A concentrate of technology, performance, and safety, the result of twenty years of experience in the FIM World Superbike Championship

Best-seller pedigree: more than 3.5 million tyres sold from 2007 to the present

The revamping process of the sport range’s fourth series has been completed

From 2002, the year the first DIABLO tyre was born, the line of products which bear this name has identified Pirelli’s motorcycle sport tyres, continuing the success story which began in the ’70s, marked by exciting names such as Mandrake, Phantom, Gordon, Demon, and Dragon. With the DIABLO family, Pirelli revolutionised global street tyre paradigms, creating a proper brand, enriched year after year by technological innovations and the experience gained in the FIM World Superbike Championship, where Pirelli has been sole tyre supplier since 2004. After introducing the DIABLO Superbike tyres in 2005, slicks exclusively for track use designed for the Superbike category, in 2007, Pirelli launched the first generation of DIABLO Supercorsa SC grooved racing tyres, followed by the SP street version in 2008. DIABLO Supercorsa SC became the absolute benchmark for the Supersport and Superstock categories, both in the world and national championships and even now it is the standard for those championships that still use treaded tyres. In the same way, over the years, DIABLO Supercorsa SP has been selected as OEM equipment on the most prestigious supersport and hyper naked bikes. The second generation of DIABLO Supercorsa, presented in 2012, was then followed by the third in 2018, and now the fourth continues the path of technological excellence begun three decades ago.

ONE SOUL, TWO PRODUCTS: SC AND SP, FROM THE TRACK TO THE STREET 

When Pirelli decided to make the first DIABLO Supercorsa in 2007, they did so with a rather specific idea and goal. The idea was to make a racing tyre respecting the basic philosophy of the World Superbike Championship, namely the bond with normal production, so not a prototype tyre, but a product that can be used by both professional riders and normal motorcyclists. The goal is to take advantage of the top category in the production derived world series not only as a showcase to give the brand visibility but also as a laboratory to develop, with some of the best riders in the world and the most prestigious manufacturers, advanced technological solutions and tyres not for exclusive use by the world championship riders, but also for everyday use. And it is precisely with DIABLO Supercorsa that the motto dear to Pirelli’s heart was born, “We sell what we race, we race what we sell”, indicating how the very same tyres used by professional riders in races can be purchased by any motorcyclist. This is why, from the beginning, DIABLO Supercorsa was developed as a single project but in two forms: the SC track tyre in various compounds and its SP street version, both in standard production available for purchase on the market in order to meet not only the needs of track riders, but also sport street riding enthusiasts. Over the years, DIABLO Supercorsa SP has become the supersport tyre of choice for all high performance bike owners who want an uncompromising street riding experience, thanks to extremely high levels of grip and performance. But above all, as of today, it remains the best and most immediate example of the technological transfer from track to road of Pirelli tyres, since it shares with the ‘SC’ the tread pattern, profiles, and many materials and technologies used in terms of structure, in addition to one of the two compounds it uses (the SC3).

CONCENTRATION OF TECHNOLOGY, PERFORMANCE AND SAFETY BORN IN SUPERBIKE 

DIABLO Supercorsa, in both the SC and the SP versions, is a true concentration of technology capable of providing high performance combined with the highest safety standards thanks to the ability to interact and collaborate closely with the most modern and sophisticated riding assistance systems. It is the result of twenty years of studies, development, and testing of solutions by Pirelli in the FIM World Superbike Championship. It is a tyre that was also designed with input from former world champions and developed with the support of all the manufacturers and teams that participate in the most important competition for factory derivative bikes. DIABLO Supercorsa SC V4, where the abbreviation SC stands for “Special Compound”, is the best and fastest treaded track tyre ever made by Pirelli. Thanks to the various compounds it is available in, DIABLO Supercorsa SC V4 is intended for use by both professional and semi-professional riders, as well as by those who are simply track day enthusiasts or riders just starting out in their careers who want to improve performance without making changes to the settings on their bikes. Compared with its V3 predecessor, these are the features and relative benefits for the riders that DIABLO Supercorsa SC V4 has to offer:

• Latest generation compounds for outstanding performance and grip
• Racing structure for better support coming out of corners
• Racing profiles to the advantage of rideability, line holding, and stability at high speeds
• Tread pattern with patented Flash evolution for smoother power on leans and improved consistency of performance

In the same way, DIABLO Supercorsa SP V4, where the abbreviation SP stands for “Sport Production”, is the sportiest tyre ever for street use in the DIABLO family. Compared with the SC version, DIABLO Supercorsa SP complies with all the regulatory restrictions of the vehicles it can equip – such as, for example, the speed index requirement (W) – and it is less sensitive to temperature, as well as heating up more quickly and providing more mileage due to the compounds. This tyre is intended for riders who love sport riding not only on the track but on the road as well. This undoubtedly includes owners of supersport street bikes from which the World Superbike Championship bikes are derived, but also track day enthusiasts who want a street legal tyre so they can ride to the circuit instead of having to load the bike on a trailer and one that will also let them turn laps on the track without having to swap out tyres. DIABLO Supercorsa SP V4 ensures significant benefits for riders:

• Dual compound on both the front and the rear for maximum grip in leans and outstanding thrust coming out of turns, but also adequate mileage.
• Latest generation structures that work in unison with the compounds for optimum performance both on the road and on the track by simply adjusting the pressure.
• Profiles, identical to those of the SC version which ensure a simple ride and maximum reactivity.
• Tread pattern identical to that of the SC with the new flash pattern interrupted at the centre with a slick area for smoother thrust at any lean angle and more consistent

Both versions share the tread pattern, the profiles, the compounds in part, and some technological solutions in terms of structure.

Tread pattern

• The interrupted FLASH design improves water displacement and the area of contact surface with the ground.
• The slick section where the pattern is interrupted has an impact on the rigidity of the tread, reducing risks of groove deformation, and ensures better thrust at any lean angle.
• The direction of the flash pattern on the tread follows the direction of the lateral force experienced in track riding, ensuring more even and consistent performance along with reduced warm-up time.
• The first area of the shoulder without grooves guarantees greater contact between rubber and road surface both halfway and all the way into a lean in order to ensure greater grip on turns
• The completely slick external area of the shoulder improves thrust at extreme angles

Profiles

• The same racing profiles, developed in the World Superbike Championship, of the DIABLO Superbike slick tyre and the other fourth generation hypersport tyres in the Pirelli range.
• Multi-radius profiles for abrupt direction changes, whereas the slick shoulder area provides high grip and outstanding line holding on corners.
• The profile of the front improves handling, enticing the rider to lean into corners earlier, facilitating quick direction changes. It also provides exceptional stability thanks to the extended contact area in the leaning stage.
• The rear follows the same pattern and similar geometry to the front in order to ensure synchronised performance of the set.
• In the DIABLO™ SUPERCORSA SP V4, the tyre bead is designed to provide maximum performance both with tyre pressure on the road and with track use pressure (2.3 Bar front / 2.1 Bar rear with hot tyres). It is precisely the possibility of decreasing tyre pressure for track sessions that sets DIABLO SUPERCORSA SP V4 clearly apart from the other tyres in the Pirelli hypersport range.

Structure

• The SC version shares with the DIABLO™ SUPERBIKE slick both structure and material which are able to ensure top performance and greater ease of riding with the use of specific pressures for the track.
• Compared with its V3 predecessor, the new V4 uses new materials, such as wider section structural cords made up of a high number of textile fibres braided together to give the tyre greater rigidity combined with better shock-absorbing capabilities.
• In the SP version, each size has its own structure, fine-tuned for optimum performance in combination with the width of the specific profile for that size, the proportions of the compound and the arrangement of the tread pattern. Additionally, the structure of the SP is optimised for street use, so also for long distances in a straight line on motorways.

Compounds

DIABLO Supercorsa SC V4 is available in three compounds for both the front and rear:

• SC1 - Front: maximum feeling / Rear: top performance with high temperatures and not very abrasive asphalt
• SC2 - Front: maximum stability and consistency / Rear: consistent performance and ideal for low temperatures or extremely abrasive asphalt
• SC3 - The race-for-fun choice for extended track sessions, but not intended for professional racing use

DIABLO Supercorsa SP V4 is dual compound both at the front and the rear.

Front:

• The first DIABLO Supercorsa tyre to adopt two compounds at the front.
• Layout with a central and base compound paired with a second compound on the tyre shoulders.
• The base compound, which covers the entire profile of the tyre and emerges coming into contact with the asphalt at the central section, is full-silica and extremely versatile, providing thermal stability and ensures consistent performance in both cold and hot temperatures.
• The compound of the shoulders is the same one used in the SC3 racing version, in 100% carbon black formulation, and it is capable of ensuring outstanding handling and maximum grip even at full lean.

Rear:

• Compared with the front, this has a softer central compound and a wider side, but still maintaining the same base compound of the front in support of the two compounds in contact with the asphalt.
• The central compound is 100% carbon black and optimised to work effectively in a broad range of temperatures because it provides grip and quick heating in various conditions. Additionally, it ensures stability at high speeds and resistance.
• The compound used on the shoulders is the same as the one used on the front, so SC3, for maximum power coming out of corners.
• The base compound, which is beneath the two compounds that are in contact with the asphalt, has a 100% Carbon Black formulation and was designed to work in the best possible way with the other two compounds, providing thermal stability and a better feeling for the rider.

BEST-SELLER PEDIGREE: MORE THAN 3.5 MILLION TYRES SOLD 

The Diablo Supercorsa is a success story not only on the technological side, but also in terms of sales. In fact, since its début in 2007,  more than 3.5 million DIABLO Supercorsa tyres have been sold all over the world, making this product one of the most successful motorcycle tyres in Pirelli history. A success which, with this fourth generation, Pirelli will continue to build on, equipping the most prestigious supersport and naked bikes that will be introduced to the market in 2023 and the years to come with DIABLO Supercorsa SP and, with DIABLO Supercorsa SC, offering riders and track enthusiasts a racing tyre that embodies the most cutting-edge technologies. 

MISSION RACING AND SPORT RANGE REVAMPING ACCOMPLISHED

With DIABLO Supercorsa V4, Pirelli concluded the revamping process of the fourth generation of the DIABLO racing and sport range which began in 2021 with DIABLO ROSSO IV and continued in 2022 with DIABLO ROSSO IV Corsa. Therefore, the Pirelli range is now made up of two DIABLO SUPERBIKE racing products - the competition slick par excellence, and DIABLO SUPERCORSA SC V4, the treaded tyre for the track - and of supersport and sport tyres primarily for street use, beginning with the new DIABLO Supercorsa SP V4, the most extreme of the street tyres also suitable for the track, as well as the DIABLO ROSSO IV CORSA, the most focused version of the DIABLO ROSSO IV. Each of these tyres are covered by patents developed by Pirelli in the World Superbike Championship and the difference between these five products lies substantially in the type of use, whether street or track, in performance on dry and wet asphalt, and in the mileage that each one is able to provide.

More details on available sizes of DIABLO SUPERCORSA SC and SP V4 are available on the Pirelli.com website at the following links:

DIABLO SUPERCORSA SC V4

DIABLO SUPERCORSA SP V4

Thanks to a high-level graphic rendering and a very realistic gameplay experience obtained with the advice of professional riders and experts, Milestone has managed to recreate the real world of the Championship with great fidelity. The extreme level of simulation is not only limited to the behaviour of motorbikes and riders but also the details. The Pirelli brand, for example, is present in the videogame on the trackside banners, on the fairings of the motorcycles, on the suits of the riders, as well as on the tyres that are used.

The presence of Pirelli is not limited to this: the sole tyre supplier of WorldSBK also plays a key role because it represents an important component capable of influencing gameplay. In fact, players have the possibility of equipping their motorbikes by choosing from the different compounds the DIABLO™ Superbike tyres are available in. As in real-life, players will have access to an allocation of tyres, both dry and wet, which will also vary from track to track and includes not only standard solutions but also development options. Just as in the FIM Superbike World Championship, based on the choice of compound, the algorithm of the videogame modifies the behaviour of the motorcycle. In other words, the tyres are one of the parameters that the player must consider when they "take to the track”. To achieve this level of realism, the Milestone developers worked closely with Pirelli to reproduce the technical and behavioural characteristics of the Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike slick tyres in a virtual environment.

SBK™22 features the Official WorldSBK 2022 Championship grid and, always with the aim of offering to those who want it, an experience that is as similar to what the real-world Championship riders experience. The videogame also features the "Career" mode, a highly engaging and perfect reproduction of what happens in the real-life WorldSBK Championship, with the calendar of events, weekends, official riders and members of the official teams. In addition, SBK™22 also offers multiplayer mode to allow up to 12 players to compete simultaneously online, with the possibility of creating high-level competitions. SBK™22 is available now for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Steam.

Milestone, a worldwide racing game developer that boasts great collaborations with the most prestigious two-wheel licensing and publishers, returns with this new videogame ten years after SBK Generations, which was the last and tenth of the videogame series dedicated to the FIM Superbike World Championship and started in 1999. That of Pirelli and Milestone is a long-standing collaboration that has seen the two Italian companies work together for many of the titles made by Milestone, from the RIDE series to those dedicated to MXGP and Supercross.

• It is the time for tyre development in the fourth round of WorldSBK - with Pirelli as Title Sponsor, which takes place over the weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. In the SBK class, at the rear, two development SCX solutions in supersoft compound will join the standard SCX, SC0 and SCQ, all of them undisputed protagonists of the first three rounds. The standard soft SC1 and the development SC1 A0674 have been confirmed for the front.
• The two new rears: SCXA (specification B0452) and SCXB (specification B0453) differ from the standard SCX in terms of compound and carcass. In fact, both have the same compound in common (which is different from the standard), but have different structures to each other.
• Only standard solutions for the WorldSSP class: SC1 and SC2 at the front, SCX and SC0 at the rear.
• Designed in 1969, Misano circuit was completely resurfaced in 2015 using a specific formulation of bitumen to counteract the effects of salt and humidity caused by the track's proximity to the sea. The rather abrasive asphalt, combined with the possibility of very high temperatures typical of June and the right-hand corners that impose a high mechanical and thermal stress on the right shoulder are the most important challenges for the tyres.

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

GIORGIO BARBIER, MOTORCYCLE RACING DIRECTOR

“So far this year we haven't brought any development solutions for the rear yet, we'll do it at Misano. The goal is to further improve the performance of the SCX and that’s the reason why we have developed two solutions with different characteristics compared to the standard option. Both solutions use the same compound, which is however different from the standard, and offer two different options in terms of structure. It will therefore be interesting to understand how they behave on a typically challenging track, which can be even more demanding in the case of particularly high temperatures. In short, an excellent test bench."

• For the third WorldSBK round of the season, the first of two scheduled this year in Portugal, Pirelli has decided to focus almost exclusively on the soft tyres of its range. At the front, the standard soft SC1 will be joined by the development SC1 A0674; at the rear- the supersoft SCX and soft SC0 tyre, in addition to the SCQ option that can be used in the Superpole session and Superpole Race.
• The WorldSSP class will exclusively use standard tyres: SC1 and SC2 at the front with SCX, SC0 and SC1 options at the rear.
• Estoril is one of the most technical and demanding tracks on the calendar for tyres. The particularly varied layout features four left and nine right handed corners with very different loads. The right-hand corners are quite fast and therefore the tyre temperature in the right shoulder is high, especially at the rear, while the left-hand corners, including the chicane, are slower and the tyre temperature on the left side is much lower. A long straight in which riders reach considerable maximum speeds is followed by a slow first corner that requires demanding braking. In the long final corner, tyres have to face high lean angles combined with high speeds, while the riders try to open the throttle as soon as possible, to maximise drive onto the finish straight.
• The track has a rather slippery asphalt that dates back to 2006 and could be even more slippery in the case of high temperatures. For this reason, it is necessary to use soft compounds that can generate more grip.

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

GIORGIO BARBIER, RACING DIRECTOR BU MOTO

“Estoril is undoubtedly a rather demanding circuit that puts a lot of strain on the tyres due to the varied layout and an old road surface that changes from one corner to another. The slippery asphalt requires the use of soft compounds that are able to generate the grip that is not naturally offered by the track. Concerning the front tyre, it is necessary to have a sufficiently solid tyre to cope with major braking forces. Using soft compounds will also allow riders to more quickly compensate for the temperature difference between the right and left sides of the tyre, helping the warm-up in left-hand corners. Despite these difficulties, we have decided to rely almost exclusively on our standard tyre range that has shown us excellent adaptability to the most varied conditions, and at the front we continue to bring the development SC1 A0674 which performed very well in the first two races of the year".

The TT Circuit Assen is considered one of the most difficult tracks in the championship and is nicknamed ‘The Cathedral of Speed’ due to the high average speed riders can reach. The circuit was built in 1925 and now measures 4,542 metres with 11 right-handers and 6 left turns. Although not particularly stressed from a thermal point of view, the tyres must still be able to provide to the rider great precision and a lot of directional stability. The Assen allure lies in this series of long and constant speed turns, slow U-shaped turns with braking and sudden acceleration, fast chicanes and long turns with strong acceleration coming out of them, with the bike still leaned over. The circuit was completely resurfaced in 2020, and this represents a variable in addition to that of temperatures: the Assen round in 2021 was held in summer times with temperatures higher than previous seasons, while this year the Paddock will return to more “traditional” lower temperatures of the spring months.

The solutions for the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes:

In the WorldSBK class, all riders will have available three front and as many rear solutions.

For the front tyre, Pirelli allows the choice between a standard solution, the standard SC1 soft compound, and two development solutions. The development solution A0674 in soft compound was used by the riders last year in Jerez and Portimão, as well as in the inaugural round of Aragon in 2022. Compared to the standard SC1, this features a new structure developed to improve front end feeling by increasing support in mid and corner entry. The development solution A0843 is making its debut here in Assen: it uses the same structure as the A0674 spec with a new tread compound, to give better mechanical resistance and wear protection in demanding circuits like this one.

As for the rear tyre options, riders have available the soft SC0 compound and the super soft SCX compound, also known in 2021 as the development solution A0557. The development solution SCQ in A1359 specification represents the first extra soft compound tyre that was validated by the riders during the winter tests, allowing in Aragon for a considerable improvement in lap times compared to the previous qualifying splution.

In case of bad weather, Pirelli allows riders to make a choice with rain tyres. At the front, the teams can choose between the standard rain solution and the development solution in A0593 specification, presented last year in Donington and used by several riders. At the rear, in case of bad weather, the choice will fall between the standard SCR1 rain solution, known in 2021 as the development solution in X1251 specification, and the standard SCR2 solution, preferable in case of warmer temperatures.

In the WorldSSP category there will be five dry solutions available to the riders, two for the front and as many for the rear. For the front Pirelli will allow a choice between the new standard SC1 soft compound, evolution of the development SC1 A0460, and a standard SC2 medium compound. For the rear, WSSP riders will have at their disposal the super soft compound SCX, the soft compound SC0 and the medium SC1 compound, all from the standard range.

More details on the race solutions for WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes are available in the technical sheets attached to this press release.

The 2021 Pirelli statistics for Assen

WorldSBK

• Number of solutions (including dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 7 front and 8 rear.
• Number of tyres available to each WorldSBK rider: 40 front and 42 rear.
• Best Lap Awards Superbike both won by: Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in 1'34.654 (Race 1, lap 2) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) in 1'34.698 (Race 2, lap 6)
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike in WorldSBK race: 297,5 km/h, by Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R) in Race 1, lap 1
• Temperature in Race 1: air 25° C, asphalt 38° C
• Temperature in Race 2: air 23° C, asphalt 32° C

WorldSSP

• Number of solutions (including dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 5 rear.
• Number of tyres available to each WorldSSP rider: 28 front and 29 rear
• Best Lap Awards Supersport both won by: Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) in 1'37.688 (Race 1, lap 17) and in 1'38013 (Race 2, lap 13)
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike in WorldSSP race: 257,1 km/h, by Maria Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6) in Race 1 on lap 2

For the Northern Irish rider from the Akashi-based manufacturer, this win, which arrived thanks in part to reliance on the new development solutions recently introduced by Pirelli, means a return to the championship lead with a 7-point gap ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) and 69 over Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R), respectively on the third and second steps of the podium in Race 1.

As for the tyres, various combinations were used in the race, but the set preferred by most of the riders, including race winner and reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea, was made up of the development solutions recently brought by Pirelli. These are the A0721 specification SC1 development solution on the front, making its début here in Assen, and the A0557 specification SCX tyre on the rear, successfully introduced at the Misano round.

WorldSBK Race 1:

At the start of Race 1, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) got off the line well from pole position, moving into the lead ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) and Ducati rider Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R). During the third lap, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR) crashed out, ending their respective races early and thereby leaving the leading trio, all within a half a second of one another, to battle it out for the Race 1 victory and for the championship lead. Scott Redding overtook the Yamaha rider and, with an outstanding pace, began to threaten the reigning World Champion as well, who fended off the attacks well, so much that he was still leading the group at the mid-race point. Lying fourth was hometown hero BMW rider Michael van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR), after starting from the ninth spot on the grid, ahead of Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1) and Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1), who managed to fight his way up through the ranks after starting dead last. In the meantime, Jonathan Rea, who had chosen to race with the new A0721 SC1 development solution on the front and the A0557 SCX development solution on the rear, built up a lead of over two seconds ahead of the other two riders and, with two laps left to go, when the red flag came out due to a crash by Jonas Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing / BMW M 1000 RR), was crowned Race 1 winner ahead of Redding (second) and Razgatlioglu (third).

WorldSBK Race 1 Standings:

1. J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
2. S. Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
3. T. Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
4. M. van der Mark (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
5. A. Locatelli (Pata Yamaha with BRIXX WorldSBK / Yamaha YZF R1)
6. G. Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
7. T. Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team / BMW M 1000 RR)
8. L. Haslam (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
9. C. Davies (Team GOELEVEN / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
10. A. Bassani (Motocorsa Racing / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
11. I. Viñales (ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
12. L. Mercado (MIE Racing HONDA Team / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
13. L. Cresson (TPR Team Pedercini Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
14. A. Mantovani (Vince64 / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)

• RT. M. Rinaldi (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
• RT. A. Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• RT. Á. Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R)
• RT. K. Nozane (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team / Yamaha YZF R1)
• RT. L. Mahias (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-10RR)
• RT. T. Rabat (Barni Racing Team / Ducati Panigale V4 R)
• RT. J. Folger (Bonovo MGM Racing / BMW M 1000 RR)

WorldSSP Race 1:

WorldSSP Race 1 began spectacularly, with back-and-forth overtaking in the podium positions between Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6), Steven Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team / Yamaha YZF R6) and Philipp Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R). Not far behind the leading trio were Jules Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6), Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team / Yamaha YZF R6) and Can Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R), battling it out for fourth. The leading trio demonstrated an outstanding pace all the way to the end of the race and Dominique Aegerter continued to set the fastest lap, initially on the twelfth lap and then on the seventeenth, with a time of 1’37.688. The final laps of the race held no surprises with Swiss rider Dominique Aegerter finishing first, thereby consolidating his championship lead, ahead of Steven Odendaal and German rider Philipp Oettl.

