP it is Andrea Locatelli (Yamaha) who was crowned World Champion in Montmelò, in the WorldSSP300 class the fight for the title is still open: the Kawasaki Dutchmen Jeffrey Buis and Scott Deroue are respectively forty-seven and thirty-one points over Turkish rider Bahattin Sofuoglu (Yamaha).
Inaugurated almost 60 years ago in 1960, the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit is 4411 metres long and has nine right-handers and eight 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. This track is characterised by sudden deceleration and re-acceleration changes, interspersed with medium length straights and plenty of altitude changes. In its default layout it also provides 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 therefore offers little natural grip, especially in case of low temperatures or in the wet. Moreover, in some points the riders are called to brake in the downhill sections putting the front tyre under stress.
The solutions for WorldSBK and WorldSSP class:
In the WorldSBK class, riders will be able to count on 5 front and 7 rear solutions, including wet solutions. The slick options for the front will be three: the standard SC1 in soft compound and the standard SC2 in medium compound will be flanked by the development SC1 Y1231 that riders had the opportunity to try during the winter tests and during the first two European rounds of the season. This tyre uses a softer compound compared to the standard SC1 and is able to offer more grip and contact feeling, while the structure was developed to increase lateral thrust.
There are seven rear tyre options. Also in this round the standard SCX in super soft compound and the standard soft compound SC0, which have been by far the most used options this season, are confirmed. In addition, the riders will have available the development solution; Y0966 in medium compound, which offers an improved overall performance thanks to an increased contact area and a more performing compound compared to the standard SC1. As for what concerns wet solutions, at Magny-Cours Pirelli provides pilots with a new rear development solution with X1251 specification, which uses a compound intended to offer more grip in wet conditions and particularly at low temperatures.
The WorldSSP riders will be able to count on two front options, the standard soft SC1 and the standard medium SC2, other than the two standard rear options, the soft compound SC0 and the medium compound SC1. Also the riders of the Supersport class will have available the Intermediate and Rain solutions in the case of rain.
More details on the tyre options for WorldSBK and WoldSSP are available in the technical sheets attached to this press release.
2019 statistics for Pirelli in Magny-Cours
- Total number of tyres brought by Pirelli: 4.047
- Number of solutions (including dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 5 front and 7 rear.
- Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 34 front and 33 rear.
- Number of solutions for the WorldSSP class (including dry, intermediate and wet): 4 front and 4 rear.
- Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 26 front and 24 rear
- WorldSBK Best Lap Awards won by: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) in 1'37.759 (Race 1, 17th lap) and by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in 1'37.363 (Race 2, 2nd lap)
- WorldSSP Best Lap Awards won by: Isaac Viñales (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6), in 1'41.991 on 10th lap
- Temperature in Race 1: air 19° C, track 21° C
- Temperature in Race 2: air 26° C, track 34° C
- Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 295,9 km/h, by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) on 11th lap
- Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC tyres in WorldSSP race: 262,1 km/h, by Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse / MV Agusta F3 675) on 10th lap