17
October
2022
|
11:01
Europe/Amsterdam

Pirelli at the foot of the Andes for WorldSBK, equipped with soft solutions

At the San Juan Villicum circuit in Argentina, the battle between the championship leader Bautista, Razgatlioglu and Rea is renewed

TYRE OPTIONS FOR THIS CIRCUIT

  • The tenth round of the FIM Superbike World Championship, which will take place next weekend in Argentina at the San Juan Villicum Circuit, is also the first round this year to be held outside the borders of the ‘Old Continent’. For this track, which does not have characteristics or layout particularly demanding for tyres, Pirelli has decided to focus on soft solutions that are well known to riders
  • There will be two front options, both in soft compound: the standard SC1 and the development SC1 A0674 (SC1A) which during the season was the alternative development front most used by the riders. As for the rear, there are two, both standard, which can be used in all races: the supersoft SCX and the soft SC0. These two are joined by the SCQ option which, after their absence in Portimão, are back in action as a qualifying tyre and for the Superpole Race.
  • In WorldSSP, the supersoft rear solution returns to the field. In fact, riders will be able to choose between standard SC1 or SC2 at the front and SCX or SC0 at the rear.
  • The San Juan Villicum Circuit, inaugurated in 2018 for the production derived series, is a very fast track, in which 300kph+ speeds are easily reached, in particular on the start/finish straight which is over one kilometre long, and the other straight between corners 7 and 8 which is by far the longest stretch. The circuit rises to an altitude of about 650 metres above sea level at the foot of the Andes, which can mean a significant temperature range during the day. Also, the track is often very dirty due to the sand deposited by the wind from the surrounding desert areas, meaning Friday’s sessions can be very dusty, then improving over the weekend.

For more details on tyre allocation for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes, please refer to the technical data sheets attached to this press release.

GIORGIO BARBIER, MOTORCYCLE RACING DIRECTOR

“The Argentinian circuit is a very fast circuit but does not present any particular critical issues for the tyres. The unknown factor is usually represented by the asphalt which, especially on the first day, is very dirty, both because of the sand deposited by the wind and because this is not a particularly used track over the year. This can cause initially more pronounced wear levels and a lack of grip but usually, with the track evolution, the situation improves a lot over the weekend. This of course provided that it does not rain or that there is no strong wind during the night, because in this case the track would reset to return to the initial conditions. Temperatures may vary between sessions, due to the thermal changes caused by the proximity of the mountains, but they are always quite mild at this time of the year. All this considered and as we have also seen in the past, the softer solutions that guarantee maximum grip remain the most suitable for tackling San Juan Villicum”.