WorldSSP Race 1 Standings:

1. D. Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
2. S. Odendaal (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
3. P. Oettl (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
4. J. Cluzel (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
5. R. Krummenacher (EAB Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
6. M. Gonzalez (Yamaha ParkinGo Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
7. C. Oncu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
8. F. Caricasulo (GMT94 Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
9. M. Alcoba (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
10. S. Morais (Wojcik Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
11. P. Sebestyen (Evan Bros. WorldSSP Yamaha Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
12. L. Bernardi (CM Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
13. M. Fabrizio (G.A.P. MOTOZOO Racing by Puccetti / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
14. H. Pratama (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6)
15. K. Manfredi (Altogo Racing Team / Yamaha YZF R6)
16. L. Taccini (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
17. F. Fuligni (VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
18. S. Frossard (Moto Team Jura Vitesse / Yamaha YZF R6)
19. E. Lahti (HRP Suzuki / Suzuki GSX-R600)
20. L. Montella (Chiodo Moto Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
21. E. Montero (DK Motorsport / Yamaha YZF R6)

• RT. V. Takala (Kallio Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. N. Tuuli (MV Agusta Corse Clienti / MV Agusta F3 675)
• RT. D. Webb (WRP Wepol Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. R. De Rosa (Orelac Racing VerdNatura / Kawasaki ZX-6R)
• RT. P. Szkopek (Yamaha MS Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. M. Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6)
• RT. M. Casadei (VFT Racing / Yamaha YZF R6)

WorldSSP300 Race 1:

At 12:45, after the first race of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup 2021, Race 1 of the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship got underway, with three riders from team MTM Kawasaki finishing on the podium. Victory went to Spaniard Adrian Huertas (MTM Kawasaki / Kawasaki Ninja 400), who increases his championship lead by more than thirty points ahead of the second-place rider, Tom Booth-Amos (Fusport - RT Motorsports by SKM - Kawasaki / Kawasaki Ninja 400). Finishing behind him were Dutch riders Koen Meuffels (MTM Kawasaki / Kawasaki Ninja 400), second, and Jeffrey Buis (MTM Kawasaki / Kawasaki Ninja 400), third.

Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup:

Race 1 and Race 2 of the Yamaha R3 bLU cRU Cup 2021 were won respectively by young Brazilian rider Humberto Maier (#12) and by Spanish Iker Garcia Abella (#2).

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1:

In WorldSBK Race 1, tyre choices varied greatly, but the combination used the most by the riders was the new A0721 SC1 development solution on the front (option A) and the A0557 SCX development solution on the rear (option B). This was also the choice of Race 1 winner Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK / Kawasaki ZX-10RR). Some riders, on the other hand, chose to race with the front standard SC1 (option C) and the rear standard SC0 (option C) solutions, including Scott Redding, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Kohta Nozane. The rest of the grid opted instead for different combinations, but the most used front was the new A0721 specification SC1 development solution (nine riders out of twenty) and the most used rear was the A0557 SCX development solution introduced recently in Misano (eleven riders out of twenty).

In WorldSSP Race 1, half the grid chose the new A0460 specification SC1 development solution, whereas the remainder of the riders preferred the standard SC1. At the rear, on the other hand, most of the riders chose to race with the super soft standard SCX, whereas the others opted for the soft standard SC0 solution.

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Scott Redding (ARUBA.IT Racing - Ducati / Ducati Panigale V4 R) in 1'34.654 on the 2nd lap

• Most used front solution: A0721 SC1 development (9 out of 20 riders)

• Most used rear solution: A0557 SCX development (11 out of 30 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 297.5 km/h, done by Álvaro Bautista (Team HRC / Honda CBR1000 RR-R) on the 1st lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 7 front and 8 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 82, including 40 front and 42 rear

• Air temperature: 25° C

• Asphalt temperature: 38° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP Race 1:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Dominique Aegerter (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha / Yamaha YZF R6) in 1'37.688 on the 17th lap

• Most used front solution: A0460 SC1 development (14 out of 28 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (16 out of 28 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 257.1 km/h, done by Maria Herrera (Biblion Iberica Yamaha Motoxracing / Yamaha YZF R6) on the 2nd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 5 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 57, including 28 front and 29 rear

• Air temperature: 26° C

• Asphalt temperature: 37° C

This first race of the weekend on Italian soil was also an opportunity for Pirelli to gather important information on the new larger size solutions. In particular, the new 125/70 front tyre, developed by Pirelli in response to the work done with the larger 200/65 rear and making its first ever appearance, never even tested by the riders until the first sessions on Friday, was very popular straight away and was even the most used solution today in Race 1, being preferred by almost all the riders on the grid. This is a very important result for Pirelli who, after having developed various larger size solutions for the rear, decided to bring this new front tyre to Misano for the first time. The larger sizes, both on the front and on the rear, proved to be the Race 1 solutions and further confirmation is obviously expected from Race 2 as well, which will be held tomorrow.

In Race 1, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) started well from pole position, but his teammate Jonathan Rea then snatched the race lead from him. Behind them were Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), the latter making an outstanding start that moved him up three positions. Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team), in fifth place, was the first of the satellite team riders. In the meantime, Loris Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team) crashed out of the race during the first lap and Yonny Hernandez suffered the same fate shortly thereafter.During the fifth lap, Eugene Laverty managed to overtake pole man Tom Sykes at the first corner to move into second place behind the reigning World Champion. On the following lap, the English Kawasaki rider was also overtaken by Chaz Davies, which relegated him to fourth place. In the meantime, Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) both crashed, but were able to rejoin the race. Unfortunately, Lowes crashed again around mid-race distance and was forced to retire.On the thirteenth lap, Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) got the best of Tom Sykes.During the eighteenth lap, Chaz Davies managed to overtake Eugene Laverty, moving in behind race leader Jonathan Rea. In the race finale, it was Marco Melandri's turn, overtaking Lorenzo Savadori for seventh position.Jonathan Rea on his Kawasaki passed under the chequered flag first, thereby achieving his ninth win of the season and extending his lead in the overall championship standings. Behind him were Chaz Davies on Ducati, second, and Eugene Laverty on Apriliawith an outstanding third place finish.

WorldSBK Race 1 Standings: 

1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
3) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)
4) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
5) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
6) X. Forés (Barni Racing Team)
7) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
8) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
9) L. Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
10) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
11) T. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
12) N. Canepa (Yamaha Motor Europe)
13) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
14) R. Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
15) A. Andreozzi (Guandalini Racing)
16) P. Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team)
17) M. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team)
18) J. Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
RT) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
RT) Y. Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing)
RT) L. Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team)

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1: 

In Race 1, almost all the riders opted for the new larger 125/70 solution on the front in combination with the larger rear tyre. More specifically, no less than 17 out of the 21 riders on the grid chose to use the new X0417 SC1 development tyre (option D) on the front, which Pirelli introduced for the first time ever here at the Misano round. The four riders who did not choose this solution were Yonny Hernandez, Niccolò Canepa, Patrick Jacobsen and Michael Ruben Rinaldi who made a more conservative choice, relying on the better known V0952 (option C).On the rear, on the other hand, practically all the riders used one of the two larger 200/65 solutions made available by Pirelli. The X0175 SC0 development tyre (option B)was the clear favourite, earning the preference of 16 out of the 21 riders on the grid. Jordi Torres and Alex Lowes preferred the new larger X0022 development solution (option C), whereas Yonny Hernandez, Patrick Jacobsen and Michael Ruben Rinaldi decided to stay with the standard 200/60 size solutions.

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1: 

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK),in 1'34.948 at the 2^nd lap 

• Most used front solution: devolpment SC1 X0417 (17 out of 21 riders) 

• Most used rear solution: devolpment SC0 X0175 (16 out of 21 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 271.4 km/h, achieved by Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) in the 1^st lap 

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 4 rear Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 112, including 56 front and 46 rear 

• Air temperature: 28° C 

• Asphalt temperature: 54° C

This is the Northern Irishman's seventh win this season and strengthens his grip on his leadership in the rider championship standings with 295 points.

As for the Pirelli tyres used in the race, at the rear, the larger 200/65 development solution introduced this year by Pirelli for the first time at Phillip Island and then brought to the track again, albeit in various compounds, to all the rounds beginning from Imola, was confirmed as a highly popular tyre among the riders, even on a track like Laguna Seca, where handling plays an important role due to the turns with quick direction changes, such as the famous “Corkscrew”, for example. On the other hand, there were no surprises on the front, where the V0952 development solution was once again the most used tyre by the riders in demonstration of the great versatility of this tyre which adapts very well to various tracks.

Race 1 started at 2:00 PM local time, with Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in pole position. The Ducati riding Welshman started well, but factory Kawasaki riders Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) were nipping at his heels.

At the end of the second lap, on the turn just before the final straight, Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) crashed, but was able to rejoin the race.

The Northern Irishman representing the manufacturer from Akashi was immediately threatening and already during the first lap, he had launched several attacks against Davies who, however, managed to maintain the advantage until the seventh lap when, precisely at the beginning of the “Corkscrew”, the Ducati rider's bike faltered and Rea overtook him on the outside.

Around mid-race, Patrick Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) and Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) crashed out, forcing both to retire. In the meantime, Rea led the race with an advantage of eight tenths over Davies and more than six seconds over Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) who had moved into third, overtaking Tom Sykes. The latter seemed to be in difficulty and was also overtaken by Eugene Laverty, Xavi Forés and Marco Melandri, sliding back to seventh place.

In the final laps, there were a few more crashes, this time for Leon Camier, wild card Josh Herrin and Toprak Razgatlioglu, forcing all three to retire.

The race finale held no surprises with Jonathan Rea passing under the chequered flag first, almost three seconds ahead of Chaz Davies, second, and a full twelve ahead of Alex Lowes, third.

WorldSBK Race 1 Standings:

1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
3) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
4) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)
5) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
6) X. Forés (Barni Racing Team)
7) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
8) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
9) J. Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
10) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
11) Y. Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing)
12) R. Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
13) K. Hanika (Guandalini Racing)
14) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
15) L. Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team)
RT) T. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
RT) J. Herrin (Attack 2Wheel Legal Yamaha)
RT) L. Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
RT) P. Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team)
RT) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1:

In Race 1, the riders made rather varied choices. On the front, preferences once again fell to the V0952 SC1 development solution (option C), chosen by 15 out of the 20 riders on the grid. As for the rear, most of the riders decided to rely on the W1002 SC0 development tyre (option B)which, compared to the W1050, uses the same compound, but is a larger 200/65 size, already very popular with the riders in the Donington Park and Brno rounds. The only riders using the W1050 (option A) were Chaz Davies, Leon Camier, Loris Baz, Toprak Razgatlioglu, Yonny Hernandez and Patrick Jacobsen.

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati),in 1'23.041 at the 2^nd lap

• Most used front solution: devolpment SC1 V0952 (15 out of 20 riders)

• Most used rear solution: devolpment SC0 W1002 (14 out of 20 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 255.2 km/h, achieved by Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 2^nd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 5 front and 5 rear

Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 65, including 34 front and 31 rear

• Air temperature: 28° C

• Asphalt temperature: 52° C

In WorldSSP600 the win went to Frenchman Jules Cluzel who, with his team NRT Yamaha YZF-R6, but leading the overall rider standings is compatriot Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team).In WorldSSP300 after a race full of surprises and close-quarter battles, German rider Luca Grunwald (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) triumphed, while in the FIM Superstock1000 European Championship, victory went to another German rider, Markus Reiterberger (Alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW), winner of the opening race in Aragón.

The Pirelli tyres also performed well on a demanding track like Assen, especially for the front, letting the riders go race distance without any particular difficulties. Both in the top class and in the WorldSSP600 category, the riders made very similar tyre choices, demonstrating the versatility of the solutions brought by Pirelli in adapting to all of the different bike brands.

In Race 2, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) got off the grid well from pole position ahead of Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).At the start of the second lap, the Italian Ducati rider went wide on a turn and was overtaken by several riders, leaving third place to Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team).In the meantime, Race 1 winner Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), starting from the ninth spot on the grid due to the inversion system between Race 1 and Race 2, moved up to fourth place behind Van Der Mark, who he managed to overtake shortly thereafter, catching up to Spaniard Xavi Forés.Tom Sykes led the race with a two and a half second advantage ahead of Forés and more than three seconds ahead of teammate Rea.During the seventh lap, Rea managed to snatch second place from Forés and a little later, Van der Mark also overtook the Spaniard, setting off to chase down the Kawasaki riders.During the thirteenth lap, hometown hero Michael Van Der Mark battled reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea for second, managing to overtake him, but in the fourteenth lap Rea too back the position.Tom Sykes led the race all alone at the front with a gap of more than six seconds ahead of his teammate and Michael Van Der Mark. Behind the leading trio were the Ducatis ridden by Xavi Forés and Chaz Davies.The final laps of the race held no surprises and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) finished first with a five and a half second lead over teammate Jonathan Rea, second, and more than seven and a half seconds ahead of Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), third.

WorldSBK Race 2 standings: 
1) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
3) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
4) X. Forés (Barni Racing Team)
5) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
6) J. Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
7) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
8) L. Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team)
9) T. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
10) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
11) D. Giugliano (Milwaukee Aprilia)
12) M. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team)
13) P. Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team)
14) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
15) O. Jezek (Guandalini Racing)
16) Y. Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing)
RT) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
RT) R. Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)

At 11:30 AM local time, before Race 2 of WorldSBK, the FIM Supersport World Championship race was held with Sandro Cortese (Kallio Racing) starting from pole position.At the start, the German Yamaha rider started well, but shortly thereafter, Frenchman Jules Cluzel (NRT), also on Yamaha and starting from the fourth spot on the grid, managed to move into the race lead. Behind him, defending World Champion Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) was ahead of pole man Cortese, who had dropped back to third place in the meantime.At the mid-race point, Raffaele de Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag), who had started from the third spot on the grid, got back in the mix, besting both Cortese and Mahias to move into second place behind race leader Cluzel.During the thirteenth lap, Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team), after starting from the sixth spot on the grid, overtook Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) virtually moving into position at the foot of the podium, but a few turns later, the Italian GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team rider was forced to retire due to a crash on turn 6.Jules Cluzel, Raffaele De Rosa, Sandro Cortese, Randy Krummenacher and Lucas Mahias led the front group in that order, all within a second and a half of one another.In the final laps, Randy Krummenacher managed to get past Cortese, moving into third place, and shortly thereafter he overtook Raffaele De Rosa, setting off to chase down Cluzel on the last lap. The German BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team rider pulled out all the stops, but in the end, the race win went to Jules Cluzel (NRT) ahead of Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) and Italian rider Raffaele De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag).

WorldSSP standings: 
1) J. Cluzel (NRT)
2) R. Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)
3) R. De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag)
4) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team)
5) S. Cortese (Kallio Racing)
6) N. Tuuli (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda)
7) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Against Cancer)
8) T. Gradinger (NRT)
9) L. Cresson (Kallio Racing)
10) H. Soomer (Racedays)
11) A. Badovini (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag)
12) A. Irwin (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda)
13) W. Tessels (Chromeburner Wayne's Racingteam MtM)
14) E. Lahti (Sterkman Motorsport by HRP)
15) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing)
16) S. Hill (Profile Racing)
17) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
18) V. Van Der Valk (Benro Racing)
19) P. Sebestyen (SSP Hungary Racing)
20) A. Coppola (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Junior Team)
RT) M. Canducci (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
RT) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team)
RT) H. Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
RT) L. Epis (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
RT) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini)
RT) S. Morais (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
RT) J. Van Sikkelerus (GEMAR Team Lorini)

In the third race of the day on Sunday, the Supersport 300 World Championship race, German rider Luca Grunwald (Freudenberg KTM WorldSSP Team) finished on the top step of the podium with his KTM RC 390 R after a spectacular race filled with surprises and crashes. The KTM rider finished ahead of Dutchmen Gleen Van Straalen (KTM Fortron Racing Team), second, and Scott Deroue (Motoport Kawasaki), third.

As always, the closing event of the race weekend was the FIM Superstock1000 European Championship race. In this second round, it was once again German rider Markus Reiterberger (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW)on BMW winning ahead of Italian Roberto Tamburini (Berclaz Racing Team SA) and Chilean rider Maximilian Scheib (Aprilia Racing Team).

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP:

 In Race 2, partly because of the weather conditions which were similar to yesterday, all the riders confirmed the choices made in Race 1, with the exception of Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)who changed his front tyre, going with the hardest of the available solutions, namely the X0120 SC3 development solution (option D).On the front, the most used solution was still the V0952 SC1 development tyre (option B), whereas on the rear, all the riders used the W1050 SC0 development solution (option A).

In the WorldSSP race, the riders made very similar choices to one another. On the rear, they basically all used the X0093 SC1 development tyre (option A), whereas for the front, 22 out of the 27 riders on the grid opted for the X0012 SC1 development solution (option B). Only 5 chose the standard SC1 (option A).

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2: 

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK),in 1'35.218 at the 3^rd lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (17 out of 18 riders)

• Most used rear solution: development SC0 W1050 (18 out of 18 riders) 

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 289.5 km/h, achieved by Patrick Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) in the 1^st lap 

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 6 front and 7 rear Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 76, including 39 front and 37 rear 

• Air temperature: 23° C 

• Asphalt temperature: 32° C  

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race: 

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team), in 1'38.108 in the 11^th lap 

• Most used front solution: development SC1 X0012 (22 out of 27 riders) 

• Most used rear solution: development SC1 X0093 (26 out of 27 riders) 

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 257.8 km/h, achieved by Loris Cresson (Kallio Racing) in the 6^th lap 

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 47, including 26 front and 21 rear 

• Air temperature: 20° C 

• Asphalt temperature: 24° C

As for the Pirelli tyres used in the race, the riders made a unanimous choice: everyone opted for the soft W1050 development solution on the rear, whereas on the front they all mounted the V0952 SC1 development tyre. The only rider to use a different front tyre was Alex Lowes who, because of a mistake made by the team, went out with the W0494 mounted.

At the start of Race 1, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) got off the grid well, moving into first place ahead of pole man Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) and Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team).During the third lap, hometown hero Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), after starting from the seventh spot on the grid, managed to move up to second place behind Rea and ahead of teammate Lowes.The lead group was made up of seven riders, all within 2 seconds of one another with the first three within half a second of one another. Behind the leading trio were the Ducati machines piloted by Xavi Forés, Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri, followed by Tom Sykes astride his Kawasaki in seventh place.During the fifth lap, Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team) crashed on turn 7 and was forced to retire.Before the end of the eighth lap, Michael Van Der Mark managed to overtake Jonathan Rea for the race lead and in the meantime, Davies also got past Lowes and Forés to move into third.Van Der Mark attempted to set the race pace, but Rea did not let him get away at the front and before the end of the tenth lap, the reigning World Champion managed to take back the lead. On the next lap, Van Der Mark was also forced to yield a position to Ducati rider Chaz Davies, who set off after Rea.A the mid-race point, the lead group was made up of Rea, Van Der Mark, Davies and Forés, all within half a second of one another.While lying ninth during the fifteenth lap, Lorenzo Savadori crashed out on turn 5, but was able to rejoin in sixteenth position.In the meantime, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) overtook Xavi Forés to move into fourth place behind Van Der Mark.In the early part of the seventeenth lap, Van Der Mark managed to take back second from Davies, while in the race finale, Tom Sykes also became a threat behind the Ducati riding Welshman in an attempt to snatch the bottom step of the podium, but Davies was able to ward off the Kawasaki rider's attacks.Jonathan Rea finished first with a 1 second advantage over Dutch Yamaha rider Michael Van Der Mark and almost 1.3 seconds ahead of Davies.

WorldSBK Race 1 standings:
 1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
3) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
4) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
5) X. Forés (Barni Racing Team)
6) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
7) L. Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team)
8) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
9) J. Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
10) T. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
11) R. Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
12) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
13) D. Giugliano (Milwaukee Aprilia)
14) P. Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team)
15) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
16) Y. Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing)
17) O. Jezek (Guandalini Racing)
RT) M. Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team)

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 1: In Race 1, all the riders chose the same tyre combination for the front and the rear.On the front the soft V0952 development solution (option B) was chosen, already used by the riders in 2017 at Aragón, Assen, Imola, Donington, Misano, Laguna Seca, Lausitzring, Portimão, Magny-Cours, Jerez and Losail and this year in the first three rounds. This option uses the same compound as the standard SC1, but has different structural solutions and it is the most used solution on the front by the riders this year. The only rider who used a different front tyre, as already mentioned, was pole man Alex Lowes who erroneously mounted the W0494 SC1 development solution (option C).On the rear, the choice for all the riders fell to the soft W1050 development tyre (option A), introduced by Pirelli at Aragón and a solution that guarantees absolute top shelf performance with respect to the other solutions, but with a greater level of wear. Compared to the standard SC0, however, it is more suited for cool temperatures.

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1:

 • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team),in 1'35.248 at the 2^nd lap

 • Most used front solution: devolpment SC1 V0952 (18 out of 18 riders)

 • Most used rear solution: devolpment SC0 W1050 (18 out of 18 riders)

 • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 296.7 km/h, achieved by Patrick Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team) in the 6^th lap

 • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 7 rear

 Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 76, including 39 front and 37 rear

 • Air temperature: 18° C

 • Asphalt temperature: 32° C

In Race 2 of WorldSBK, after Marco Melandri's double win in the Australian opening round, Ducati was back on the top step of the podium thanks to a performance by Chaz Davies who, after starting from the seventh spot on the grid, managed to move up in the ranks until taking the lead just before the mid-race point and holding onto it until the end. Behind him were the factory Yamaha riders, Michael Van Der Mark and Alex Lowes, completing the Race 2 podium.

In WorldSSP, on the other hand, Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher on Yamaha won his first race ahead of factory Yamaha riders Lucas Mahias and Federico Caricasulo.

In terms of the tyres, the undisputed protagonists of the race weekend were the rear solutions in soft compound brought by Pirelli for both classes. The new standard SC0 slick, making its season début, was very popular and used in both Race 1 and Race 2 by the WorldSBK riders, whereas in the WorldSSP category, the standard grooved solution, also in SC0 compound, was actually chosen by all the riders on the grid. For the front, on the other hand, the SC1 development tyres dominated, respectively the V0952 in Superbike and the V0533 in Supersport.

At the start of Race 2, the Yamaha machines ridden by Alex Lowes and Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) moved ahead to lead the group and the battle for first place was already raging in the third lap between the two factory riders from the Iwata-based manufacturer. Behind them were the Ducatis ridden by Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), while Jonathan Rea (WorldSBK Kawasaki Racing Team), Race 1 winner and occupant of the ninth spot on the grid for this race, managed to move into fifth position. The first five riders were all within one second of one another. At the end of the seventh lap, the race lost one of its protagonists: in fact, Tom Sykes was forced to retire due to a technical problem.

In the meantime, as the mid-race point approached, Davies succeeded in getting past Alex Lowes, moving into second place behind Dutchman Van Der Mark and then overtaking him as well on the eighth lap. The satellite team Ducati rider Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team), second in Race 1, began to move up in the order and, after starting from the eighth spot on the grid, he clawed his way up to fourth behind Lowes. Race 1 winner Jonathan Rea was in difficulty, struggling to fight off the attacks by Marco Melandri to hold onto fifth place. The factory Ducati rider was then forced to yield the position to Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) who snatched sixth place from him.

In the final laps of the race, Rea managed to move up another position, overtaking Forés, but it was not enough for a podium finish. Finishing first was Welsh Ducati rider ahead of Van Der Mark and Lowes on their Yamaha machines.

WorldSBK Race 2 standings:

1) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

2) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)

3) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)

4) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

5) X. Forés (Barni Racing Team)

6) L. Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)

7) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

8) T. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)

9) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)

10) P. Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team)

11) Y. Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing)

12) L. Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team)

13) R. Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)

14) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)

RT) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)

RT) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)

RT) J. Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)

RT) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)

RT) O. Jezek (Guandalini Racing)

Race 2 was preceded by the FIM Supersport World Championship race, where Frenchman Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) started from pole position.

However, at the start, the Yamaha riding Frenchman lost the lead to compatriot Jules Cluzel (NRT) who was followed in turn by Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team). In fourth position behind pole man Mahias was Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team).

During the third lap, Mahias managed to move into second place, overtaking his teammate and chasing down Cluzel in an attempt to take the race lead. The first four riders were within a gap of less than nine tenths of one another. At the end of the eighth lap, coming out of the last turn before the finish line, Mahias succeeded in his attempt and, overtaking Cluzel, regained the race lead. However, the team NRT Frenchman did not let him get away and on the tenth lap he was able to overtake him again. On the following lap, the other private Yamaha rider, Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team) also made a pass to get by Federico Caricasulo, moving into third position.

During the thirteenth lap, race leader Cluzel crashed out, ending up in the gravel and leaving the door wide open for Mahias and Krummenacher. In the end it was Swiss rider Randy Krummenacher who finished first after making contact coming out of the final corner with Mahias, who finished second. Third place went to the other factory Yamaha rider, Federico Caricasulo.

WorldSSP standings:

1) R. Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team)

2) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team)

3) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team)

4) S. Cortese (Kallio Racing)

5) T. Warokorn (CORE Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team)

6) A. West (EAB antwest Racing)

7) R. De Rosa (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag)

8) R. Wilairot (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team)

9) N. Tuuli (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda)

10) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing)

11) T. Gradinger (NRT)

12) J. Kennedy (Profile Racing)

13) D. Kraisart (Yamaha Thailand Racing Team)

14) L. Cresson (Kallio Racing)

15) A. Badovini (MV Agusta Reparto Corse by Vamag)

16) A. Kamaruzaman (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)

17) H. Soomer (Racedays)

18) M. Di Meglio (GMT94 Yamaha)

19) H. Okubo (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)

20) A. Irwin (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda)

21) J. Van Sikkelerus (GEMAR Team Lorini)

22) T. Collins (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)

RT) J. Cluzel (NRT)

RT) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini)

RT) L. Epis (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)

RT) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP:

In Race 2, most of the riders substantially confirmed the choices they had made yesterday for Race 1.

On the rear, half of them opted for the standard SC0 (option A) and the other half went with the W0576 SC0 development solution (option B), whereas on the front, the standard SC2 (option D) gained more favour than it had in Race 1 and, along with the V0952 SC1 development tyre (option C), preferences were divided between the riders on the grid.

Making changes on the rear was only Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) who, as the other Ducati riders had already done in Race 1, switched from the development SC0 to go with the standard tyre. For the front, on the other hand, the six riders who made changes (Sykes, Van Der Mark, Torres, Razgatlioglu, Mercado e Jacobsen) either went from the V0952 SC1 development tyre to the standard SC2 or, as was the case for Sykes and Van Der Mark, vice versa.

In the WorldSSP race, the riders made very similar choices. On the rear, they all used the standard SC0 (option A), whereas for the front, 19 out of the 26 riders on the grid opted for the V0533 SC1 development solution (option C). Only 5 chose the W0378 SC1 tyre (option B), whereas the remaining two used the standard SC1 (option A).

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati),in 1'33.627 at the 11^th lap

• Most used front solution: development SC2 V0952 (11 out of 19 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (10 out of 19 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 305,1 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) in the 5^th lap and by Jordi Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) in the 3^rd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 6 front and 6 rear

Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 75, including 40 front and 35 rear

• Air temperature: 33° C

• Asphalt temperature: 49° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Randy Krummenacher (BARDAHL Evan Bros. WorldSSP Team), in 1'37.620 in the 11^th lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0533 (19 out of 26 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (26 out of 26 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 270 km/h, achieved by Loris Cresson (Kallio Racing) in the 2^nd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear

Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 47, including 26 front and 21 rear

• Air temperature: 34° C

• Asphalt temperature: 52° C

The three-time World Champion took pole position in the morning on Saturday and, starting from the first position on the grid, basically rode the entire race in the lead, battling only a bit with teammate Tom Sykes during the first two laps.

Spaniard Xavi Forés put in a noteworthy performance, riding his Ducati managed by private team Barni Racing to an outstanding second place finish ahead of the factory Ducati ridden by Welshman Chaz Davies who, in the penultimate lap, managed to overtake the Honda ridden by Leon Camier who also rode a brilliant race.

As for the tyres used in Race 1, on the rear, both of the soft solutions (the standard and development solution) brought by Pirelli were very popular with the riders on the grid, whereas on the front, the V0952 SC1 development solution was the most used by the riders, as had already happened in the first round of the season in Australia.

At the start of Race 1, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) got off the line well, followed closely by teammate Tom Sykes, exchanging the lead throughout the first lap. Behind them was Leon Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) who managed to overtake Sykes shortly thereafter, moving into position between the two factory Kawasaki machines. Then came the Ducatis ridden by Xavi Forés, Marco Melandri and Chaz Davies.

During the seventh lap, Tom Sykes was also overtaken by Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team), sliding down to fourth place. In the meantime, Jonathan Rea increased the gap to one second ahead of his closest follower, Leon Camier. At the mid-race point, factory Ducati rider Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) managed to overtake the English Kawasaki rider, moving into fourth place. In the meantime, the battle for sixth was raging between Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team).

On the thirteenth lap, Xavi Forés successfully overtook Leon Camier, thereby moving into position behind the race leader.

Toward the end of the race, Chaz Davies also had a go at the Honda rider in an attempt to secure the bottom step of the podium, something he later managed to do on the penultimate lap. Jonathan Rea finished first with an advantage of 1.5 seconds ahead of the private Ducati ridden by Xavi Forés and 2.1 seconds ahead of the factory Ducati ridden by Chaz Davies.

WorldSBK Race 1 standings:

1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
2) X. Forés (Barni Racing Team)
3) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
4) L. Camier (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
5) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
6) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK)
7) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)
8) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)
9) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)
10) J. Torres (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)
11) L. Baz (GULF ALTHEA BMW Racing Team)
12) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)
13) L. Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)
14) R. Ramos (Team GoEleven Kawasaki)
15) T. Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)
16) Y. Hernandez (Team Pedercini Racing)
17) P. Jacobsen (TripleM Honda World Superbike Team)
18) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)
RT) O. Jezek (Guandalini Racing)

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 1:

In Race 1, the riders used all of the solutions available to them.

On the rear, preferences were divided basically evenly between the standard SC0 (option A) and the W0576 SC0 development solution (option B) which demonstrates the excellent performance both solutions offer.

As for the front, the most used solution was once again the V0952 SC1 development solution (option C), chosen by thirteen out of the nineteen riders on the grid. The standard SC2 tyre (option D) was used by the factory Kawasaki and Yamaha riders, as well as by Eugene Laverty on Aprilia. Xavi Forés on Ducati was the only rider who opted for the front standard SC1.

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea(Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK),in 1'33.714 at the 11^th lap

• Most used front solution: devolpment SC1 V0952 (13 out of 19 riders)

• Most used rear solution: devolpment SC0 V0576 (10 out of 19 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 303.4 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) in the 4^th lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 4 rear

Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 67, including 39 front and 28 rear

• Air temperature: 32° C

• Asphalt temperature: 51° C

French rider Lucas Mahias astride Yamaha was crowned 2017 FIM Supersport World Champion after winning the race held today on the Losail International Circuit of Doha, Qatar. In the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, after winning Race 1 yesterday, Jonathan Rea took a splendid double win for the Akashi-based manufacturer, finishing out a perfect season in the best possible way where, with two races left in the season, he was named FIM Superbike World Champion for the third year in a row.

This brings the thirtieth season of the FIM World Superbike Championship to an end under the starry skies of Qatar. Kawasaki won their third consecutive manufacturer title in the top class of the championship, Yamaha won the manufacturer title in the Supersport 600 and 300 World Championship and Ducati managed to take home the win in the FIM Superstock 1000 European Championship.

Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) was the rider who took the most wins of the season and, with 14 race fast laps, he also won the Pirelli Best Lap Award 2017 for being the rider who did the most fast laps during races this season. In WorldSSP an unlucky Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) was unable to battle for the Championship Title due to various injuries at the start and end of the season, but in any case he was the rider who won the most races in his category and who did no less than 3 race fast laps, earning the Pirelli Best Lap Award 2017.

The final outcome for Pirelli was also positive this season, the fourteenth as Official Sole Tyre Supplier for all the classes in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship. Throughout these years, Pirelli has constantly increased the performance level of their tyres, developing increasingly more innovative solutions in all the classes, both in terms of slicks and DOT grooved tyres. In 2017, the Italian tyre manufacturer focused primarily on developing alternative solutions to the standard tyres as well as on consolidating the range of tyres dedicated to the new entry class, the Supersport 300 category, which provided thrills for all motorcycle racing fans this year and helped many talented young riders emerge on the international motorcycle racing scene.

In Race 2, Davide Giugliano (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) was unable to participate due to physical problems. At the start, Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) got off pole position well, but before the end of the lap it was Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who had started from the eighth spot on the grid, who moved into the race lead. Behind the Welshman at the start of the second lap was Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), overtaken shortly thereafter by teammate Jonathan Rea. A bit later, Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) fell victim to a bad accident which forced him to retire. On the following lap, the race lost another protagonist, English Kawasaki rider Tom Sykes who ended up in the gravel, while during the fourth lap, Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) was forced to retire due to a technical problem. In the meantime, Jonathan Rea, who had started from the ninth spot on the grid, capitalised on a mistake by Chaz Davies to overtake him and move into the lead, while Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) moved into third position behind the Ducati rider. At about mid-race, Alex Lowes got the better of his teammate Van Der Mark, snatching third place from him. The remainder of the race held no further surprises and Jonathan Rea's Kawasaki finished first ahead of Chaz Davies' Ducati and Alex Lowes' Yamaha.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings: 1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 3) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 4) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 5) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 6) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 7) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 8 ) S. Guintoli (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 9) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 10) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 11) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 12) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 13) A. Andreozzi (Guandalini Racing) 14) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) 15) R. Rolfo (Grillini Racing Team) 16) J. Guarnoni (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) RT) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) RT) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) RT) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team)  

The FIM Supersport World Championship race started at 7:30 PM local time with fifteen laps to race and Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) on pole position. At the start, Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing) got off the line well, overtaking both Lucas Mahias and Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda). Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), on the other hand, who had started from the fourth spot on the grid, slipped back to seventh. During the first lap, an accident on turn 6 involved Bergman and Canducci, and in the meantime Mahias battled to regain the lead while the Turkish Kawasaki rider lost another two positions, settling into eighth place.

On the third lap, Mahias moved back into the top spot ahead of the other Yamaha riders, Tuuli and Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team). About a third of the way through the race, Tuuli dropped back, leaving second place to Caricasulo ahead of Jules Cluzel. In the meantime, Kenan Sofuoglu gave his all to move back up through the positions, reaching sixth and then fourth. At the start of the ninth lap, the Honda riding Frenchman moved into second place overtaking Caricasulo and in the twelfth lap he took the race lead. However, on the following lap, the championship leader took back the position he had lost. In the finale it was a battle for first between the two Honda and Yamaha riding Frenchmen. In the end, it was Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) who gained the upper hand, despite the great efforts of Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) to take the lead from him. Mahias can therefore celebrate being crowned FIM Supersport World Champion Titlewith a win. Kenan Sofuoglu managed to finish on the podium in third place.

WorldSSP Standings: 1) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) 2) J. Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) 3) K. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 4) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) 5) A. West (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 6) N. Tuuli (Kallio Racing) 7) S. Morais (Kallio Racing) 8 ) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing) 9) G. Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 10) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) 11) L. Zanetti (Team Factory Vamag) 12) C. Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing) 13) A. Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) 14) X. Cardelus (Race Department ATK#25) 15) S. Hill (Profile Racing) 16) C. Bergman (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 17) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 18) L. Epis (Response RE Racing) 19) Z. Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) RT) K. Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) RT) H. Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) RT) P. Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) RT) M. Al Naimi (QMMF Racing) RT) G. Scarcella (GEMAR Team Lorin) RT) S. Al Sulaiti (QMMF Racing) RT) M. Canducci (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI)  

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP:

In Race 2 of WorldSBK, the riders substantially confirmed the choices they had made yesterday for Race 1. The only two changes were made by Tom Sykes and Michael Van Der Mark who switched to solution B on the front. As for the rear, all the riders used the W0575 SC0 development tyre (option A), whereas the V0952 SC1 development solution (option B) remained the most popular choice for the front.

In the WorldSSP race as well, almost all the riders used the soft solution on the rear, the standard SC0 (option A), whereas on the front, riders preference was divided almost equally between the standard SC1 (option A) and the V0533 SC1 development solution (option C).

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSBK Race 2

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'57.061 at the 2^nd lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (13 out of 19 riders) • Most used rear solution: development SC0 W0575 (19 out of 19 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 320.5 km/h, achieved by Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) in the 4^th lap and by Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) in the 13^th lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 5 front and 5 rear

• Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 62, including 34 front and 28 rear

• Air temperature: 29° C • Asphalt temperature: 30° C

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSSP race

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in 2'01.832 in the 12^th lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0533 (12 out of 26 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (25 out of 26 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 281.3 km/h, achieved by Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) in the 3^rd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 46, including 25 front and 21 rear • Air temperature: 29° C • Asphalt temperature: 31° C

Under the lights of Losail International Circuit of Doha in Qatar, in Race 1 of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, newly crowned 2017 World Champion Jonathan Rea on Kawasaki took his fifteenth win of the season. The Northern Irishman with the Akashi-based manufacturer once again rode an impeccable race, first winning Superpole^® and then staying in the race lead from flag to flag, finishing ahead of the Ducatis ridden by Chaz Davies and Marco Melandri. Today Superpole^® was also won by Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team)who could be crowned FIM Supersport World Champion for the first time tomorrow. Satisfaction for Pirelli because of the performance of the tyres used in Race 1. Despite the fact that the sand on the asphalt made the surface much more abrasive and therefore harder on the tyres, in particular on the front tyres which had to “clean” the trajectory first, this did not create particular problems for the riders, thanks to the solutions brought by Pirelli which proved to perform extremely well, at the same time guaranteeing outstanding protection against the asphalt abrasiveness. Specifically, on the rear all the riders used a soft solution, whereas on the front, the most used was the V0952 development tyre, which had already gained popularity throughout the year. Race 1 had Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) starting from the first spot on the grid after winning Superpole^®. At the start, the World Champion began well and maintained the race lead with his teammate Tom Sykes falling into second position after starting from the third spot on the grid and managing to overtake Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team). However, during the fourth lap, the Kawasaki riding Englishman was overtaken by the Yamaha rider and by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who moved into second place in the meantime after a third row start. At the beginning of the sixth lap, Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and his Ducati managed to get past the Kawasaki ridden by Sykes, moving into fifth place behind the satellite Ducati ridden by Xavi Forés (BARNI Racing Team). During the seventh lap on turn nine, Michael Van Der Mark (who had started from the seventh spot on the grid) crashed and was forced to retire. In the meantime, Xavi Forés moved into third position. On the eleventh lap, Marco Melandri moved into fourth place by overtaking Forés who was also forced to retire. Unfortunately, during the twelfth lap, the race lost another protagonist, Alex Lowes, who crashed, ending up in the gravel. The Yamaha riding Englishman got back on the track in last place, but on the penultimate lap, a second crash forced him to retire. During the final lap there was a fabulous battle for fourth place between the Aprilia riders, Laverty and Savadori with the Northern Irishman gaining the upper hand in the end. In the end it was Jonathan Rea over the line first with a five-second advantage ahead of Chaz Davies, second, and more than ten seconds ahead of Marco Melandri, third. WorldSBK Race 1 Standings: 1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 3) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 4) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 5) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) 6) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 7) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 8 ) S. Guintoli (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 9) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 10) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 11) J. Guarnoni (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) 12) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 13) R. Rolfo (Grillini Racing Team) 14) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) RT) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) RT) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) RT) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) RT) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) RT) D. Giugliano (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) RT) A. Andreozzi (Guandalini Racing) The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1: The rider choices for Race 1 of WorldSBK were all rather similar. On the rear, all the riders except Roberto Rolfo (who chose the standard SC1) used the soft W0575 development solution (option A) which, compared to the standard SC1, was able to guarantee more grip with temperatures like those that can be found in Qatar, even if the races are held at night. On the front, the solution that was selected by the most riders was the V0952 SC1 development tyre (option B). Jonathan Rea and Sylvain Guintoli preferred the standard SC2 (option C), whereas the Ducatis ridden by Davies and Forés went into the race with the standard SC1 (option A).

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSBK Race 1

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'57.577 on the 2^nd lap • Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952(16 out of 20 riders) • Most used rear solution: development SC0 W0575(19 out of 20 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 318.6, done by Marco Melandri(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on the 4^th lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 5 rear Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 62, including 34 front and 28 rear • Air temperature: 27° C • Asphalt temperature: 30° C

As usual, this year's MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship season will end in Qatar where, at the Losail International Circuit in Doha, illuminated by artificial lights, WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders will face the final round of 2017 season.

With the titles already assigned in the other classes, the focus will be on the FIM Supersport World Championship that will see Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official World SSP Team) going on track with a 20-point advantage over Kawasaki's Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who, after the injury healed at Magny-Cours, will try to go back to Qatar to defend his reigning World Champion title.

To tackle this challenging track, which is unique in that it is held in the evening leveraging on the powerful and innovative lighting system offered by the circuit, Pirelli decided to rely on tyre solutions which were most appreciated across both classes this year.

The Losail International Circuit, inaugurated in 2004, is mostly surrounded by artificial vegetation to limit the deposition of sand coming from the desert. However, often in the first sessions riders have to "clean up" the track from the sandy deposits which can be present on the asphalt. Since the year of its inauguration, the circuit has never been re-surfaced and presents now a worn surface that requires tyres with good grip, capable of compensating for the grip lost over the years by the asphalt. The track requires a good compromise between the stability of the front tyre during demanding braking and at the same time, good traction from the rear, in order to correctly set the trajectories in the fast corners. The front tyre must be able to absorb the high accumulated power during braking and at the same time counteract the high risk of deformation, while for the rear it is necessary to opt for a soft compound, capable of effectively impacting the road surface and simultaneously offering adequate traction.

The solutions for WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes

For the last round of the season Pirelli brings a total of 2808 tyres to meet the needs of WorldSBK and WorldSSP600 class riders. As always, not all of Pirelli's tyres will be used, each rider has more options available and can choose what he wants to use for racing, concentrating set-up work with those options. In addition, there are intermediate and wet solutions that are only used when needed. By regulation, however, WorldSBK riders cannot use more than 24 tyres throughout the race weekend, an amount which is reduced to 18 in the WorldSSP600 class.

In WorldSBK, each rider will have at his disposal, including the two wet solutions and the rear qualifier tyre, 5 front solutions and as many for the rear. The dry solutions are therefore three for the front and two for the rear, in addition to the qualifier rear tyre, in this case the W0220 solution already seen in action also at Imola, Donington, Misano, Laguna Seca and Lausitzring.

Losail Internation Circuit

For the front, the standard SC1 (soft) and SC2 (medium) will be flanked by the development SC1 V0952, which uses the same compound of the standard SC1 but has different structural solutions which this year has already been used in the rounds of Aragon, Assen, Imola, Donington, Misano, Laguna Seca, Lausitzring, Portimão, Magny-Cours and Jerez.

At the rear, for the races the riders will be able to choose the soft W0575 development solution, introduced at Laguna Seca and race tyre also at Lausitzring, Portimão and Magny-Cours, and the standard SC1, which offers a medium hardness of the compound positioning halfway between the soft and hard solution.

The number of solutions available to riders for the WorldSSP race is similar. At the front, Pirelli points to all soft solutions: in addition to the standard SC1, there will be two development solutions: the W0378, which uses the same compound of the standard SC1 but with a different constructive process of application of the compound on the carcass, and the V0533 which has also been used at Phillip Island, Buriram and Imola.This offers a compound which is positioned more or less halfway between the standard SC1 and a SC2. At the rear two standard solutions: the SC0 (soft), which will be the ideal choice for high temperatures, and the SC1 (medium) that may be useful in case of lower asphalt temperatures typical of night hours or, especially in the first day of practices, if the track should be particularly dirty due to the sand deposited by the wind.

Infografica

Pirelli 2016 statistics for Losail

• Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 2745

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 6 front and 6 rear

• Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 38 front and 30 rear

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear

• Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 22 front and 18 rear

• Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), in 1'57.371 (Race 1, 2^nd lap) and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), in 1'56.974 (Race 2,3^rd lap)

• Supersport Best Lap Awards won by: Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), in 2'02.443 at 2^nd lap

• Temperature in Race 1: air 27° C, asphalt 28° C

• Temperature in Race 2: air 26° C, asphalt 27° C

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 321.4 km/h, by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) in Race 2 at 2^nd lap

• Maximum race speed reached by the Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 276.9 km/h, achieved by Ayrton Badovini (Gemar Balloons - Team Lorini) in the 3^rd lap.

Today at the Circuito de Velocidad of Jerez de la Frontera in Spain, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) won Race 1 of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, now in its penultimate round of the season. The Northern Irishman crossed the line ahead of Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and his teammate Tom Sykes. On the other hand, it was poor luck for Marco Melandri's Ducati when, after winning Superpole^®in the morning, rode an excellent race, but during the sixteenth lap was forced to retire due to a technical problem with his bike.

As for the Pirelli tyres used in the race, on the rear, basically all the riders relied on the soft solution whereas on the front, an indicator of the excellent range of options made available by Pirelli, all four solutions were used and all successfully. Just imagine that the three riders on the podium had chosen three different front solutions.

Race 1 got underway at 1:00 PM local time with Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in pole position. As early as the first lap, the race was red flagged due to Ayrton Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) crashing, immediately followed by one by Raffaele De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team). The Quick Restart procedure was applied and 15 minutes later the riders were back on the grid with 19 laps to race. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) got off to a good start, managing to overtake Melandri, relegating him to second place. Behind them were their respective teammates, Tom Sykes on Kawasaki and Chaz Davies on Ducati. After three laps, Davies managed to get the better of Sykes, moving into third place behind his teammate. During the seventh lap, the Ducati riding Italian made a nice move to overtake Rea and move back into the lead, then managing to progressively widen the gap between him and the Northern Irishman to almost a second and a half during the tenth lap.

Unfortunately, Marco Melandri's race came to an end in the sixteenth lap due to a technical problem that caused him to retire, leaving first place to 2017 World Champion Jonathan Rea who crossed the line first ahead of the other Ducati rider Chaz Davies, second, and his teammate Tom Sykes, third.

WorldSBK Race 1 Standings: 1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 3) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 4) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 5) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 6) S. Guintoli (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 7) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) 8 ) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 9) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 10) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) 11) L. Mercado (IODARacing) 12) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 13) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 14) A. Andreozzi (Guandalini Racing) 15) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) 16) T. Takahashi (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 17) R. Russo (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) RT) D. Giugliano (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) RT) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) RT) D. Schmitter (eighty one HPC-Power Suzuki Racing) RT) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) RT) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team)  

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1:

In Race 1 the asphalt temperature was 39°C and that let the riders use more or less all of the solutions Pirelli had brought. In particular, all the riders except Takumi Takahashi (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) used the softest solution on the rear, namely the W0576 (option A), already used in the Laguna Seca and Magny-Cours rounds. As for the front, the most used tyre was the V0952 SC1 development solution (option B), but the standard SC2 (option C) and the new W0418 SC3 development tyre (option D) were also rather popular. The only rider opting for the standard SC1 (option A) was Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSBK Race 1

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati),in 1'40.938 on the 15^th lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952(14 out of 22 riders) • Most used rear solution: development SC0 W0576(21 out of 22 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 281.4, done by Chaz Davies(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) on the 1^st lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 6 rear Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 76, including 41 front and 35 rear • Air temperature: 25° C • Asphalt temperature: 39° C

From Friday 20 to Sunday 22 October 2017 Pirelli will be engaged in the penultimate round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Spanish circuit of Jerez de la Frontera.

Jerez will in fact be the last event for the racers of the WorldSSP300 and STK1000 classes, who will not attend the series finale at Qatar so this race will therefore be decisive for the assignment of the titles and in some cases, for the Manufacturers Standings. Pirelli therefore decided to be the Event Main Sponsor of this important round, which for the occasion is renamed the Pirelli Spanish Round.

With the main WorldSBK class assigned to Jonathan Rea for the third consecutive year, attention has shifted to the minor classes which throughout the year have often demonstrated a greater level of competitiveness than the main class, offering fans spectacular and very hard fought races. In the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship there is a battle between two Yamaha riders, Marc García (Halcourier Racing) and Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing), with the Spanish racer currently leading the general rankings, with 4 points over the Italian. In the FIM Superstock 1000 European Championship, there are three racers still in the hunt for the title: Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team), current Championship leader with 128 points, Florian Marino (PATA Yamaha Official STK 1000 Team) following with 120 and Turkish Toprak Razgatlıoğlu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) with a 14-point gap from first.

There is a different situation in the FIM Supersport World Championship which is headed to Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) followed by Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and, third, from Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing). With the Turkish star out of the game because a bad accident at Magny-Cours, the only one able to challenge the Frenchman remains the other Yamaha rider, South African Morais. There is a 32-point gap but with 50 points remaining in the stakes, Morais remains potentially in the game for the World title. Everything is to be decided in the Manufacturer Championship with Yamaha driving the standings with 216 points, 25 more than Kawasaki.

As for the tyres, Pirelli will have to face a circuit which it knows well but with the unknown factor of completely new asphalt since the track re-paving works were completed in late summer. For this reason, Pirelli will provide riders with both standard and development solutions which have been used in the past, with the exception of two new front options, one for the WorldSBK class and one for WorldSSP600. Then for the main class, the specification W0418 is a development of the standard SC3 just differing within the construction process. In Supersport, the specification W0379, is an alternative to the standard SC2. In both cases, these solutions should offer greater protection against the abrasion that could be present within the new asphalt.

The circuit of Jerez de la Frontera was inaugurated in December 1985 and since then has become one of the most appreciated circuits for riders. In 1992, renovation and modernization work was started to improve safety with particular modifications to the Pons Curve and Senna chicane, bringing the length of the lap to 4223 metres. Ten years later, in 2002, some extensive restructuring efforts were made to the overall complex, such as pit lane lengthening and the construction of surfaced run-off areas. Two months ago, the circuit was completely resurfaced after nearly 10 years since the last alteration occurred in 2008. The circuit of Jerez presents a varied composition, with long straights – equal to 69% of the circuit – and slow corners alternating with quick sections. The finish straight, which is 600 metres long, has a width equal to 12 metres, slightly wider than the rest of the track, where the width is 11 metres. As well as the structure, also the curvature radius is variable, ranging from 30 to 116 metres, while the maximum gradient is 5% out of Turn 5. There are several slopes with the maximum of 7.46% out of Turn 2, 6 and 13, while the minimum is 4.70% out of Turn 4 and 12.

The solutions for WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes

5175 tyres will be brought to Jerez de la Frontera for the penultimate 2017 round, the last one which will see in action the riders from all the four classes in the Championship.

In WorldSBK there will be seven choices for dry, four front and three rear solutions. In addition to the slicks for the races, those who go through to the second Superpole^® session will always count on the rear qualifier tyre, in this case the W0692 solution already seen in action at Portimão and Magny-Cours.

For the front, Pirelli offers both standard and development solutions: in addition to the standard SC1 (soft) and SC2 (medium), racers will rely on the development SC1 V0952, which uses the same compound of the standard SC1 but has different structural solutions. Also available is the new solution W0418, a development of the standard SC3 to which it shares the same compound but with a different construction process which could be very effective on the new surface at Jerez.

At the rear there will be one soft compound option and two in medium compound. The soft development solution W0576 has already been introduced in Laguna Seca and Magny-Cours rounds as an alternative to the standard SC0. In addition, there will be the standard SC1, which offers a medium hardness of the compound which is positioned halfway between the soft and hard solution and, as an alternative, the development SC1 W0051, already used in Motorland Aragón, Assen and Lausitzring, which uses a different compound than the standard solution to ensure a more consistent wear and grip level.

Infographic

The WorldSSP pilots there will also be seven options for dry, but of course in treaded tyres For the front there are four options: in addition to the standard SC1 and SC2, two development solutions: the SC1 W0378, which uses the same compound as the standard SC1, and the SC2 W0379 which uses the same compound as the standard SC2. Both solutions have a different construction process than the standard solutions. At the rear of the standard SC0 (soft) and SC1 (medium) solutions will complement the development SC1 U0563 already used this year in Assen and which, compared to the standard SC1, should offer greater firmness and therefore a greater resistance to cold tearing, especially in the case of particularly low temperatures.

Pirelli 2016 statistics for Jerez • Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 5059 • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 7 front and 6 rear • Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 40 front and 33 rear • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 5 rear • Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 25 front and 25 rear

• Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'41.467 (Race 1, 3^rd lap) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati),in 1'41.492 (Race 2,2^nd lap)

• Supersport Best Lap Awards won by: Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing),in 1'44.355 (3^rd lap)

• Temperature in Race 1: air 21° C, asphalt 35° C • Temperature in Race 2: air 24° C, asphalt 37° C

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 279.1 km/h, by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) in Race 2 at 4^th lap

• Maximum race speed reached by the Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 247.1 km/h, achieved by Axel Bassani (San Carlo Team Italia) in the 2^nd lap, Federico Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. Honda Racing) in the 2^nd lap, Patrick Jacobsen (Honda World Supersport Team) in the 2^nd lap and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in the 5^th lap

The race day today once again held thrill for all the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship fans. Winning Race 2 of WorldSBK on the Nevers Magny-Cours circuit was Ducati rider, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who, after starting from the eleventh spot on the grid, managed to claw his way back up to the top until crossing the finish line ahead of the rest. It was an unlucky race for Jonathan Rea, forced to retire, and seventh place for Tom Sykes, but the Akashi-based manufacturer took consolation in the success by the Kawasaki Racing Team which, after the world title Rea earned yesterday, was crowned 2017 team world champion today.

Kawasaki was less fortunate in the FIM Supersport World Championship due to a bad accident that occurred yesterday in Superpole for Kenan Sofuoglu which put both the rider and the team out of the running for the category title. Capitalising on the situation was Frenchman Lucas Mahias astride his Yamaha who, although unable to win the race today, is now the new leader in the overall standings. For the record, the WorldSSP Race was won by Finnish rider Niki Tuuli, also astride a bike from the Iwata-based manufacturer.

Like WorldSSP, in the FIM Supersport 300 and the European FIM Superstock 1000 World Championships, we will need to wait for the next round in Jerez de la Frontera to find out who the respective championship winners will be. At Magny-Cours, the WorldSSP300 race was won by Yamaha riding Spaniard Marc Garcia (Halcourier Racing) who now also leads in the overall standings by just 4 points over another rider from the Iwata-based manufacturer, Italian Alfonso Coppola. In the meantime Yamaha won the manufacturer title in the fledgling 300 category. In the Superstock 1000 category the win went to Jérémy Guarnoni (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) ahead of Florian Marino (PATA Yamaha Official STK 1000 Team), second, and Federico Sandi (Berclaz Racing Team), third.

Race 2 lost one of its protagonists just a few corners in, with newly crowned World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) forced to retire after contact with Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) which injured his leg, fortunately not seriously. In the meantime, the race was very heated and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) moved into the lead about mid-race after starting from the eleventh spot on the grid. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) fell in behind him ahead of Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse). During the eleventh lap, Camier was forced to retire due to a technical problem, leaving the third step of the podium to Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team). During the race there was a nice duel for fifth place between Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) with the Italian Ducati rider coming out on top in the end to finish fifth behind the satellite Ducati ridden by Xavi Forés (BARNI Racing Team). Finishing first was Chaz Davies ahead of Lowes on his Yamaha and Van Der Mark.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings: 1) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 3) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 4) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 5) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 6) L. Mercado (IODARacing) 7) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 8 ) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 9) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) 10) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 11) D. Giugliano (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 12) J. Gagne (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 13) A. Andreozzi (Guandalini Racing) 14) A. West (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 15) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) 16) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing) 17) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 18) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) RT) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) RT) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) RT) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)  

The first race of the day, which started at 11:30 AM local time, was the FIM Supersport World Championship which, unfortunately, during Superpole® on Saturday, lost one of its main protagonists: Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who had been championship leader up to that point, suffered several fractures to his pelvis after a crash and will not be able to compete in the remaining races of the season. In the race, Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing) started from pole position. From the start, the race appeared to be fiercely fought, with Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing) who, battling for the championship title with Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team), overtook his teammate at the start, only to slip back to fifth position later. This left Niki Tuuli solidly in the race lead with Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) and Patrick Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) following ahead of Lucas Mahias, fourth and Sheridan Morais, fifth. In the finale, Morais slipped back to eighth position, overtaken by Cluzel, Zanetti and Canducci. Crossing the line first was Niki Tuuli astride his Yamaha ahead of another Yamaha ridden by Federico Caricasulo and the MV Agusta ridden by Jacobsen, third. The overall championship standings are now led by Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team)who has 154 points, ahead of Kenan Sofuoglu with 145 and Sheridan Morais trailing by 32 but still in the mix for the championship title.

WorldSSP Standings: 1) N. Tuuli (Kallio Racing) 2) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team) 3) P. Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 4) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) 5) J. Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) 6) L. Zanetti (Team Factory Vamag) 7) M. Canducci (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI) 8 ) S. Morais (Kallio Racing) 9) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) 10) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing) 11) H. Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 12) C. Bergman (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 13) H. Soomer (WILSport Racedays) 14) A. Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) 15) C. Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing) 16) C. Tangre (Yohann Moto Sport) 17) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Jenik - Against Cancer) 18) S. Hill (Profile Racing) 19) Z. Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 20) J. Van Sikkelerus (MVR Racing) 21) P. Sebestyén (SSP Hungary by Pedercini Racing) 22) K. Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 23) S. Frossard (Stef Racing Team) 24) L. Epis (Response RE Racing) RT) R. Rolfo (GEMAR Team Lorini) RT) K. Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) RT) A. Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) RT) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) RT) G. Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven)  

The third race of the day was the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship. It was a thrilling and heated race down to the last lap where in the end it was Spaniard Marc García (Halcourier Racing) who triumphed ahead of Italian Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing) and Dutchman Robert Schotman (GRT Yamaha WorldSSP300 Team), all three astride YZF-R3 machines made by Yamaha who thereby has mathematically won the Supersport 300 manufacturer title.

The FIM Superstock1000 European Championship race closed out the weekend on French soil. The race was won by Jérémy Guarnoni (Pedercini Racing Kawasaki) ahead of Florian Marino (PATA Yamaha Official STK 1000 Team), second, and Federico Sandi (Berclaz Racing Team), third. With his tenth place race finish, (Michael Ruben Rinaldi Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team)remains the leader in the overall standings.

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP:

Unlike Race 1 which was held yesterday, Race 2 of WorldSBK was held in dry track conditions, so all the riders used slicks. On the front the most used solution was the V0952 SC1 development solution (option C), chosen by 15 out of the 21 the riders on the grid. Choices for the rear varied more: the W0576 SC0 development solution (option B) was preferred by most of the riders, but all the solutions were used.

In WorldSSP, most of the riders used the standard solutions. On the front, almost all the riders opted for the standard SC1 (option A), the softest of the available solutions. As for the rear, the standard SC0 (option A)was chosen by 2/3 of the riders on the starting grid with the exception of Niki Tuuli and Lucas Mahias who decided instead to rely on the V1201 SC1 development solution (option B).

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSBK Race 2

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), in 1'38.584 at the 7^th lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (15 out of 21 riders)

• Most used rear solution: development SC0 W0576 (14 out of 21 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 290.3 km/h, achieved by Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) in the 17^th lap and by Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) in the 20^th lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 6 front and 7 rear

• Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 78, including 40 front and 38 rear

• Air temperature: 16° C • Asphalt temperature: 21° C

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSSP race

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP Team), in 1'42.185 in the 18^th lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (24 out of 29 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (19 out of 29 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 261.5 km/h, achieved by Lorenzo Zanetti (Team Factory Vamag) in the 7^th lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 50, including 28 front and 22 rear • Air temperature: 14° C • Asphalt temperature: 20° C

Pirelli has been confirmed by Dorna as the Official Tyre Supplier for all classes of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The Italian tyre company, in agreement with Dorna, the promoter and organiser of the World Championship and with the FIM, the International Motorcycling Federation, has extended, as per contractual conditions, the current supply agreement, set to expire in 2018, for two further seasons.

Started in 2004 and now in its 14^th consecutive season, the technical partnership established by Pirelli with the Federation, promoter, teams and racers of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championships can already boast the record of the longest running control tyre supplier in the history of International motorsports. The single tyre formula proposed by Pirelli was initially designed to contain the overall costs of running the Championship and at the same time, increase competitiveness year after year by offering riders and teams the same opportunities to compete for victory, through a fair and identical tyre supply for all.

Pirelli, right from the outset, also realised that the production bike derived series could be a great development platform for its tyres and decided not to give the Championship prototype but production tyres. Undoubtedly, this choice proved to be one of the best: based on the motto "We sell what we race, we race what we sell". Through these years Pirelli has made available to all motorcyclists products that trace their roots in their respective segments, winning the most important comparative tests and imposing themselves as market reference points. To remain faithful to the philosophy that has always characterised Pirelli's commitment and strategy in the FIM Superbike World Championship, ie to use production not prototype tyres, Pirelli in 2013, became the first brand to abandon 16.5 inch sizes, introducing new 17” DIABLO™ Superbike tyres, a size most commonly used by motorcyclists.

Giorgio Barbier, Racing Activities Director of Pirelli’s Business Unit Moto, said: "We are historically a strong sporty DNA brand, this year we celebrated 110 years of Motorsports activity, and this renewal is a strong sign of our continued business strategy that has enabled our company to establish itself as a benchmark in racing. First of all in the segment of racing and supersport tyres, with great success in both development and sales across the range. The bond between Pirelli and the FIM Superbike World Championship has always been solid, over the years we have strongly contributed to the growth of this Championship and, at the same time, thanks to our participation we have succeeded in developing successful products which we have made available to all motorcyclists. Now we are thinking about the future, we will work together with Dorna on the growth of the Championship and especially with the new Supersport 300 class, because today's young riders will be the future protagonists of tomorrow's Superbike World Championship."

Marc Saurina, WorldSBK Commercial and Marketing Director, adds:“To have Pirelli on board for another two seasons is fantastic news for the Championship, and to reach the milestone of the longest running sole tyre supplier really shows the strong relationship the two companies have. Providing all classes with such an important asset as tyres is something we take seriously, and we believe Pirelli are the perfect company to continue with.”

This confirmation in the role of Sole Tyre Supplier demonstrates the passion and dedication that Pirelli has always played in motorsport, confirming an important feature of the Italian company's DNA. Pirelli is the Exclusive Tyre Supplier of the FIA Formula One World Championship^® since 2010 and it’s historically involved in the World Rally Championship, FIM Motocross World Championship, FIM Endurance World Championship and all the most prestigious four and two wheel motor competitions. And thanks to the experience gained in the top production derived Championship, Pirelli was able to become the control tyre formula in many national championships, including the British Superbike Championship in the UK, to name just one. The commitment placed in the control tyre championships however, has not deprived Pirelli of being leader also in open tyre championships and competitions. Among these, to name just a few, the CIV (Italian Championship), Superbike IDM (German National Championship) and FSBK (French National Championship).

From Friday 29^th of September to Sunday 1^st October 2017, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will take place at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.

For this round Pirelli, for both the WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes, confirms the dry solutions already seen in action in the previous rounds of Laguna Seca, Lausitzring and Portimão. Considering the rainfall possibilities typical of this area at this time of the year, Pirelli has decided to add to the standard front rain solution a new development option whichcould play a key role in case of bad weather over the weekend.

With six races still to be played and 150 points at stake Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), who heads the overall standings with 120 points ahead of teammate Tom Sykes and 135 over ducatista Chaz Davies, could seal the Championship with two rounds to go. Also in the Manufacturers Standings, Kawasaki comes to Magny-Cours 70 points ahead of Ducati.

All positions still need to be decided in the other classes. In the WorldSSP, with 75 points still in play, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) leads the overall standings only 4 points ahead of Frenchman Lucas Mahias and 31 on South African Sheridan Morais, both on Yamaha. In the Manufacturers Standings, however, Iwata's (Yamaha) company has a 9-point advantage over Akashi's one. Even more hard fought, the WorldSSP300 sees potentially struggling for the title eight riders, although having the greatest chances of winning are the Italian Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing), who leads the standings with 1 point advantage over the Spaniard Marc García, 18 over the Dutchman Scott Deroue and 19 over Mika Perez. Again in this case Yamaha precede Kawasaki in the overall standings with a 39 points advantage. In the European FIM Superstock1000 Championship it’s a battle between the current championship leader Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team) and  Kawasaki’s Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu, with the Frenchman Florian Marino following at 22 points from first. In this case, to drive the standings is the Ducati Constructor with 10 points advantage on Kawasaki and 11 on Yamaha.

The Nevers Magny-Cours track is 4411 metres long, with nine left-handers and 11 right and a finishing straight which measures 250 metres in length. The maximum slope uphill is 2.38%, while falling by 2.68% with a minimum bend radius of 5 metres and a maximum of 474.45 metres. The rider in pole position will start on the right hand side of the track.

The 1960's construction of the Nevers Magny-Cours Circuit was wanted by then Mayor Jean Bernigaud and the circuit was opened in March 1961 with a two kilometre long layout designed specifically for two and four wheels. Nevers multifunctional complex evolved again during the Eighties, changing several times and adapting itself to the 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 the change of the two sectors called Château d’Eau and Lycée.

The French track is characterised by sudden deceleration and re-accelaration, interspersed with medium long 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, to arrive from a fast straight. Beyond these technical aspects, the asphalt surface is extremely smooth and regular, and therefore the circuit of Magny-Cours has never presented a particular challenge for the tyres, also it is not particularly loved by the riders as it offers few opportunities to overtake.

The solutions for WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes

Pirelli arrives to Magny-Cours with a total of 5022 tyres for the four classes of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship.

WorldSBK riders will have in total seven dry options, four front and three rear. Additionally, those who arrive on Saturday at the second Superpole® session will be able to rely on a qualifier tyre, in this case the W0692 solution already used by riders at Portimão.

The novelty for the major class riders will be a rain development solution: in addition to the standard DIABLO™ Rain tyres, Pirelli has decided to bring a new solution, the W0461, already carried to Lausitzring where riders could only partially test its features. It is in the larger 200/60 size and also uses a different distribution process of the compound on the carcass.

Returning to the available slick solutions for the front, Pirelli confirms all the options already seen in action at Lausitzring and Portimão: the standard SC1 (soft) and SC2 (medium) compounds will once again complement the development SC1 V0952 solution that starting from Aragon was used in all rounds, and the development SC1 W0657 that was introduced by Pirelli at Lausitzring, then used by some riders also in Portimão. The peculiarity of this latter option is that it has a very soft compound, even softer than that of the standard SC1, and therefore ensures an even higher level of grip.

As for the rear; two options in a soft compound and one in medium. First of all the development SC0 W0575, which uses the same compound of the standard SC0, but with structural arrangements already used successfully in the past, and was introduced in Laguna Seca and also carried to Lausitzring and Portimão. As an alternative to the W0575, in this round Pirelli bring the soft development solution W0576 that so far has only been carried out in the Laguna Seca round. In addition to the two soft development solutions and in the case of lower asphalt temperatures that may occur in the early hours of the morning, there will be the standard SC1that provides a medium hardness compound that is positioned halfway between the soft and hard solutions.

In the WorldSSP Pirelli confirms the solutions already taken both to Lausitzring and Portimão. At the front, together with the standard SC1 and SC2, there will be the SC1 development W0378 which debuted at Lausitzring and was also widely used in Portimão. At the rear there are the standard SC0, soft, and the development SC1 V1201, medium. The first should be the most used in case track temperatures are high enough, otherwise riders will count on the development SC1, more protected in case of cold conditions.

Infographic

Pirelli 2016 statistics for Magny-Cours

• Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 5034

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 7 front and 6 rear

• Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 42 front and 33 rear

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 5 rear

• Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 25 front and 24 rear

• Superbike Best Lap Awards both won by: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'40.491 (Race 1, 21^st and last lap) and in 1'37.864 (Race 2, 3^rd lap)

• Supersport Best Lap Awards won by: Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing),in 1'42.095 (6^th lap)

• Temperature in Race 1: air 17° C, asphalt 21° C

• Temperature in Race 2: air 18° C, asphalt 27° C

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 295.1  km/h, by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) in Race 2 at 17^th lap

• Maximum race speed reached by the Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 261.1 km/h, by Kyle Ryde (Schmidt Racing) at 6^th lap.

For Kawasaki, the weekend that just ended at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão was definitely one to write home about: in fact, the manufacturer from Akashi won in all four of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship.

In the premier class, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), thanks to an outstanding performance in both Race 1 and Race 2, took his eleventh victory and fourth double win of the season. With 150 points still up for grabs and an advantage of 120 points in the overall standings over teammate Tom Sykes, his closest competitor, the Northern Irishman has made a strong claim to the world title. Also winning was Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who, after a troubled season start, in Portimão moves into the lead of the FIM Supersport World Championship and can now give it his all along with the other title contenders in the remaining three races. The FIM Supersport300 World Championship held a pleasant surprise where, for the first time ever, a woman was on the top step of the podium - Spaniard Ana Carrasco astride her team ETG Racing Kawasaki Ninja 300. Rounding out an already perfect weekend was Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who gave Kawasaki yet another win in the FIM Superstock1000 European Championship race.

At the end of the weekend, the Pirelli motorsport team is already busy getting ready for the official tests, the last ones of the season, that will be held tomorrow here at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão where all the WorldSBK category teams will be participating. The development team designated by each motorcycle manufacturer at the beginning of the year will be called on to test various development solutions, especially soft compound rear tyres developed both to renew the 2018 range and for the first, demanding round of next year at Phillip Island, Australia.

Race 2 of WorldSBK was the final event of the day on Sunday, starting at 3:00 PM local time. Stefan Bradl was not on the grid due to a crash during warm up. Leon Camier started from the first spot astride his MV Agusta, but by the end of the second lap he was already forced to yield the race lead to Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) who, in the meantime, had worked his way up from ninth to first place. Behind the Northern Irishman were initially Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who inverted positions a few laps later. On lap thirteen the red flag came out due to a bad crash by Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) but the marshals were able to get the bike safely off the track, thereby avoiding the need to stop the race. Just after the mid-race point, Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) managed to overtake Laverty, moving into third place. During the eighteenth lap, Chaz Davies crashed and was forced to retire from the race, thereby also losing his chances of overtaking Tom Sykes in the overall standings. At the end of the race it was once again Jonathan Rea who finished first ahead of an outstanding Michael Van Der Mark on his Yamaha and Marco Melandrion his Ducati.

WorldSBK Race 2 Standings: 1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 3) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 4) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 5) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 6) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) 7) L. Mercado (IODARacing) 8 ) A. West (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 9) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) 10) T. Takahashi (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 11) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) 12) A. Andreozzi (Guandalini Racing) 13) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 14) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing) 15) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) RT) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) RT) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) RT) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) RT) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team)  

At 12:00 noon local time, the FIM Supersport World Championship race got underway. With 36°C asphalt temperatures, most of the riders opted for the standard soft solutions both on the front and on the rear. Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), despite taking pole position on Saturday, was unable to take advantage of his start from the front of the grid, slipping back to fourth position. Starting very well from the third spot on the grid, on the other hand, was Patrick Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) who moved into the race lead ahead of Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) and Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team). During the third lap the race lost Kyle Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who crashed out and was forced to retire. In the meantime, the French Honda rider became the new race leader, followed by his Yamaha riding compatriot and the Turkish Kawasaki rider, Kenan Sofuoglu who all managed to overtake Jacobsen. On the sixth lap, Mahias managed to overtake Cluzel for the lead and shortly thereafter Sofuoglu also overtook the Championship leader to move in behind Cluzel. However, on the eighth lap, Kenan Sofuoglu took back the race leadthat he had lost at the start and held onto it for the rest of the distance, finishing first ahead of Frenchmen Lucas Mahias and Jules Cluzel. With this win, Sofuoglu moves into the championship lead with a 4-point advantage ahead of Mahias and 31 ahead of Sheridan Morais.

WorldSSP Standings: 1) K. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 2) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) 3) J. Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) 4) S. Morais (Kallio Racing) 5) P. Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 6) C. Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing) 7) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team 8 ) L. Zanetti (Team Factory Vamag) 9) C. Bergman (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 10) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Jenik - Against Cancer) 11) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing) 12) H. Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 13) M. Canducci (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI) 14) G. Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 15) H. Soomer (WILSport Racedays) 16) P. Sebestyén (SSP Hungary by Pedercini Racing) 17) Z. Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 18) J. Van Sikkelerus (MVR Racing) RT) M. Enderlein (MVR Racing) RT) N. Tuuli (Kallio Racing) RT) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) RT) A. Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) RT) S. Hill (Profile Racing) RT) K. Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) RT) L. Epis (Response RE Racing) RT) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) RT) K. Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) RT) G. Scarcella (GEMAR Team Lorini)  

The FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race was the first one of the day. To everyone's great surprise, the victory went to a young female rider, Spaniard Ana Carrasco who, astride her team ETG Racing Kawasaki Ninja 300, became the first woman to win a FIM Supersport 300 World Championship race. Carrasco finished on the top step of the podium ahead of Italian Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing)on Yamaha, second and Spaniard Marc García (Halcourier Racing), third and also with the Japanese manufacturer. This makes Coppola the new Championship leader with a one-point advantage over García and two races left in the season.

Before WorldSBK Race 2, the third to last race of the FIM Superstock1000 European Championship season was held. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) started well from the second spot on the grid, overtaking pole man Florian Marino (PATA Yamaha Official STK 1000 Team) who, after a few laps, slipped back to third place after being overtaken by Maximilian Scheib (Nuova M2 Racing). During the eleventh lap an engine failure for Marino's bike which leaked oil onto the track forced race direction to wave the red flag, thereby ending the competition. The top step of the podium went to Toprak Razgatlioglu who has now reduced his gap in the overall standings behind Michael Ruben Rinaldi, followed by Florian Marino and Maximilian Scheib.

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP:

In Race 2 of WorldSBK, the riders basically confirmed the solutions that they had already used on Saturday for Race 1. On the rear, the W0575 SC0 development solution (option B) was once again used by all the riders, whereas for the front, the only rider making a change was Marco Melandri who, instead of the standard SC1 (option B), made the switch to the V0952 SC1 development solution (option C)which was the most popular choice with the riders in Race 2.

In the WorldSSP race, the riders opted mostly for standard soft solutions, both on the front and on the rear. In particular, on the front the most popular solution was the standard SC0 (option A), chosen by twenty of the twenty-eight riders on the starting grid. For the front, rider preference was actually just about evenly divided between the standard SC1 (option A) and the W0378 SC1 development solution (option B).

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSBK Race 2

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), in 1'43.148 at the 4^th lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (15 out of 19 riders)

• Most used rear solution: development SC0 W0575 (19 out of 19 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 304.2 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 16^th lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 6 front and 6 rear

• Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 74, including 40 front and 34 rear

• Air temperature: 24° C • Asphalt temperature: 39° C Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSSP Race

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda), in 1'45.534 in the 2^nd lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC1 (15 out of 28 riders)

• Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (20 out of 28 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 276.9 km/h, achieved by Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing) in the 4^th lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 48, including 25 front and 23 rear

• Air temperature: 23° C • Asphalt temperature: 36° C

At the Autódromo Internacional Do Algarve of Portimão in Portugal, Race 1 of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship just ended with a win by Kawasaki rider Jonathan Rea. The representative of the manufacturer from Akashi appeared to be fast straight away from free practice on Friday and in the morning today he easily managed to take Superpole^®, considering the fact that his teammate, Tom Sykes, currently lying second in the overall standings, was knocked out of the competition for the weekend by a bad crash in the third free practice session that fractured the pinky finger on his left hand.

For the Portuguese round, also in view of the official tests scheduled for Monday, Pirelli decided to bring a mobile unit set up as an analysis laboratory to the track for the very first time in order to be able to analyse the performance of their tyres directly on site and straight away, particularly for those new development solutions that go out on the track during the weekend, but also on Monday during the tests. Based precisely on the data provided by this mobile unit on a few tyres that did long runs on Friday, Pirelli decided to pull a new rear solution from the race allocation, the W0735, which had actually never caused any problems. In fact, it had been popular with all the riders from the start but a laboratory analysis found that its wear was just over Pirelli standards. For this reason, and strictly as a precaution, Pirelli announced that this solution will not be available for the races this weekend.

Race 1 held no real surprises: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), starting from the first spot on the grid, rode an error-free race where he was in the lead from flag to flag. Only the Ducati riders tried to maintain the Northern Irishman's race pace, but it was all in vain because the defending World Champion managed to finish first with an advantage of more than six seconds over Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), second, and ten ahead of Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), third. Leon Camier's performance was noteworthy, managing to finish the race in fourth place astride his MV Agusta after starting from the eleventh spot on the grid.

In Race 1, on the rear, all the riders used the W0575 SC0 development solution (option B) which had been the reference tyre for the races held at Laguna Seca and the Lausitzring. As for the front, the V0952 SC1 development tyre (option C) remained a very popular solution with the riders and in this race it was once again the most used. Choosing the W0657 super soft solution (option A) were primarily the Ducati riders, with the exception of Marco Melandri who made the unconventional choice of opting for the standard SC1 (option B).

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'42.937 on the 2^nd lap

• Most used front solution: V0952 SC1 development (14 out of 20 riders)

Tyres selected on the starting grid of worldsbk Race 1

• Most used rear solution: W0575 SC1 development (20 out of 20 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 305.1 km/h, done by Chaz Davies(Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) on the 5^th lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 6 rear

Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 74, including 40 front and 34 rear

• Air temperature: 22° C

• Asphalt temperature: 38° C

The sixteenth round of the FIM Motocross World Championship was run at Uddevalla. The Swedish terrain was hard and slippery due to frequent thunderstorms and rain that fell during the weekend. SCORPION™ MX32™ Mid Soft was used by all Pirelli riders in the conditions; tyres forged by the Italian brand that demonstrated their versatility and helped achieve overall victory in both classes. In MXGP the win belonged to Tim Gajser. The world champion claimed the first race and finished as runner-up in the second. A great second position was celebrated by Romain Febvre, who, after a tough comeback in the first race due to a crash, won the second outing. Gautier Paulin showed more of his recent good form to reach third place. Glenn Coldenhoff was fifth, and Jeremy Van Horebeek in sixth, just ahead of Antonio Cairoli who, thanks to Jeffrey Herlings'mechanical problem in the second moto increased his advantage to 101 points over the Dutch rider and in the next race could become world champion for the ninth time with two GPs still to run.

Tim Gajser in action

A Sixty-seventh Title for Pirelli in the FIM Motocross World Championship was mathematically claimed in the MX2 division and now only Jonass and Seewer can win it. Jeremy Seewer achieved overall victory with two runner-up positions in the motos. The Swiss rider managed to cut a few more points away from Pauls Jonass’ lead as the MX2 title fight looks set to drop to the final round. Serial holeshotter Jorge Prado, winner of Race 1, walked the second step of the podium. Third was filled by Jonass who, on an extremely technical track, preferred to defend his championship margin without taking any risks. Conrad Mewse was fourth (a personal best) ahead of team-mate Thomas Covington. The American won the second moto with an exciting comeback.

Jeremy Seewer in action

In two weeks time the riders will tackle the US Grand Prix which will be held on the WW Motocross Park in Jacksonville, Florida.. Race results (in bold Pirelli riders): MXGP gara 1 1. GAJSER Tim (SLO) 2. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) 3. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) 4. DESALLE Clement (BEL) 5. COLDENHOFF Glenn (NED) MXGP gara 2 1. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) 2. GAJSER Tim (SLO) 3. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) 4. DESALLE Clement (BEL) 5. COLDENHOFF Glenn (NED) MX2 gara 1 1. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA) 2. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) 3. JONASS Pauls (LAT) 4. MEWSE Conrad (GBR) 5. BOGERS Brian (NED) MX2 gara 2 1. COVINGTON Thomas (USA) 2. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) 3. JONASS Pauls (LAT) 4. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) 5. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA) Classifiche di GP: MXGP 1. GAJSER Tim (SLO) 2. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) 3. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) 4. DESALLE Clement (BEL) 5. COLDENHOFF Glenn (NED) MX2 1. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) 2. PRADO GARCIA Jorge (SPA) 3. JONASS Pauls (LAT) 4. MEWSE Conrad (GBR) 5. COVINGTON Thomas (USA) Classifiche di Campionato: MXGP 1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.631 2. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) p.530 3. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.526 4.DESALLE Clement (BEL) p.519 5. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.453 6. FEBVRE Romain (FRA) p.441 MX2 1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) p.669 2. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) p.624 3.PATUREL Benoit (FRA) p.504 4. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) p.497 5. LIEBER JULIEN (BEL) p.436 6. COVINGTON Thomas (USA) p.417

On the German EuroSpeedWay Lausitz circuit, Ducati rider Chaz Davies has just won Race 1 in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, successfully crossing the finish line first ahead of the Kawasakis ridden by Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes. With this win, his fifth of the season, the Welsh rider for team Aruba.it Racing – Ducati tightens his grip on third place in the overall standings, closing the gap behind Championship leader Jonathan Rea to 110 points, but more importantly, reducing the distance that separates Ducati from Kawasaki in the Manufacturer Standings to just 61 points.

In any case, the manufacturer from Akashi certainly had nothing to be ashamed of, with their riders finishing second and third and with Tom Sykes breaking the track records. Thanks in part to the progress made by Pirelli this year, the English rider took Superpole^® setting a new time record of 1’36.121 and improving on the previous track record he himself had set last year by almost two seconds. As if that were not enough, Sykes also set the new race lap record with a time of 1’36.918. It should be pointed out that, thanks to the performance of the new Pirelli qualifying tyres, eleven riders were able to break last year's record in Superpole^®.

In Race 1, most of the riders chose medium compound solutions for the rear, with the exception of the Kawasaki Racing Team riders who, despite less than ideal asphalt temperatures, chose to mount the soft solution. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) started well from pole position, but Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who had not been able to do better than sixth place on the grid yesterday in Superpole®, moved in behind him straight away. The Welshman was very aggressive and already in the second lap, he managed to take the lead from the English rider on the 'Made in Akashi' bike. In the meantime, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) also overtook his teammate, setting out to chase down the Ducati rider. In fourth position it was the other Ducati rider, Italian Marco Melandri, whereas Lorenzo Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) who had started from the third spot on the grid, slipped back to seventh place. Chaz Davies tried to widen the gap at the front straight away, but Rea and Sykes on their Kawasaki machines did not let him get away, nipping at the Welshman's heels just three tenths of a second behind him. In the meantime, on the eleventh lap, Davide Giugliano (making his début on the Honda that had been ridden by the late Nicky Hayden), was forced to retire due to a technical problem. In the second part of the race, there were various upsets and passes in the lower part of the grid, but no particularly exciting moves between the riders in the top spots. Rea and Sykes never managed to be a real threat to Chaz Davies and he managed to finish first with an advantage of almost two seconds over reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea and more than three ahead of pole man Tom Sykes. Teammate Marco Melandri finished fourth.

WorldSBK Race 1 Standings: 1) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 4) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 5) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 6) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 7) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) 8 ) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 9) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 10) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 11) L. Mercado (IODARacing) 12) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 13) M. Reiterberger (Van Zon Remeha BMW) 14) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) 15) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 16) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) RT) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) RT) P. Szkopek (Pazera Racing) RT) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing) RT) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) RT) D. Giugliano (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) RT) M. Roccoli (Guandalini Racing) The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1:

In Race 1, especially for the rear, the riders' choices were very similar. The most popular solution was the W0051 SC1 development tyre (option B) that the riders had already been able to try during the Motorland Aragón and Assen rounds. This tyre was used by seventeen out of the twenty-two riders on the starting grid. The other solution in medium compound, the V1199 (option C) was chosen only by Raffaele de Rosa, whereas four riders, including Kawasaki riders Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea, opted for the W0575 SC0 development solution (option A) that had already been seen in action at Laguna Seca, despite temperatures that were not exactly ideal for this solution. As for the front, the most popular tyre was the V0952 SC1 development solution (option C), followed by the standard SC1 (option B) and the new W0657 SC1 development tyre (option A).

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'36.918 on the 6th lap • Most used front solution: V0952 SC1 development (12 out of 22 riders) • Most used rear solution: W0051 SC1 development (17 out of 22 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 287.3 km/h, done by Jonathan Rea(Kawasaki Racing Team) on the 3rd lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 7 rear Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 77, including 39 front and 38 rear • Air temperature: 20° C • Asphalt temperature: 31° C

Pirelli technical area

The EuroSpeedway Lausitz is located near Klettwitz, a village in the municipality of Schipkau, in the region of Lusatia, from which it takes its name.
Also known in the past as Lausitzring, this track was inaugurated in 2000 and is the latest complex in Germany to host two and four-wheel motor racing. Circuit features include the imposing grandstand that offers a 360° view of the circuit and the ability to offer thirteen different configurations. The one used by the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, has a length of 4265 metres with fourteen corners, of which eight are left and six are right. The maximum track width is 18.5 metres with the first turn to the left, while the rider in pole position starts at the right side of the track.
 
In the WorldSBK class, the reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) comes to the event holding a commanding lead with a 341-point haul, 59 points more than his team-mate Tom Sykes and 115 more than ducatista Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati); third with 226 points. Last year on the German circuit Davies dominated Race 1 while Rea got the win in the rain of Race 2.
In the FIM Supersport World Championship leading the standings is the Frenchman Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official World SSP Team) with 105 points but Kawasaki's Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) has won the last four championship races and is just 5 points from the Yamaha rider. More detached but still in the game for the title, are Sheridan Morais and Jules Cluzel.
In SSP300 and STK1000 everything is still to be decided with the Dutchman Scott Deroue (MTM HS Kawasaki) the current leader of the new entry class and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team) the main rider in the European Championship for stock machines.
 
 
The solutions for WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes
 
Pirelli brings a total of 4788 tyres to the EuroSpeedway Lausitz to meet the needs of the four Championship classes.
 
In the WorldSBK class there will be thirteen solutions available to riders, eight of which are slicks for dry and five wet options.
As for dry solutions, in addition to the qualifying rear tyre, which can only be used in the second Superpole® session, for the races, riders can choose between four front and three rear options.
At the front, in addition to the standard SC1 (soft) and SC2 (medium), the development SC1 V0952 which has already been brought to the rounds of Aragon, Assen, Imola, Donington, Misano and Laguna Seca will be present. This solution has the same compound of the standard SC1 but with different structural solutions. The fourth solution is the new development SC1 W0657, which uses a compound even softer than the standard SC1 and for this reason should be able to ensure a high level of grip at the front.
For the rear, Pirelli will rely on three solutions already used and known by the teams. The softest will be the development SC0 W0575 which was introduced at Laguna Seca and uses the same compound of the standard SC0 but with solutions and structural arrangements that have been successfully used in the past. There are also two development SC1 solutions: the W0051, already used in Motorland Aragón and Assen, which uses a different compound than the standard solution to ensure more consistent wear and greater mechanical grip, and the V1199, which was also available in Assen, Imola, DoningtonPark and Misano, and uses a SC1 compound with special structural features.
 
As always, in addition to the dry tyres, there will be intermediate and rain tyres available to riders in the event of bad weather. Especially for Lausitzring, Pirelli also brought a new rear development wet tyre, specification W0461, in the bigger 200/60 size which is the same as slick tyres.

Infographic

In WorldSSP, in addition to the usual wet solutions, the riders will have six dry solutions, four for the front and two for the rear.
As for the front, in addition to the standard SC1 and SC2, Pirelli confirms the development SC1 V1267, which uses the compound of the standard slick SC1 but with a different construction process and has already been used at Donington Park and Misano. The fourth solution consists of a new development SC1, the W0378, which uses the same compound of the standard SC1 but with a different compound distribution on the carcass.
At the rear, riders will be able to choose between the standard SC0 and the development SC1 V1201. The latter is a medium developmental solution that uses the same compound as the standard SC1 but should provide better mechanical resistance at low temperatures. It debuted at Motorland Aragón and was also brought to Assen, Imola and Misano.
 
 
Pirelli 2016 statistics for Lausitzring
 
• Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 5020
 
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 6 front and 8 rear
 
• Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 39 front and 39 rear
 
• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 5 rear
 
• Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 26 front and 25 rear
 
• Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati),in 1'37.357 (Race 1, 2nd lap) and by Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team), in 1'56.386 (Race 2, 13th lap)
 
• Supersport Best Lap Awards won by: Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing),in 1'41.035 at the 8th lap
 
• Temperature in Race 1: air 20° C, asphalt 28° C
 
• Temperature in Race 2: air 12° C, asphalt 18° C
 
• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 288.1 km/h, by Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) at 21st and last lap
 
• Maximum race speed reached by the Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 255.9 km/h, by Hikari Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) at 18th lap.

Davies wins Race 1 in 2016	Race 2 start in 2016

 

Pirelli ambience	Pirelli ambience

 

DIABLO Supercorsa tyres	Sykes in action in 2016

Pirelli has therefore made an additional development step for Laguna Seca and will be attending the event with two new rear development solutions. In the meantime, the exclusive tyre supplier invites the teams to respect the minimum pressures and to correctly use the tyre warmers. In particular, Pirelli reminds that, as already stated at the beginning of the year, the rear tyres must have a minimum usage pressure of 1,65 bar (23,9 PSI) from the first lap of the race, as lower pressures might damage the tyre.

Giorgio Barbier, Pireli Moto Sports Activities Director, stated: ”I believe it’s really evident to everyone that over the last few years Pirelli has been significantly increasing the level of performance of the tyres used in the Superbike World Championship. Which, it is good to remind, are standard products regularly purchasable on the market and not prototypes like the ones used in MotoGP™. With time, the power and the technological level of the bikes has also clearly increased compared to the past. The more the level of the tyre’s performances increases, the more the product’s “sensitivity” to the smallest of external variables, such as the pressures, increases. After what happened in the last two rounds we have decided to carry out an additional step for our product’s development, and we will continue to do so because we want to match the excellent performance with maximum reliability, which has always been a characteristic our tyres.We should also mention the fact that the product’s development hasn’t progressed at the same speed as Pirelli’s possibility to monitor its tyres during the race. In other championships the tyre manufacturer is able to know, in real time, the pressure as each bike is equipped with pressure sensors. For us, this kind of control is currently impossible as not every team has pressure sensors. The pressures, together with a correct utilization of the tyre warmers, play a very important role in allowing tyres with an extremely high technological level to work properly”. The Mazda Raceway circuit of Laguna Seca has a length of 3,610 metres (2,243 miles) with 7 turns on the left and 4 on the right. The track has a width of 15 meters and runs in a counter clockwise direction. The particular position of the circuit, situated on a hill not far from the sea, might give rise to large variations in asphalt temperature between morning and afternoon sessions. In some specific sections of the circuit, like the famous “Corkscrew”; a spectacular chicane located at the top of the hill which is situated on a steep slope and is ridden at about 80 km/h, the front tyres are being affected by rapid changes of direction in counter slope, whereas, at the same time, the many load transfers from side to side might compromise the rear tyre’s grip. Another particular section is the finishing straight which is quite short and has two light changes of direction, where the maximum speed (about 260 km/h for Superbikes) is reached. A good ride through the right curves 3 and 4 allows is essential for a good lap time, which is why it is really important that the tyres have excellent behaviour on slow turns of about 90° too.

The solutions for WorldSBK class As mentioned, only the riders competing in the WorldSBK class will be going on track in Laguna Seca and Pirelli, as usual, will be providing them with different slick solutions in addition to the intermediate and wet solution useful in case of bad weather. As for the slick solutions, every rider will be able to chose between three different options for the front and two for the rear. For the front, they will have available the standard SC1 (soft) and SC2 (medium) solutions and, as a third option, the development SC1 V0952 solution. This features the same compound as the standard SC1 but with different structural solutions and has been the most used front solution for the last rounds. As for the rear, Pirelli will provide riders with two development solutions: the W0575, featuring the same compound as the standard SC0 but with solutions and structural characteristics succesfully used in the past. They willl also have the W0576, again in soft compound and also featuring technologies and structural characteristics already used by Pirelli with excellent results in the past. Pirelli 2016 statistics for Laguna Seca • Number of tyres brought by Pirelli: 1785 • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 5 front and 7 rear • Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 34 front and 32 rear • Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)in 1'23.443 (Race 1, 4th lap) and by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) in 1'23.552 (Race 2, 2nd lap) • Temperature in Race 1: air 22° C, asphalt 46° C • Temperature in Race 2: air 20° C, asphalt 45° C • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 259,5 km/h, by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) at 2nd lap in Race1

Marco Melandri, Tom Sykes & Jonathan Rea

Italian Marco Melandri astride the team Aruba.it Racing – Ducati machine won Race 2 in the WorldSBK Championship today that was held at “Marco Simoncelli” Misano World Circuit. This is the Italian's first win after finishing on the podium six times this season. In the WorldSSP class, Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Racing Team) took his fourth win of the season and is now just a shout from the lead in the overall standings. Victory for Mika Pérez (WILSport Racedays) as well in WorldSSP 300 and for Marco Faccani (Althea BMW Racing Team)in the FIM Superstock1000 European Championship. Following the problem found by Jordi Torres with the rear tyre on his BMW in Race 2, Pirelli Moto Sports Activities Director Giorgio Barbier, stated: “Our goal is to complete the in depth analysis as quickly as possible in order to clarify the circumstances and causes of this occurrence. Our laboratories in Milan are already at work. Given the complexity of this analysis, a few days will be required to obtain results. In the meantime, until we have clarified and resolved the nature of the problem, we assure you that for the next FIM World Superbike Championship round scheduled to be held in Laguna Seca, we will use solutions that have already been used in the past with complete success.” In Race 2 Xavi Forés (BARNI Racing Team) started well from the second spot on the grid, followed by Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) and Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) who, because of the new inverted grid, started from the front row. Shortly thereafter, Laverty was overtaken by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), winner of Race 1 and starting from the ninth spot on the grid for Race 2. In the meantime, the other Kawasaki rider, Jonathan Rea, moved into fourth place behind his teammate. On the sixth lap, Xavi Forés made a mistake and went long on a corner, thereby leaving an opening for Torres, Sykes and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), the latter having moved up from tenth into third place. During the next lap, the rider from Ravenna managed to overtake first Sykes, moving in behind Torres, and then, in the tenth lap, he snatched the lead from Torres who, however, responded quickly to take it back. In the meantime, the lead group, in addition to the BMW and Ducati, was also made up of the Kawasaki machines ridden by Sykes and Rea. In the twelfth lap a crash put Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) out of the race. The turning point came in the thirteenth lap when Melandri overtook Torres to move into the race lead. Two laps later, on the hunt for a podium finish, Rea overtook his teammate for a provisional third place. Unfortunately, Torres' excellent race came to an end two laps early when he was force to retire due to a technical problem on his rear tyre. This left Marco Melandri to finish first ahead of Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes' Kawasakis.

Marco Melandri on the podium

WorldSBK Race 2 standings: 1) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 4) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 5) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 6) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) 7) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 8 ) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 9) L. Mercado (IODARacing) 10) S. Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 11) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) 12) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) RT) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) RT) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) RT) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) RT) A. De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) RT) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) RT) F. Menghi (VFT Racing) RT) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven)

Kenan Sofuoglu

At 11:30 AM Italian time, the FIM Supersport World Championship took place with nineteen laps to race and Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in pole position. Behind him on the grid were Frenchman Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) and Italian Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team). The starting positions also reflected the finishing order. The Turkish rider from the Akashi based manufacturer got off the line well, managing to hold onto the lead until the eleventh lap when the Honda riding Frenchman overtook him. A few laps later, Sofuoglu took back the position he had lost and held onto it until the finish, whereas Cluzel would have to settle for second place. On the bottom step of the podium, on the other hand, was the Italian Yamaha rider. This gives Kenan Sofuoglu his fourth win in a row, taking him to 100 Championship points and closing the gap to 5 points behind the leader in the overall standings, Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team).

Marco Faccani at the finish

WorldSSP standings: 1) K. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 2) J. Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) 3) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) 4) P. Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 5) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) 6) G. Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 7) A. Bassani (3570 Puccetti Racing FMI) 8 ) S. Morais (Kallio Racing) 9) H. Soomer (WILSport Racedays) 10) A. West (EAB West Racing) 11) A. Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 12) K. Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 13) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Jenik - Against Cancer) 14) K. Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 15) H. Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 16) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 17) P. Sebestyén (SSP Hungary by Pedercini Racing) 18) R. Rolfo (Team Factory Vamag) 19) J. Cretaro (Phoenix Suzuki Racing) 20) J. Van Sikkelerus (MVR Racing) 21) H. Kunikawa (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 22) L. Cipiciani (Team VUEFFE Corse) 23) S. Hill (Profile Racing) 24) C. London (Phoenix Suzuki Racing) RT) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing) RT) G. Scarcella (GEMAR Team Lorini) RT) R. Mulhauser (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) RT) L. Cresson (Race Department ATK#25) RT) Z. Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) RT) N. Tuuli (Kallio Racing) RT) L. Epis (Response RE Racing) RT) C. Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing) RT) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) RT) D. Stirpe (Team Factory Vamag) Opening up the events on Sunday was the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship which provided thrills all the way down to the last lap. Winning astride his Yamaha YZF-R3 was Italian Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing) who finished ahead of Spaniards Mika Perez on his team WILSport Racedays Honda second and Marc Garcia (Halcourier Racing) third. With this result, Coppola closes the gap behind current Championship leader Scott Deroue who is now only two points ahead of the Italian in the overall standings. To finish off the day, the riders took to the track for the FIM Superstock1000 European Championship race. On the tenth lap the race was red flagged due to a crash involving two riders. At the restart there were five laps to race. In the end it was Marco Faccani (Althea BMW Racing Team)who triumphed, managing to snatch the win two laps from the end from Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team), second across the line ahead of Chilean rider Maximilian Scheib (Nuova M2 Racing). In Race 2 of WorldSBK there were no substantial changes compared with the solutions chosen by each rider for Race 1. On the rear the standard SC0 (option B) was confirmed as the most used solution with the only riders preferring the V0602 SC0 development tyre (option A) being Fabio Menghi and Ayrton Badovini. For the front, the standard SC2 (option C)earned the preference of half the riders on the grid, closely followed by the V0952 SC1 development solution (option B).

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSBK Race 2

In WorldSSP, the standard tyre was once again the most used by the riders. As for the rear, all the riders, with the sole exception of Van Sikkelerus, used the standard SC0 (option A) whereas on the front the solution that gained most preference was the standard SC1 (option A) with seventeen riders choosing it, while the V1267 SC1 development tyre (option B) was the second most used solution with ten riders choosing it.

Tyres selected on the grid of the WorldSSP race

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'35.586 at the 2^nd lap • Most used front solution: standard SC2 (10 out of 20 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (18 out of 20 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 274.8 km/h, achieved by Jonathan Rea(Kawasaki Racing Team) in the 7^th lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 5 front and 6 rear • Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 68, including 35 front and 33 rear • Air temperature: 27° C • Asphalt temperature: 50° C Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), in 1'39.046 in the 3^rd lap • Most used front solution: standard SC1 (21 out of 34 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (30 out of 34 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 239.5 km/h, achieved by Jules Cluzel (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) in the 2^nd lap and by Loris Cresson (Race Department ATK#25) in the 3^rd lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 46, including 25 front and 21 rear • Air temperature: 26° C • Asphalt temperature: 46° C

WorldSSP 300 podium	WorldSSP podium

Kenan Sofuoglu podium Marco Faccani and Michael Rinaldi Marco Faccani Marco Melandri-finish Mika Perezand Armando Pantone Stk1000 Podium. Worldsbk race 2 podium Worldsbk race 2 start

Tom Sykes	Alex Lowes

The first race of the weekend for the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship at “Marco Simoncelli” Misano World Circuit was won by Tom Sykes on Kawasaki ahead of Alex Lowes on Yamaha and defending World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team). The British rider from the Akashi based manufacturer, after taking pole position with a time of 1’33.662 for the new track record on Saturday morning, doing four tenths of a second better than the previous record from last year that he had also set, won a race full of upsets and crashes. As for the tyre choices, the DIABLO™ Superbike standard SC0 was the most used on the rear, whereas on the front rider preferences were equally divided between the standard SC2 and the V0952 SC1 development solution. As for what happened in the race to the rear tyre of Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto Sports Activities Director had this to say: “Just a few hours after the race, the elements we have available are obviously not enough to allow us to provide a structured and complete explanation of what happened to Michael Van Der Mark's rear tyre. On-site, the only thing we can do, and we have done it, is an analysis with the naked eye. From this analysis, which we shared with Yamaha, we found that there is a hole on the left side of the tyre. This is completely different damage from what was found on Jonathan Rea's tyre, with it being understood that these are also two different solutions. It is obviously of primary interest to us to understand what caused this damage to the tyre, so over the coming hours and days we will be conducting the appropriate in depth investigations for this case in our laboratories.”

Jonathan Rea	Pirelli Superpole tyre

In Race 1 of WorldSBK, Michael Van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) started well from the fifth spot on the grid, moving into the lead on the first lap ahead of Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati). Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), who started from pole position, slipped back to fifth place from the other Ducati rider, Marco Melandri. Technical problems forced Stefan Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) to return to pit lane during the second lap.

WorldSBK Race 1 start

On the third lap Chaz Davies overtook Rea who, about the mid-race point, was nevertheless able to recover the lost position. Van Der Mark, Rea, Davies and Melandri made up the lead group, all within a one second gap of each other. From the fourteenth lap, Rea sought to close the gap behind the Dutch race leader, but in the end his efforts were unnecessary because during the fifteenth lap, Van Der Mark crashed out of the race, leaving the lead to the defending World Champion. In the final laps, the leading trio tightened up and Davies followed threateningly in second place until the 19th lap when Rea was no longer able to fend off his attacks and he overtook the Northern Irishman to become the new race leader. His teammate, Melandri, also took advantage of the pass, managing to move into second place right behind Davies. But Rea refused to give up and, at the start of the penultimate lap he took back second place, overtaking the Italian Ducati rider. In the finale there was one upset after another: on the last lap, Marco Melandri crashed out of the race and a few turns later Davies followed suit with Rea, following too closely to be able to avoid him, also crashing. The Northern Irishman managed to get his bike picked up and back on the track, finishing in third place, whereas it was Tom Sykes who exploited the situation to cross the line first ahead of Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)and teammate Rea.

Worldsbk Race 1 podium	Worldsbk Race 1 start

WorldSBK Race 1 standings: 1) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 3) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 4) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 5) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 6) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 7) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 8 ) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) 9) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) 10) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 11) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 12) A. De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) 13) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) 14) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) 15) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) NC) S. Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) RT) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) RT) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) RT) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing) RT) L. Mercado (IODARacing) RT) F. Menghi (VFT Racing) The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1: In the first race of the weekend, the riders' choices were rather similar. With the asphalt temperature exceeding 50°C, for the rear all the riders obviously chose one of the two available soft solutions. Of the two, the standard SC0 (option B) was preferred by a wide margin with 16 out of the 21 riders selecting it. The only odd man out on the front row was Chaz Davies who preferred the V0602 SC0 development solution (option A) to the standard soft tyre. As for the front, the most used tyre was the V0952 SC1 development solution (option B) followed closely by the standard SC2 (option C), which was chosen by four of the first six riders on the starting grid.

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSBK Race 1

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team),in 1’35.297 at the 4^th lap • Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (11 out of 21 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (16 out of 21 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 272.7 km/h, achieved by Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 10^th lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 6 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 68, including 35 front and 33 rear • Air temperature: 27° C • Asphalt temperature: 52° C

Jonathan Rea & Tom Sykes action

The sixth round of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship season has just ended on the British circuit of Donington Park with the umpteenth show of force by Kawasaki. The manufacturer from Akashi dominated throughout the weekend, winning in three out of the four categories in the Championship with success for Tom Sykes in Race 1 and a Rea-Sykes one-two in Race 2 of WorldSBK, victory for Kenan Sofuoglu in the FIM Supersport World Championship and the top step of the podium for Toprak Razgatlioglu in the European Superstock 1000 Championship. Besides Kawasaki, Yamaha was the only other bike manufacturer to take a win in one of the classes, namely in the WorldSSP300 category with Italian Alfonso Coppola. As for the performance of the tyres used today, Pirelli drew satisfaction from the standard solutions, the most used in all the classes. In fact, in the WorldSBK category, the standard rear SC0 was used by all the riders in Race 2 and, most importantly, it demonstrated astonishingly consistent performance, considering the fact that Tom Sykes consistently set new fastest lap times all the way to the 18th lap. For the front, the standard SC1 proved to be the most popular solution, along with the V0952 SC1 development tyre. Similarly, in the WorldSSP race, the rear SC0 standard DIABLO™ Supercorsa was chosen by nearly all the riders, whereas on the front, most of them opted for the standard SC1.

Jonathan Rea action	WorldSBK Race 2 Podium

In Race 2 of WorldSBK, already on the first lap Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) had moved into second place behind Leandro Mercado (IODARacing) who the Northern Irishman then overtook on the following lap. On the third lap, contact with Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) knocked Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) down and, after his excellent second place finish yesterday, he was forced to retire today. In the meantime, Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) moved into second place behind Rea, but in the final stages he would be overtaken by both Tom Sykes and Chaz Davies to finish the race fourth. On the ninth lap, Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was forced to abandon the race due to a problem with his bike's chain and shortly thereafter, Leandro Mercado (Ioda Racing) followed him into pit lane after crashing out. Toward the end of the race it was a battle for third between the Yamaha riding Dutchman and the Welsh Ducati rider with the latter gaining the upper hand to finish on the bottom step of the podium behind the Rea-Sykes Kawasaki duo.

Kenan Sofuoglu celebrating the victory	STK1000 Podium

WorldSBK Race 2 standings: 1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 4) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 5) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 6) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 7) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 8 ) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) 9) J. Dixon (Royal Air Force Reg. & Res. Kawasaki) 10) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 11) S. Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 12) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing) 13) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) 14) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) RT) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) RT) L. Mercado (IODARacing) RT) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) RT) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) RT) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) RT) A. De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) RT) L. Haslam (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) RT) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)

Tom Sykes	Toprak Razgatlioglu on the finish

At 12:00 noon local time, the FIM Supersport World Championship took place with twenty laps to race and Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in pole position. During the fourth lap, the race was red-flagged to allow marshals to clean the oil off the track that had leaked from the MV Agusta ridden by Xavi Cardelus Garcia (Race Department ATK#25). At the restart there were thirteen laps to race. The finishing order was not too terribly different than the order on the starting grid, with the first five riders over the line exactly in the same order as their respective positions on the grid. The team Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Turkish rider started well and was able to hold onto the race lead without any problems for the entire race distance, riding under the chequered flag ahead of the Yamaha ridden by Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) who finished second and the Honda ridden by Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda), making an excellent third place finish. Thanks to this second place finish, the French Yamaha rider continues to lead the Championship, but the Turkish Kawasaki rider, with his third consecutive win of the season, has significantly narrowed the gap behind the leader.

Toprak Razgatlioglu	Alfonso Coppola

WorldSSP standings: 1) K. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 2) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) 3) J. Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) 4) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing) 5) J. Kennedy (Profile Racing) 6) S. Morais (Kallio Racing) 7) A. West (EAB West Racing) 8 ) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) 9) H. Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 10) J. Francis (HALSALL Racing Team) 11) K. Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 12) G. Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 13) H. Soomer (WILSport Racedays) 14) R. Rolfo (Team Factory Vamag) 15) K. Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 16) A. Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) 17) M. Canducci (Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI) 18) R. Mulhauser (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 19) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Jenik - Against Cancer) 20) Z. Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 21) J. Van Sikkelerus (MVR Racing) 22) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 23) L. Epis (Response RE Racing) 24) N. Tuuli (Kallio Racing) 25) P. Sebestyén (SSP Hungary by Pedercini Racing) 26) H. Kunikawa (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 27) G. Scarcella (GEMAR Team Lorini) RT) C. Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing) RT) A. Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) RT) D. Allingham (EHA Racing Jewsons Yamaha) RT) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) RT) P. Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) RT) X. Cardelus Garcia (Race Department ATK#25)

Chaz Davies	Jonathan Rea celebrating

Opening up the events on Sunday was the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship which provided thrills all the way down to the last lap. Winning astride his Yamaha YZF-R3 was Italian Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing) who finished ahead of Spaniards Mika Perez on his team WILSport Racedays Honda second and Marc Garcia (Halcourier Racing) third. With this result, Coppola closes the gap behind current Championship leader Scott Deroue who is now only two points ahead of the Italian in the overall standings.

Kenan Sofuoglu	STK1000 start

Between the WorldSSP and WorldSBK races the FIM Superstock1000 European Championship race was held.  Fifteen laps to race with Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team) in pole position. During the fourth lap, however, Rinaldi was forced to retire after a crash. Leading the race was Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) who would remain firmly in command all the way to the chequered flag. Behind him were Florian Marino (PATA Yamaha Official STK 1000 Team) and Chilean Max Scheib (Nuova M2 Racing). Thanks to this win, the Turkish Kawasaki rider now leads in the Championship standings with a nine-point advantage ahead of Rinaldi.

WorldSSP podium	WorldSSP300 podium

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP: In Race 2 of WorldSBK, the riders made very similar choices. On the rear, partly in consideration of the fact that Pirelli pulled the V0602 SC0 development solution (option A) in agreement with FIM, Dorna and Race Direction following the accident that involved Jonathan Rea in Race 1, all the riders opted for the standard SC0 (option B) with the exception of Jake Dixon. In fact, with temperatures above 30°C, this solution was decidedly more suitable than the V1199 SC1 development tyre (option C). As for the front, on the other hand, the most used solutions were the ones that had already been seen in action in Race 1, namely the V0952 SC1 development tyre (option B) and the standard SC2 (option D) which were chosen in more or less equal numbers by the riders.

Tyres selected on the starting grid for WorldSBK Race 2

In WorldSSP, the most popular tyres for the race were the standard solutions. On the front, the standard SC1 (option A) was selected by no less than 20 riders, whereas on the rear, the standard SC0 (option A)was preferred by 30 out of the 34 riders on the grid.

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSSP race

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'27.815 at the 18^th lap • Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (11 out of 22 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (21 out of 22 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 272.7 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 6^th lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 7 front and 7 rear • Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 83, including 45 front and 38 rear • Air temperature: 20° C • Asphalt temperature: 35° C Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda), in 1'30.533 in the 2^nd lap • Most used front solution: standard SC1 (21 out of 34 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (30 out of 34 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 243.8 km/h, achieved by David Allingham (EHA Racing Jewsons Yamaha) in the 1^st lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 46, including 25 front and 21 rear • Air temperature: 18° C • Asphalt temperature: 30° C

The MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship race Sunday that just ended at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari raceway in Imola was as exciting as it was troubled due to various race interruptions caused by accidents, fortunately without any serious consequences for the riders involved. Ducati rider, Chaz Davies was the undisputed star of this race weekend. After taking pole position and winning Race 1 on Saturday, on Sunday the Welshman took Race 2 as well, thereby bringing home a splendid double win for the Borgo Panigale manufacturer and repeating last year's performance on the home circuit for the “red” fans. As if that were not enough, after doing the fast lap in both races, Davies also won both of the Pirelli Best Lap Awardsthat the Italian tyre manufacturer puts up for grabs in each round of the World Championship.

Chaz Davies on the podium of WorldSBK Race 2	Chaz Davies

Kawasaki riders Rea and Sykes could do nothing to combat the superiority of the Ducati riding Brit who has now taken his third win of the season out of a total of ten races held, moving firmly into second place in the overall standings behind reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and with a one-point advantage over Tom Sykes, third. The manufacturer from Akashi can, however, console itself with the win by Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in the FIM Supersport World Championship race that was marred by various red flag interruptions due to accidents on the track.

Chaz Davies at the finish	Jonathan Rea & Tom Sykes

Confirmation came in for Pirelli from the soft compound standard rear solutions. In both the WorldSBK class and in WorldSSP, the soft SC0 solution, respectively in the DIABLO™ Superbike and DIABLO™ Supercorsa ranges, was far and away the most used, which demonstrates the outstanding characteristics and performance offered by the solutions that make up the 2017 Pirelli range. During the first lap of WorldSBK Race 2, we saw an engine blow out for Ayrton Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) with a consequent red flag that stopped to race so the track could be cleaned. Forty minutes later, the race restarted with Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) off the line well from pole position, staying in the lead. Behind him at the end of the first lap were Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati).

Kenan Sofuoglu	Michael Ruben Rinaldi

In the meantime, Race 1 winner Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) moved into fourth place and reigning World Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) moved into sixth. Between the end of the second and the start of the third lap, the Ducati riding Welshman snatched third place from his teammate and Jonathan Rea managed to get the better of Xavi Forés (BARNI Racing Team), whereas Leon Camier was forced to retire due to a technical problem. During the fourth lap, Davies was already closing in on Sykes, while Rea managed to overtake Melandri, who slipped back to sixth place in the meantime, thereby moving in behind Davies in third. At the end of the seventh lap, Davies overtook Sykes and in the thirteenth lap, Rea also got past his teammate to move into second place. Chaz Davies was first over the line with a 5-second advantage over the Kawasakis ridden by Rea (second) and Sykes (third), which brought home a splendid double win for the manufacturer from Borgo Panigale.

STK1000 Podium	WorldSBK Race 2 podium

WorldSBK Race 2 standings: 1) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 4) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 5) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 6) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 7) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 8 ) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 9) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 10) L. Mercado (IODARacing) 11) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) 12) N.Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 13) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) 14) S. Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 15) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 16) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 17) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) RT) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing) RT) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) RT) A. De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) RT) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) At 11:30 local time, the lights turned green for the fifth race of the FIM Supersport World Championship season, interrupted no less than three times by a red flag due to accidents. American Patrick Jacobsen started from pole position.Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) was late onto the grid due to a crash during warm up and had to start from pit lane in fourth place. However, the Italian rider had a problem with his bike that forced Race Direction to wave the red flag and suspend the race. At the second start, an accident by Roberto Rolfo (Team Factory Vamag) forced the marshals to once again red flag the race to give staff time to clean up the track. At the third start there were eleven laps to race with Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) leading ahead of World Champion Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and pole man Patrick Jacobsen. The red flag came out again on the third lap, this time because of an accident involving the MV Agusta Italian rider again, as well as Kawasaki riders Watanabe and Malone. The race commission therefore decided to postpone the race until after WorldSBK Race 2 at 2:40 PM local time. At the restart, after a few accidents on the track that, however, did not interfere with the regular progress of the race, Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) managed to be the first over the line under the chequered flag ahead of Frenchman Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) second and American Patrick Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) third.

WorldSSP podium	WorldSSP300 Podium

WorldSSP standings: 1) K. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 2) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) 3) P. Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 4) S. Morais (Kallio Racing) 5) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) 6) J. Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) 7) C. Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing) 8 ) L. Cresson (SC Racing-RPM84) 9) H. Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 10) A. Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 11) A. West (EAB West Racing) 12) J. Kennedy (Profile Racing) 13) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing) 14) M. Canducci (Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI) 15) G. Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 16) H. Soomer (WILSport Racedays) 17) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Jenik - Against Cancer) 18) R. Mulhauser (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 19) L. Epis (Response RE Racing) 20) H. Kunikawa (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 21) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 22) J. Cretaro (RSV Phoenix Suzuki) 23) P. Sebestyén (SSP Hungary by Pedercini Racing) 24) G. Scarcella (GEMAR Team Lorini) 25) C. London (RSV Phoenix Suzuki) RT) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) RT) K. Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) RT) J. Van Sikkelerus (MVR Racing) RT) N. Tuuli (Kallio Racing) RT) A. Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) RT) M. Malone (Team Green Speed) RT) K. Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) RT) D. Corradi (SCS Racing Team) RT) R. Rolfo (Team Factory Vamag) RT) Z. Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) RT) D. Pizzoli (Race Department ATK#25) After the higher category races, the FIM Supersport 300 World Championship and FIM Superstock 1000 European Championship races were held. Winning in the fledgling class of the Championship for factory derivatives was Spaniard Marc Garcia (Halcourier Racing) ahead of Italian Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing) second, and Mykita Kalinin (Team MotoXRacing) third over the line. The final race of the day was the one for the Championship for stock bikes and once again the red flag came out to force the riders to make two more starts and to reduce the race distance to 9 laps. In the end, the track decreed the final winner of the day, the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team Italian Michael Ruben Rinaldiwho finished on the top step of the podium with his Ducati ahead of Roberto Tamburini (Pata Yamaha Official STK 1000 Team) second and Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) third. The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP: In Race 2 of WorldSBK, the riders made a few changes compared to Race 1. In particular, on the front the most used solution was the V0952 SC1 development solution (option B), chosen by about half the riders on the grid. The second most used solution was once again the standard SC2, already quite popular in Race 1. Making changes to the front between Race 1 and Race 2 were Tom Sykes, Jonathan Rea, Michael Van Der Mark, Roman Ramos, Ayrton Badovini and Riccardo Russo. On the rear, on the other hand, the most used solution was the standard SC0 (option B), chosen by 2/3 of the riders. The remaining riders opted instead for the V0602 SC0 development solution (option A). At the Race 2 second start, Lowes, Laverty and Krummenacher were forced to make a change to the rear since they had no more tyres available to them in the compound they had selected.

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSBK Race 2 Restarted

In WorldSSP, the race tyres were from the standard range. Specifically, on the front, the standard SC1 (option A) was selected by no less than 21 riders, whereas on the rear, the standard SC0 (option A) was preferred by 19 riders. Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSSP Race

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati),in 1'46.720 at the 6^th lap • Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (10 out of 21 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (14 out of 21 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 280.9 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies(Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 10^th, 11^th and 16^th laps • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 7 front and 6 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 78, including 44 front and 34 rear • Air temperature: 27° C • Asphalt temperature: 48° C Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team), in 1'51.795 in the 10^th lap • Most used front solution: standard SC1 (21 out of 36 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (19 out of 36 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 250.8 km/h, achieved by Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) in the 3^rd lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 45, including 24 front and 21 rear • Air temperature: 26° C • Asphalt temperature: 41° C

Race 1 podium

Ducati rider Chaz Davies won the first MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship race of the weekend at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit in Imola. The team Aruba.it Racing – Ducati Welshman, after taking pole position in the morning, won Race 1 ahead of the Kawasaki ridden by Jonathan Rea, defending World Champion and current leader in the overall standings, followed by Davies' teammate, Italian Marco Melandri, who finished on the third step of the podium. The race, dominated by Davies from start to finish, was stopped before all nineteen laps could be raced due to a bad crash involving the team Milwaukee Aprilia rider during the fourteenth lap after contact with Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team).

Chaz Davies	Marco Melandri

There were also good results for Pirelli, able to gather important information from this race, albeit with less laps than foreseen, on the solutions brought to Imola. In particular, the new V0602 rear development solution in soft compound that the riders had never used in a race until today proved to be the most used solution on the rear. It will therefore be interesting to see its potential in Race 2 and possibly in subsequent rounds of the Championship.

Chaz Davies action	Group action

WorldSBK Race 1 standings: 1) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 4) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 5) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 6) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 7) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 8 ) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 9) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) 10) S. Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 11) A. De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) 12) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) 13) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 14) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 15) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) 16) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) RT) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) RT) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing) RT) N.Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) RT) L. Mercado (IODARacing) NS) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team)

Tyres selected at the start

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati),in 1'46.393 at the 3^rd lap • Most used front solution: standard SC2 (10 out of 20 riders) • Most used rear solution: development SC0 V0602 (12 out of 20 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 282.3 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 8^th lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 7 front and 6 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 78, including 44 front and 34 rear • Air temperature: 24° C • Asphalt temperature: 50° C

Group action	Marco Melandri

Jonathan Rea	Chaz Davies

The fifth round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship will be going on stage at Imola’s Autodromo Internazionale Enzo and Dino Ferrari from Friday 12 May to Sunday 14 May 2017, when the protagonists of all four classes of the production-based championship, including the newborn WorldSSP300, will be going back on track.

Following the Assen round, where Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes’s Kawasakis took home a double one-two for the Akashi-based manufacturer, the WSBK riders will be challenging each other again on the Italian circuit This is a track which has been traditionally favourable to the Ducati riders, who will be trying their best in order to hold off the supremacy of the Kawasakis. Besides, Imola’s round represents the home race for the red bikes from Borgo Panigale, which, during last year’s edition, managed to thrill the public and their fans thanks to a double victory of the Welshman Chaz Davies

Chaz Davies in 2016

Pirelli will also be in the spotlight: in fact, on the occasion of the Italian round, the Milanese brand will unveil a new Superpole® tyre, which, until now, has only been tried by the riders during the official testing session in Motorland Aragón, and a new rear development solution in soft compound, which again has never been used by the riders except for the test session which took place at the beginning of April on the Spanish track. Moreover, on the Monday following the race weekend, the circuit set in Emilia-Romagna will frame the Pirelli SBK® Track Days initiative, currently at its second seasonal edition following a first session organized by the tyre manufacturer on the Thai track of Buriram. It consists of several track days dedicated to riders who support the Milanese tyre brand, providing all the participants with the opportunity to ride laps on track in order to experience the emotions of the great champions of the FIM Superbike World Championship, in addition to benefiting from the valuable advice of race engineers and of Pirelli’s experts

Ambience	Ambience

The race track, entitled to Enzo Ferrari and to his son Dino, was officially inaugurated in 1953 with the running of the CONI Grand Prix. From this moment on, Imola took on strategic importance in the motoring world: in 1963 Formula One made its début on the Italian track as well, whereas, for the first World Championship Grand Prix, spectators had to wait until the 1967 edition of the GP of Nations. Only in 2001, following a succession of restructuring and important events which marked the history of the circuit, the Superbike World Championship made its début on Imola’s track. In the layout currently used for motorcycling competition the track has an overall length of 4936 metres, with 9 right hand turns and 13 left hands turns. The radius of the curves goes from a minimum of 11 metres to a maximum of 94, with a finish straight of a 350 metres length. The width of the track goes from a maximum of 15 metres to a minimum of 10 metres with a maximum downhill slope of 9.10% between the Piratella and Acque Minerali turns and a maximum uphill slope of 9.38% between the Acque Minerali and Variante Alta turns. The Imola’s track is universally recognized as a quite technical and difficult track with rather complex turns and braking sections. Amongst several works of modernization, particularly significant is the resurfacing of about 70% of the track’s road surface which took place in August 2011. Such resurfacing has certainly allowed the circuit to regain a good level of mechanical grip but, at the same time, it has significantly increased the track’s aggressiveness on the rear tyres, especially with low to medium temperatures.

Jonathan Rea in 2016

Pirelli’s solutions for WorldSBK and WorldSSP

Pirelli is bringing to Imola a total of 4740 tyres for all four classes of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. In addition to the dry tyres, wet tyres will be available to all classes in case of bad weather. In WorldSBK eight slick solutions, five for the front and three for the rear. For the front, the complete standard range will be available with the soft SC1, the medium SC2 and the hard SC3, in addition to two SC1 development solutions: the V1271, tried by the riders for the first time ever during the official testing session in MotorlandAragón and afterwards used during the Assen round, and the V0952, already brought to Aragón and Assen, featuring the same SC1 standard compound but with different structural solutions. For the rear, two soft solutions and a medium one: together with the standard soft SC0 the new V0602 development solution will also be available, featuring a compound in the SC0 area and tried by the riders for the first time ever on the occasion of the official tests in Motorland Aragón. The third and last option will be the the V1199, already used by the riders in Assen and providing an SC1 compound with specific structural characteristics.

Infographic

Five dry solutions will be available, for WorldSSP class. For the front, in addition to the standard SC1 and SC2, the V0533 development SC1 will be back on the stage. This solution, which made its début in 2016 in Lausitzring and which has also been used in Magny-Cours, Jerez and Losail and in the first two rounds of the 2017 season, is positioned, in terms of compound, approximately in between an SC1 and an SC2 compound. For the rear, the riders will have the chance to choose between the standard SC0 and the V1201 development SC1, already brought to Motorland Aragón and to Assen. This last solution features the same compound as the standard SC1 and should be able to ensure better mechanical resistance in case of low temperatures.

Ambience	Ambience

Pirelli’s 2016 statistics for Imola • Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 4602 • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 5 front and 6 rear • Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 34 front and 34 rear • Number of solutions for the WorldSSP class (dry, intermediate and wet): 5 front and 4 rear • Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 24 front and 21 rear • Superbike Best Lap Awards won both by: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati)in 1'46.700 (Race 1, 3rd lap) and in 1'47.240 (Race 2, 6th lap) • Supersport Best Lap Award won by: Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse),in 1'51.966 at the 9th lap from the restart • Temperature in Race 1: air 20° C, asphalt 32° C • Temperature in Race 2: air 16° C, asphalt 23° C • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 292.2 km/h, by Kawasaki Racing Team riders Jonathan Rea, at 7th and 18th lap, and Tom Sykes, at 17th lap • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Rain tyres in Supersport race: 258.6 km/h, by Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) at 6th lap from the race restart.

Assen (The Netherlands), 30 April 2017 – After the race yesterday, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) took home a splendid one-two again today in WorldSBK for the Akashi-based manufacturer to close out a fantastic weekend on the Dutch Assen track, taking a splendid four of a kind of victories, winning in all four classes of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship. It was success for Turkish rider Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) in the FIM Supersport World Championship race and Dutchman Scott Deroue (MTM HS Kawasaki) in the new FIM Supersport 300 World Championship entry level class Kawasaki did not pull any punches in the FIM Superstock1000 European Championship either, where another Turkish rider, this time Toprak Razgatlioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), achieved his first success of the season to round out the collection of Kawasaki victories. In Race 2 of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship, the two-time World Champion once again confirmed his intentions to place his seal on the Championship as soon as possible, having already won seven of the eight races held. This was also a great way for Rea to celebrate his 200th race in the factory derivatives World Championship. The Kawasaki Racing Team rider demonstrated a cool head and excellent performance throughout the weekend and only his teammate, Tom Sykes and Ducati rider Chaz Davies were able to put any kind of pressure on him. The outcome of the weekend is definitely positive for Pirelli as well. In particular, on Sunday some important feedback arrived from the standard solutions, in other words, those tyres that are sold routinely on the market and that can be purchased by bikers all over the world. In WorldSBK, the SC3 option for the front, the hardest in the DIABLO™ Superbike range, was the most used in Race 2, whereas on the rear it was the standard SC0 that set the pace. The standard tyre solutions triumphed in WorldSSP as well, where the SC1 medium solution was the most popular both on the front and the rear. This goes to show the excellent level achieved by the tyres that make up the selection of standard solutions.

WorldSBK Race 2 podium	WorldSSP podium

Race 2 unfortunately lost one of the protagonists of Race 1, Marco Melandri, who was forced to withdraw in the ninth lap due to a crash. In the meantime, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) who, in accordance with the rules, started from the ninth spot on the grid after winning Race 1, did not take long to climb his way back to the front and as early as the third lap, he had already moved into the lead. From the fifth lap on, his teammate Tom Sykes had caught up with him, staying glued to his rear tyre for the entire race all the way to his last ditch attempt at a pass right on the last corner before the chequered flag. It was an attempt in vain to overtake the two-time World Champion, who managed to cross the line first with an advantage of 25 thousandths over Sykes. Behind them, on the third step of the podium, it was Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who, despite an excellent performance, was never able to get into the mix and be a true danger to the team Kawasaki riders.

Chaz Davies	Jonathan Rea

WorldSBK Race 2 standings: 1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 4) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 5) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 6) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 7) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 8 ) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 9) N.Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 10) S. Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 11) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) 12) L. Mercado (IODARacing) 13) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 14) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 15) A. De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) 16) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) 17) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 18) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) RT) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) RT) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing) RT) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) At 11:30 local time, the fourth race of the FIM Supersport World Championship season took place with eighteen laps to race for a total of 81.756 kilometres. Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) started from the first spot on the grid after taking pole position on Saturday. Behind him on the grid were Patrick Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) and Michael Canducci (Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI). The Turkish rider from the Akashi-based manufacturer took off in the lead and dominated the race from start to finish, crossing the line first without any hindrances. There was, on the other hand, a very heated duel for second between Frenchmen Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) and Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) and Italian rider Federico Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team). In the end it was Mahias who gained the upper hand, finishing second behind Sofuoglu with an advantage of five tenths ahead of Jules Cluzel, third to pass under the chequered flag.

Jonathan Rea	Jonathan Rea

WorldSSP standings: 1) K. Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 2) L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) 3) J. Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda) 4) P. Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 5) S. Morais (Kallio Racing) 6) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team) 7) M. Canducci (Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI) 8 ) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing) 9) C. Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing) 10) R. Hartog (Team Hartog - Jenik - Against Cancer) 11) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini) 12) K. Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 13) H. Soomer (WILSport Racedays) 14) A. West (EAB West Racing) 15) R. Rolfo (Team Factory Vamag) 16) N. Tuuli (Kallio Racing) 17) G. Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) 18) A. Zaccone (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 19) N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 20) R. Mulhauser (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 21) H. Okubo (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 22) V. Van Der Valk (Team SWPN) 23) J. Van Sikkelerus (MVR Racing) 24) P. Sebestyén (SSP Hungary by Pedercini Racing) 25) C. London (RSV Phoenix Suzuki) RT) J. Cretaro (RSV Phoenix Suzuki) RT) K. Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven) RT) L. Epis (Response RE Racing) RT) D. Pizzoli (Race Department ATK#25) RT) Z. Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) RT) H. Kunikawa (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) RT) S. Hill (Profile Racing) After the higher category races, the fledgling Supersport300 and FIM Superstock1000 European Championship races were held. Twenty-one year old Dutchman Scott Deroue (MTM HS Kawasaki), after winning in the first race of the season at Motorland Aragón, repeated the performance in his home race today in front of his fans, crossing the line first ahead of compatriot Gleen Van Straalen (Vos - TKR Racing) and Italian Alfonso Coppola (SK Racing). Lastly, in the Championship for stock bikes, it was another win for Kawasaki, taken by Toprak Razgatlioglu with team Kawasaki Puccetti Racing. The Turkish rider crossed the line ahead of Italian Michael Ruben Rinaldi (Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team) and Frenchman Florian Marino (Pata Yamaha Official STK1000 Team).

Jules Cluzel	Kenan Sofuoglu and Lucas Mahias action

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP: In Race 2 of WorldSBK, thanks in part to asphalt temperatures that were almost 10° C than in Race 1, the number or riders selecting a soft rear tyre went up and, at the same time, preferences for the hardest solution in the range on the front increased. On the front, the standard SC3 (option E) was selected by 13 of the 21 riders on the grid. The preferences of the other riders were more or less equally divided between the remaining four solutions available. Using the standard SC3 were, among others, Forés, Ramos, Laverty, Mercado, Melandri, Sykes, Davies and Van Der Mark, as well as his teammate, Lowes. On the other hand, opting for the V0952 SC1 development solution (option C) was the defending World Champion. As for the rear, 13 riders used the standard SC0 (option A), in other words, the softest solution, whereas the others chose one of the two available SC1 development solutions.

Tyres selected on the starting grid of WorldSBK Race 2

In WorldSSP, the race tyres were the standard SC1 compound both on the front and on the rear. Choosing this tyre for the front (option A) were all the riders except for Kyle Ryde who preferred to put the standard SC2 tyre (option B) on his Kawasaki. For the rear, 22 riders out of 32 chose the standard SC1 (option A), whereas the remaining 10 riders preferred the V1201 SC1 development solution (option B). None of the riders chose the U0563 SC1 development tyre (option C).

Tyres selected on the starting grid of the WorldSSP Race

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'35.579 at the 6^th lap • Most used front solution: standard SC3 (13 out of 21 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (13 out of 21 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 294.8 km/h, achieved by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) in the 2^nd lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 7 front and 7 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 82, including 44 front and 38 rear • Air temperature: 16° C • Asphalt temperature: 27° C

Kenan Sofuoglu	WorldSSP300 action

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing), in 1'39.057 in the 3^rd lap • Most used front solution: standard SC1 (31 out of 32 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC1 (22 out of 32 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 258.9 km/h, achieved by Sheridan Morais (Kallio Racing) in the 15^th lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 4 front and 5 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 45, including 20 front and 25 rear • Air temperature: 14° C • Asphalt temperature: 20° C

The Kawasaki Racing Team rider, Jonathan Rea, took Race 1 in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship on the historic Dutch Assen circuit ahead of his teammate Tom Sykes and Italian Ducati rider Marco Melandri. This gives the Northern Irishman his sixth win of the season out of a total of seven races held, remaining firmly in the lead of the overall Championship standings. From Friday, Rea demonstrated that he was competitive, also setting the new track record at 1’33.505 on Saturday morning during  Superpole^®. However, he was penalized by race marshals and demoted to the fourth spot on the grid after impeding Chaz Davies during his flying lap.

Jonathan Rea, winner of the Superpole

As for the tyre choices for this race, the asphalt temperature was the deciding factor. In fact, with temperatures lower than 20°, until the last moment, the riders were undecided between the standard soft or, alternatively, one of the two SC1 development solutions at their disposal. In the end, a few riders, including Davies and Melandri, opted for the soft SC0. Others, including Rea and Sykes, went with the new SC1 development tyre, but in both cases, the tyres selected performed beautifully, providing consistent performance for the riders all the way through to the end of the race.

Chaz Davies and Jonathan Rea	Chaz Davies and Jonathan Rea

Twenty laps to ride in Race 1 for a total of 95.382 kilometres. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started from the second spot on the grid, immediately moving into the race lead ahead of Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), who had started from pole position, and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), penalized by the race marshals from the first to fourth position on the grid after having impeded Chaz Davis on his flying lap during Superpole^®. As early as the third lap, the race lost one of its protagonists, hometown hero Michael Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) after a crash. Later, his teammate Alex Lowes was also forced to retire. The Ducati riding Welshman dominated the race until the twentieth and penultimate lap when he was no longer able to fend off the attacks of Jonathan Rea, who had moved into second place in the meantime. This handed the race lead to the Northern Irishman, but the British Ducati rider stayed glued to his pipes until, just before the start of the final lap, his Ducati had a technical problem and the unlucky rider was forced to retire. Jonathan Rea therefore won his sixth race out of the seven held thus far ahead of his teammate, Tom Sykes and the other Ducati rider, Italian Marco Melandri, third on the podium.

Jonathan Rea	Marco Melandri

WorldSBK Race 1 standings: 1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 4) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team) 5) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia) 6) S. Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 7) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven) 8 ) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) 9) L. Mercado (IODARacing) 10) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 11) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 12) A. De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project) 13) R. De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 14) N.Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team) 15) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) 16) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team) RT) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) RT) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) RT) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) RT) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing) RT) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)

Jonathan Rea and Chaz Davies

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the WorldSBK riders for Race 1: The asphalt temperature was the needle on the scale for the tyre choices in the race up to the last minute, particularly for the rear. In fact, with temperatures lower than 20°C, using a tyre that is too soft can prove to be a choice that is just as risky as it is winning, because the tyre is working at the minimum limit of its operating temperature with possibilities of cold tearing, in other words, tears and loss of pieces of tread due to excessively cold asphalt. Despite this, thanks to the constant development work done by Pirelli, the riders who chose this tyre had no problems.

Rea overtaking Davies	Tom Sykes

As for the rear, most of the riders opted for the new V1199 SC1 development tyre (solution C), tested for the first time ever during the official tests at Motorland Aragón. Opting for the standard soft solution (option A), on the other hand, were Ducati riders Davies and Melandri, as well as Torres, Hayden, Camier and De Rosa. Bradl, Russo, Ramos and Laverty were the only ones who chose the W0051 SC1 development solution (option B). The front tyre choices were much more varied: Ducati riders Davies, Melandri and Forés used the SC3 (option E), in other words, the hardest standard solution, but the most popular choice was the V0952 SC1 development solution (option C) which was used by, among others, Rea and Sykes. The standard SC1 (option A) and the standard SC2 (option D) were also quite popular, both chosen by five riders each. Only Russo and Badovini decided instead to rely on the V1271 SC1 development solution (option B).

Tyres selected at the start

Race 1 podium

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 1: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team),in 1'34.880 at the 3rd lap • Most used front solution: development SC1 V0952 (6 out of 21 riders) • Most used rear solution: development SC1 V1199 (11 out of 21 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 294.0 km/h, achieved by Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia) in the 1st lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 7 front and 7 rear Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 82, including 38 front and 44 rear • Air temperature: 10° C • Asphalt temperature: 19° C

TT Circuit Assen

Assen (The Netherlands), 24 April 2017- Following the fascinating Spanish round, when Chaz Davies imposed himself in Race 2, interrupting the supremacy of Jonathan Rea and his Kawasaki, and following the official tests which enabled the teams to fine-tune several items for the forthcoming rounds, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship arrives in the Netherlands for the fourth round of the season.

Riders competing in the production derived World Championship will be racing on the demanding TT Circuit Assen from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 April. For this occasion, Pirelli will be deploying a wide range of solutions which will, in addition to the standard tyres, include some development options proved during the official tests (after Motorland Aragón), which were well appreciated by all riders. In particular, in WorldSBK, in addition to the complete standard range, also two SC1 development solutions will be available for the front. Whereas for the rear, in addition to the soft standard solution, the riders will have the chance to choose between two medium compound development options. Moreover, Pirelli has developed a new rear rain tyre, which might come onto the stage in the event of rainfall at the Dutch track. The innovation for the WorldSSP class, on the other hand, is represented by the new development rear V1201 in medium compound.

Moreover, for the Assen round, WorldSBK riders will again rely on the latest innovation introduced by Pirelli in the Spanish round: the innovative Superpole® tyre, which, in its début, has already enabled riders to set some record times. This qualifying tyre can ensure a minimum of two and up to a maximum of four timed laps, allowing the riders to complete more than one flying lap, therefore having more opportunities to be able to set their best time.

On April the 28th, in addition to the teams and riders of the WorldSBK and WorldSSP, the protagonists of the STK1000 and WorldSSP300 classes will be revving up for Assen. As for the World SSP300 riders, they are currently at their second round following their début on the Motorland Aragón track.

The 2016 edition of the Dutch round, which ended with a spectacular double victory by Northern Irishman Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), was effected by bad weather, particularly during Race 2, when the Pirelli DIABLO™ Rain tyres were deployed for both WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes.

TT Circuit Assen

The TT Circuit Assen, located about 200 km north-east of Amsterdam, was built in 1925 with a very different layout compared to the current one. For the first 30 years, in fact, the track remained open to traffic, hosting races on country roads only occasionally. Only in 1955 the track was closed to traffic and its layout modified, reducing the overall length to 7705 metres. Further changes have been carried out in 2006 and nowadays, following other interventions which took place over the years, the Assen circuit features an overall length of 4.542 metres. With the longest straight of 970 meters, 11 right corners and 6 on the left. In spite of the various interventions, the track has substantially preserved its main features, to begin with the high average speed. It is an historical track, hosting the production derived series since 1992 and is undoubtedly, one of the most demanding track on the calendar, capable of representing a thorough challenge for the riders, bikes and of course for the tyres. It is to such a degree that it is often called “the Cathedral of Motorcycling”. The track’s layout features a sequence of long turns at constant speed, slow hairpins with harsh braking and sudden accelerations, fast chicanes and long turns with strong acceleration at the exit when the bike is still leaning over. It is thus a very varied track where the choice of tyres made by the teams has a strategic relevance. Moreover, another critical issue of the Assen circuit is related to the weather conditions: in the month of April, variable weather conditions with rather cold temperatures are often occurring. Nevertheless, in case of rain, the good drainage capacity of the circuit, together with the particular wind exposure which traditionally characterizes this area, ensures that the track is able to become dry quickly.

With a high bituminous percentage, the asphalt of the circuit has a strong correlation between how aggressive the track is and the external temperature. As a result, with low temperatures, the rear solutions can suffer from problems with tearing, in particular in case of soft solutions and when the track is still poorly rubberised, typically during the Friday sessions.

Pirelli Rain tyres

Pirelli Working area

The solutions for WorldSBK and WorldSSP classes

Pirelli arrives in Assen with a total of 4829 tyres, meeting the needs of riders of the four classes of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. In addition to the dry tyres, wet tyres will be available to all classes in case of bad weather.

In WorldSBK riders will be able to choose from a selection of eight slick solutions, five for the front and three for the rear. For the front the complete standard range, including the soft SC1, medium SC2 and the hard SC3, will be available in addition to two SC1 development solutions. Firstly the brand new V1271, which has been tried by the riders for the very first time during the official tests in Motorland Aragón and which features the same compound as the standard SC1 but with a different manufacturing process, and the V0952, already tried by the riders during the winter tests in Jerez de la Frontera and Portimão and utilised in Aragón for the first European race. This last option features the same compound as the standard SC1 but with different structural solutions. In addition to the soft standard SC0, two medium development solutions will be available for the rear: The W0051, already seen in action in Motorland Aragón and with a different compound compared to the standard solution, gives more uniform wear and a higher mechanical grip, and the V1199, which has been tried for the very first time by the riders during the official tests in Motorland Aragón; features a SC1 compound with specific structural characteristics. As anticipated, in case of rain, WorldSBK riders will also rely on a new wet solution for the rearin addition to the standard one: compared to the 190/60 standard solution, this last one is sized 200/60, which is the same size used for the dry tyres.

Infographic

For the WorldSSP class there will be five slick solutions: for the front the standard SC1 and SC2, whereas for the rear the riders will be able to choose between the standard SC1 and two development SC1. The V1201, which made its début in Motorland Aragón and which features the same compound as the standard SC1, giving an improved mechanical resistance with low temperatures, and the U0563, which, compared to the standard SC1, has better robustness and an improved resistance to cold tearing, especially in the case of particularly low temperatures.

Starting grid

Pirelli ambience

The 2016 Pirelli statistics for Assen • Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 4586 • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 6 front and 7 rear • Number of tyres available for each WorldSBK rider: 39 front and 38 rear • Number of solutions for the WorldSSP class (dry, intermediate and wet): 5 front and 4 rear • Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 23 front and 21 rear • Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing-Ducati)in 1'36.486 (Race 1, 2nd lap) and by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) in 1'37.706 (Race 2, 20th lap) • Supersport Best Lap Award won by: Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda),in 1'58.225 at the 6th lap from the restart • Temperature in Race 1: air 12° C, asphalt 19° C • Temperature in Race 2: air 6° C, asphalt 10° C • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 285,8 km/h, by Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) in Race 1 at 15th lap • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Rain tyres in Supersport race: 242 km/h, by Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) at 5th lap

A week after the spectacular race in Arco di Trento, riders of the FIM Motocross World Championship were involved in the Grand Prix of Europe at Valkenswaard. With its sandy soil which during the races becomes hard on the bottom, the Dutch track is one of the most demanding of the championship but Pirelli's riders were able to rely on the excellent SCORPION™ MX SOFT rear that, with the SCORPION™ MX32 ™ MID SOFT front, allowed the Italian brand to win in all categories and to monopolize the podium in MXGP.

Cairoli in action	Evgeny Bobryshev in action

Pirelli dominated the MXGP class by placing his riders in the top ten positions of the day. Thanks to a first and a second position, the victory belongs to Gautier Paulin. Fantastic second place for Jeffrey Herlings who has finally left behind the injury to his hand that slowed him down in the first races of the season. Jeremy Van Horebeek finished third in front of Antonio Cairoli, winner of qualifying and race 2 but unlucky in the race 1, and Tim Gajser. The slovenian kept the Red Table in the championship standing with 14 points advantage over the eight times world champion.

Gautier Paulin in action	Jeffrey Herlings in action

Pauls Jonass has won both MX2 races and has lengthened in the championship leading to 19 advantage points on Jeremy Seewer, second in Valkenswaard. Good race also for Thomas Kjer Olsen who, despite a fall in race 1, managed to close the Grand Prix to fourth place. Bad luck for Julien Lieberthat, after the second position in the first run, was forced to retire in the second but kept the third place in the championship.

Gautier Paulin in action	Jeffrey Herlings sul podio

Pirelli successes also in the European rounds that competed in Valkenswaard together with the world championship. Mikkel Haarup in EMX125 and Miro Shivonen in EMX250 have won the races and are in the lead in their championships. In two weeks time, riders will be engaged in the seventh round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, the Grand Prix of Latvia, which will be held on the track of Kegums.

Jeremy Seewer in action	Pauls Jonass in action

Race results (Pirelli riders are in bold): MXGP race 1 1. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) 2. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL) 3. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) 4. BOBRYSHEV Evgeny (RUS) 5. JASIKONIS Arminas (LTU) MXGP race 2 1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) 2. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) 3. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) 4. GAJSER Tim (SLO) 5. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL) MX2 race 1 1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) 2. LIEBER Julien (BEL) 3. COVINGTON Thomas (USA) 4. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) 5. VAN DONINCK Brent (BEL) MX2 race 2 1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) 2. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) 3.VAN DONINCK Brent (BEL) 4. OLSEN Thomas Kjer (DEN) 5. LAWRENCE Hunter (AUS) GP Overall: MXGP 1. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) 2. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED) 3. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL) 4. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) 5. GAJSER Tim (SLO) MX2 1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) 2. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) 3.VAN DONINCK Brent (BEL) 4. OLSEN Thomas Kjer (DEN) 5. VLAANDEREN Calvin (NED) Championship overall: MXGP 1. GAJSER Tim (SLO) p.234 2. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA) p.220 3. PAULIN Gautier (FRA) p.192 4. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL) p.182 5. BOBRYSHEV Evgeny (RUS) p.176 6.DESALLE Clement (BEL) p.172 MX2 1. JONASS Pauls (LAT) p.242 2. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI) p.223 3. LIEBER JULIEN (BEL) p.197 4. KJER OLSEN Thomas (DEN) p.188 5. PATUREL Benoit (FRA) p.173 6. VAN DONINCK Brent (BEL) p.159

Podio MXGP	Strijbos in action

Tim Gajser in action	Tim Gajser sul podio

Tony Cairoli in action	Tony Cairoli in action

WorldSSP group

The more than 60,000 fans who came out to Phillip Island throughout the weekend to watch the first round of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship season will certainly be going home satisfied because they watches some thrilling and heated races with overtaking and excitement on every single lap.

The WorldSBK class, although Race 2 once again went to Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), is proving to be particularly competitive because, besides the two-time World Champion, Melandri and Davies on their Ducatis and Alex Lowes on his Yamaha also took turns leading the race, indicating that this year the championship will definitely be much closer than in the past.

The WorldSSP class proved to be no less exciting, providing a show with the protagonists overtaking repeatedly, culminating in the photo finish win by Italian Roberto Rolfo (Team Factory Vamag) who beat out Lucas Mahias by just one thousandth of a second, proof of the race pace the riders maintained.

WorldSBK group action	Roberto Rolfo in action in WorldSSP race

There was also plenty of satisfaction for Pirelli, who contributed to providing the fans with a show and great fun, guaranteeing tyres with extremely high performance and, more importantly, with consistent performance over race distance, for the riders in both classes.

In the WorldSBK Race 2, the new inverted grid rule came into play, which decides the starting order based on the finishing order of Race 1. This meant that Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), who had won the first race yesterday, started from the ninth spot on the grid, whereas Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team), who finished fourth in Race 1, started from pole position.

It was clear from the first laps that the race would be spectacular. The Briton on his Yamaha held the lead until the end of the second lap, but at the start of the third he was forced to hand it over to Xavi Forés (BARNI Racing Team), who had started from the third spot on the grid. In the meantime, Jonathan Rea made up six spots and moved into third place behind Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia).

Davies in action	Melandri in action

Rea and Davies in action	Rea in action

WorldSBK Race 2 standings:

1) J. Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team)

2) C. Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

3) M. Melandri (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati)

4) A. Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)

5) X. Forés (BARNI Racing Team)

6) T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team)

7) M. Van Der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team)

8 ) L. Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)

9) L. Savadori (Milwaukee Aprilia)

10) E. Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia)

11) A. De Angelis (Pedercini Racing SC-Project)

12) J. Brookes (ERMotorsport-EliteRoads.com.au)

13) M. Reiterberger (Althea BMW Racing Team)

14) R. Ramos (Team Kawasaki GoEleven)

15) S. Bradl (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)

16) R. Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)

17) O. Jezek (Grillini Racing Team)

RT) N.Hayden (Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team)

RT) A. Badovini (Grillini Racing Team)

RT) R. Russo (Guandalini Racing)

RT) J. Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team)

At 1:30 PM local time, the FIM Supersport World Championship race took place with fifteen laps to race and plenty more show for the fans.

Patrick Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse), after taking pole position on Saturday, started from the first spot on the grid, but struggled to find his pace and during the second lap he had already dropped back into the rear guard. Leading the race was first Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) and then, from the third lap, Jules Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda), overtaken shortly thereafter by Kyle Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) and Lucas Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team).

The race was red-flagged during the third lap due to contact between Gino Rea and Robin Mulhauser that left some debris on the tarmac.

WorldSBK Race 2 pordium	WorldSSP podium

WorldSSP standings:

1. R. Rolfo (Team Factory Vamag)

2. L. Mahias (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team)

3. A. West (West Racing)

4. K. Ryde (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing)

5. N. Tuuli (Kallio Racing)

6. P. Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse)

7. A. Wagner (GEMAR Team Lorini)

8. K. Watanabe (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven)

9. N. Calero (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)

10. L. Epis (Response RE Racing)

11. S. Morais (Kallio Racing)

12. Z. Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura)

13. A. Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25)

14. M. Canducci (Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI)

RT) J. Cluzel (CIA Landford Insurance Honda)

RT) F. Caricasulo (GRT Yamaha Official WorldSSP team)

RT) S. Hill (Profile Racing)

RT) D. Pizzoli (Race Department ATK#25)

RT) L. Stapleford (Profile Racing)

RT) K. Smith (GEMAR Team Lorini)

NS) G. Rea (Team Kawasaki Go Eleven)

NS) R. Mulhauser (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda)

NS) C. Gamarino (BARDAHL EVAN BROS. Honda Racing)

The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for WorldSBK Race 2 and WorldSSP:

In Race 2 of WorldSBK, on the rear, all the riders except Ayrton Badovini (Grillini Racing Team) and Riccardo Russo (Guandalini Racing), who used option B, opted for the V0965 development solution in SC1 compound (option C), already the most popular choice for Race 1 and preferred by the riders because of its grip and consistent performance. As for the front, on the other hand, the standard SC2 (option C) was still the most used, with the remainder of the riders opting for the new standard SC1 (option B) and only Ducati riders Chaz Davies and Xavi Forés and Kawasaki rider Ondrey Jezek using the S1699 SC1 development solution (option A).

WorldSBK Race 2 Tyre selection at the start

In the WorldSSP race, all the riders used the U1149 SC1 development solution (option A) on the rear, whereas on the front, the preferences were divided more or less equally between the standard SC1 (option A) and the V0533 SC1 development solution (option B), with only two riders, Cluzel and Caricasulo, opting for the standard SC2 (option C).

WorldSSP Race Tyre selection at the start

Pirelli statistics for WorldSBK Race 2:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati),in 1'31.178 at the 6th lap

• Most used front solution: standard SC2 (13 out of 21 riders)

• Most used rear solution: devolpment SC1 V0965 (19 out of 21 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 317.6 km/h, achieved by Marco Melandri (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) in the 2nd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSBK class: 5 front and 7 rear

Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 74, including 34 front and 40 rear

• Air temperature: 24° C

• Asphalt temperature: 44° C

Pirelli statistics for WorldSSP race:

• Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Patrick Jacobsen (MV Agusta Reparto Corse),in 1'33.782 in the 7th lap

• Most used front solution: development SC1 V0533 (11 out of 24 riders)

• Most used rear solution: development SC1 U1149 (24 out of 24 riders)

• Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 279.8 km/h, achieved by Michael Canducci (Puccetti Racing Junior Team FMI) in the 2nd lap

• Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the WorldSSP class: 5 front and 4 rear

Number of tyres available for each WorldSSP rider: 52, including 29 front and 23 rear

• Air temperature: 25° C

• Asphalt temperature: 36° C

Ducati rider Chaz Davies and Kyle Smith are, respectively in the WorldSBK and WorldSSP categories, the final winners of the Pirelli Best Lap Award 2016, the award given to the riders who have achieved the race fast lap most times during the year

Today in Doha, under the starry Qatar sky, the 2016 MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship season came to an end. The dominating manufacturer was undoubtedly Kawasaki: the Akashi-based manufacturer, in fact, won both the Manufacturer Title in WorldSBK and in WorldSSP, thanks in part to the victories that riders Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) and Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) brought home during the season. As for race day on Sunday, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) made it a double win for the last WorldSBK race of the year and Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) won the last WorldSSP race. At the end of the day the 2016 Pirelli Best Lap Awards were also presented, the awards that the tyre manufacturer gives the WorldSBK and WorldSSP riders who achieved the most fast laps in the races during the season. Receiving them this year were Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in Superbike with 10 fast laps out of a total of 26 races and Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) in Supersport with 4 fast laps out of 12 races. It is time for Pirelli to draw up the totals, finishing out the thirteenth consecutive season as Official Sole Tyre Supplier for all the categories in the FIM World Superbike Championship. This is an absolute record in the two and four wheel motorsports world that will increase even further since the Pirelli supplier contract is valid through the 2018 season. Once again, Pirelli has done significant development work this year. In fact, let's not forget that for Pirelli, the FIM World Superbike Championship does not simply represent a showcase for the brand, but it is also a proper laboratory and testing field to try out new technical solutions. In fact, every year, in addition to the standard solutions that are available for purchase by any biker all over the world, the Italian tyre manufacturer takes various development solutions to the races for both the Superbike and the Supersport categories. At the end of every season, the development solutions that demonstrate improved performance compared with the corresponding standard solutions are promoted to become the new standard solutions. This way, every year, Pirelli is able to provide the riders in World Superbike and in the national Championships and, most importantly, all riders who can purchase the racing range products on the market, tyres that are always cutting-edge and constantly updated with the latest technologies, tested by some of the best riders in the world. During 2016, Pirelli's development operations were focused mainly on the DIABLO™ Superbike range front tyre. Already able to count on a new and efficient solution in hard SC3 compound developed thanks to participation in the FIM Endurance World Championship, as well as the medium SC2 compound, already quite popular with many riders, including World Champion, Jonathan Rea, the brand with the long "P" focused efforts on improving the SC1 compound standard solution, in other words, the softest front tyre. The objective was achieved with the introduction of the new U0176 solution beginning from the Assen round. This solution managed to guarantee the grip that the SC1 had historically provided, with the addition of characteristics such as stability and protection against cold tearing that had historically been characteristics of the standard SC2 tyre. Now, as had already been done in the past for the rear, the front DIABLO™ Superbike range has achieved optimum performance with all of the available compounds and it is definitely a point of reference in the market. Coming back to the race weekend, in Race 2, Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) was forced to start from pit lane as he had already gone through all the engines allowed by the rules. Even before the start, the race had also already lost another potential protagonist, Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who decided not to take part in Race 2 due to a physical problem. At the start, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) started lightning fast from pole position, but by the end of the first lap, Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) had already overtaken him and, under pressure, he went long on a turn, losing several positions. Behind the Ducati rider, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) gave chase ahead of Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team). During the seventh lap the upset came: Al Sulaiti's bike caught fire, forcing the marshals to red flag the race. At the restart there were ten laps to race. Davies remained in the lead, followed once again by Tom Sykes in second and Leon Haslam (Pedercini Racing) in third. Before the end of the second lap, however, the latter had already yielded his position to Jonathan Rea. During the fourth lap, Rea began to be a threat to his teammate, Tom Sykes, overtaking him a lap later to move into second place. This pass temporarily clinched second place in the final overall Championship standings for Chaz Davies. But Sykes was not going to settle, and so on the final straight before the chequered flag, he managed to overtake his teammate and finish second, a placement that allowed him to maintain his second place in the overall rider standings. The race win and a well-deserved third place in the Rider World Championship went to Chaz Davies, finishing first to bring home a double win for Ducati, the fifth this year, after a surprising season finale with no less than seven consecutive wins. Race 2 standings: 1) Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2) Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 4) Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 5) Leon Haslam (Pedercini Racing) 6) Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 7) Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) 8 ) Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team) 9) Raffaele De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team) 10) Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) … At 7:15 PM local time, the last race of the FIM Supersport World Championship season took place with fifteen laps to race. Newly crowned World Champion, Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) started from the second spot on the grid, since the pole position had gone to Luke Stapleford (Profile Racing). Unfortunately, however, the Triumph riding Brit's dreams were shattered before the end of the first lap by a crash that also involved Xavier Pinsach. In the meantime, Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) moved temporarily into the lead before yielding the top spot to Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) as early as the second lap. In the meantime, Kenan Sofuoglu began to be a threat, rearing his head and moving into second place ahead of Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse). In the thirteenth lap Kenan Sofuoglu managed to overtake, but at the start of the penultimate lap, the Honda-riding Brit took back the position he had lost. The Turkish rider was having none of it, and on the last lap, he moved back into the lead, but Smith would not give in and the Kawasaki Racing Team rider overtook him again on the penultimate corner. The finale was a nail-biter, with Smith finishing first ahead of the 2016 World Champion and Jules Cluzel in third. Supersport standings: 1) Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 2) Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 3) Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 4) Patrick Jacobsen (Honda World Supersport Team) 5) Randy Krummenacher (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 6) Ayrton Badovini (Gemar Balloons - Team Lorini) 7) Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) 8 ) Christoffer Bergman (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 9) Massimo Roccoli (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 10) Alex Baldolini (Race Department ATK#25) ... The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for Race 2 and Supersport: In Race 2 of WorldSBK, the riders basically confirmed the solutions that had already seen action on Saturday for Race 1. On the front, the U0176 SC1 development tyre (option B) was confirmed as the most used solution, chosen by a good number of the riders on the grid. The same held true for the rear, where the V0377 SC0 development solution (option A) was once again preferred by all the riders. In the WorldSSP race, the most used rear solution was the standard SC0 (option A), chosen by exactly 2/3 of the riders on the starting grid. Eight riders, on the other hand, preferred to use the standard SC1 (option B). The choices for the front varied more: the V0533 SC1 development solution (option B) was by far the favourite, but the standard SC1 (option A) was also quite popular. The only rider who opted for the standard SC2 (option C) was Kyle Smith. Pirelli statistics for Race 2: •Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), in 1'56.974 at the 3rd lap •Most used front solution: Development SC1 U0176 (18 out of 24 riders) •Most used rear solution: Development SC0 V0377 (24 out of 24 riders) •Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Rain tyres: 321.4 km/h, achieved by rider Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), in the 2nd lap •Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 6 rear •Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 68, including 38 front and 30 rear •Air temperature: 26° C •Asphalt temperature: 27° C Pirelli statistics for Supersport: •Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), in 2'02.443 in the 2nd lap •Most used front solution: development SC1 V0533 (13 out of 24 riders) •Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (16 out of 24 riders) •Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 276.9 km/h, achieved by Ayrton Badovini (Gemar Balloons - Team Lorini) in the 3rd lap •Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 4 rear •Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 40, including 22 front and 18 rear •Air temperature: 28° C •Asphalt temperature: 30° C

Pirelli development solutions SC1 U0176 (front) and SC0 V0377 (rear) are confirmed as the most used and will respectively become the new standard front SC1 and standard rear SC0 in 2017

Under the lights that illuminate the Losail International Circuit at Doha, the setting for the last round of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship season, Northern Irish rider, Jonathan Rea of the Kawasaki Racing Team was crowned FIM Superbike World Champion today for the second consecutive year.

The twenty-nine year-old, who finished second in Race 1 behind Ducati rider Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), race winner, has been with the Kawasaki team since last year and, since his arrival, he has led the Akashi-based manufacturer in winning both the Manufacturers Title and the Riders Title. Rea arrived at this last round with a 48-point advantage over his teammate, English rider Tom Sykes, who had to settle for fourth place in the race and second place in the Championship. From the point of view of Pirelli, Official Sole Tyre Supplier for all the categories in the FIM World Superbike Championship since 2004, this final round was a casting out nines to assess the performance of some of the solutions introduced this year. Specifically, given the popularity and excellent performance on various circuits and in various racing situations, Pirelli decided to promote two of the development solutions to standard solutions for 2017. The solutions in question are the rear V0377, which will become the new standard SC0, and the front U0176, which will become the new standard SC1. In Superpole^®, Rea made it abundantly clear straight away that he was eager to end the battle for the championship title as soon as possible and, with a time of 1’56.356, not only did he take the best position on the starting grid, but he also broke the track record set by his teammate, Tom Sykes in 2015 by almost half a second. This is an important result, achieved partly thanks to the new Pirelli qualifying tyre that has contributed to breaking various records this year. In Race 1, Rea administered the championship result. Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) got off the line well, overtaking both the Northern Irishman and Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) to take the lead. In fourth place it was Tom Sykes, who managed to overtake Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team). The top two positions would remain unvaried for the entire race, with Hayden, Sykes and Guintoli taking turns in third. In the end, the Frenchman had the upper hand and crossing under the wire behind the Welshman and the new 2016 World Champion. Race 1 standings: 1) Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 4) Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 5) Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) 6) Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team) 7) Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 8 ) Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 9) Michael Van Der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) 10) Lorenzo Savadori (IodaRacing Team) … The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for Race 1: Since the races in Qatar are held at night, the asphalt temperatures are never exceedingly high, but they are without a doubt high enough to be able to use a soft rear solution. In Race 1 on the rear, the riders unanimously opted for the V0377 SC0 development solution (option A). Pirelli brought this solution for the first time to the Donington Park round and then to Misano, Lausitzring, Magny-Cours and Jerez as well, and it has always been very well received by the riders, which is why this will be the new standard SC0 in 2017.

As for the front, most of the riders (18 out of 25) chose the U0176 SC1 development solution (option B) that made its début just this year at the Assen round and was then on the track at Misano, Lausitzring, Magny-Cours and Jerez as well. This tyre was also the most popular SC1 solution on the front throughout the year and therefore it will be promoted as the new standard SC1 next year. The only riders who did not use this solution for this race were Jonathan Rea, Nicky Hayden and Saeed Al Sulaiti, who instead chose a standard SC2 (option C), as well as Karel Abraham, who instead opted for the hardest solution in the range, the SC3 (option D).

Pirelli statistics for Race 1: •Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati), in 1'57.371 at the 2nd lap •Most used front solution: devolpment SC1 U0176 (18 out of 25 riders) •Most used rear solution: devolpment SC0 V0377 (25 out of 25 riders) •Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 317.6 km/h, achieved by Raffaele De Rosa (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 11th lap •Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 6 front and 6 rear •Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 68, including 38 front and 30 rear •Air temperature: 27° C •Asphalt temperature: 28° C

Qatar is the last round for the 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The Supersport title has already been won at Jerez, where Kenan Sofuoglu triumphed for the fifth time in his career. Both the Superstock 1000 and European Junior Cup classes were also finalised. This means the production derived machine series now arrives in Qatar to decide the title in the Superbike class. The only riders still mathematically possible to win the title are both Kawasaki riders, Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes, with the current World Champion Rea coming to the artificial lights of Losail International Circuit with a 48 point lead ahead of fellow teammate. Inaugurated in 2004, about 30 kilometres from the centre of Doha, capital of Qatar, the Losail circuit was built in a year. For the third consecutive season, FIM Superbike World Championship races will be held during the night, thanks to the powerful and innovative lighting system that makes the entire track structure particularly attractive. The circuit is also, for the most part, surrounded by artificial vegetation in an attempt to limit the deposition of sand coming from the desert. In the first Friday sessions, riders are usually called to follow corners with constant lines to try to clean as much as possible the trajectory from sandy deposits off the asphalt. In this situation, front tyres remain on the same point, creating wear tracks, while the rear wear is evidenced by patches on the tread pattern. Losail International Circuit has not been resurfaced since its inauguration, so it now has a consumed surface that requires tyres with a good grip, able to compensate the one lost from the asphalt over the years. From 2014, the FIM Superbike World Championship has run the round in Qatar during the night, while until 2009 the Championship raced in the spring and during day-time. The track requires a good compromise between front stability during the hard braking phases and a good level of traction, especially on the rear, so as to properly set correct trajectories in the fast corners. The front tyre must be able to absorb the high power accumulated during braking, and at the same time counteract the high risk of crushing, while for the rear riders must choose a soft compound, able to effectively orientate the road surface and simultaneously provide adequate traction. The solutions for Superbike and Supersport classes Pirelli, while working on next year’s consolidation of tyre solutions, offers to Superbike riders four slick solutions for the front – two range, two development ones – and three for the rear, two of them a development one. In the Superbike class, for the front tyre riders can rely on two SC1 development versions: the famous S1699, the most used solution this season and always available this year. It provides a better support in the cornering phase, especially on a track like Losail. Another development solution available is the U0176, which compound is midway between a SC1 and SC2. This tyre made its debut this year at Assen, and it was also used at Misano, Lausitzring, Magny-Cours and Jerez. Other solutions are the SC2 and SC3 range ones. The first is an average hardness solution that is optimal to use with high external temperatures, because it provides resistance to the tread pattern and it confers a greater stability. The second one is the hardest solution among those available, which has proved to be particularly resistant while used on an abrasive surface. For the rear tyre, riders will instead rely on two soft solutions, as the SC0 standard, the ideal one for addressing smooth asphalt and high temperatures, and the SC0 V0377 development solution, which differs from the standard one for some structural changes. Also available is the SC1 V0007 development solution - this tyre presents the same compound of the medium standard one, but it has different technological solutions on its structure. Together with the standard intermediate solution DIABLO™ Wet, in the unlikely event of rain, Superbike riders will rely on DIABLO™ Rain both for the front and the rear. In regards to the Supersport class, there are three Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC solutions for the front and two for the rear. For the first one there will be available the SC1 range one, which maximizes the footprint on the asphalt and its “presence”. The other two include the SC1 V0533 development, a solution which is midway between a medium and a hard tyre, and the SC2 standard, the ideal one with high temperature as it ensures stability to the tread pattern. For the rear tyre, Pirelli’s proposal focuses on two range solutions: SC0, which offers the maximum footprint on smooth asphalt and the maximum traction development at higher temperatures, and SC1, which can be used with particularly abrasive asphalt.

The 2015 Pirelli statistics for Losail round

• • Total number of tyres Pirelli brought: 2721

• • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 6 rear

• • Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 32 front and 33 rear

• • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Supersport class: 4 front and 4 rear

• Number of tyres available for each Supersport rider: 22 front and 24 rear

• • Superbike Best Lap Awards won by: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’57.312 (Race 1, 2^nd lap) and Leon Haslam (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils), 1’58.068 (Race 2, 3^rd lap)

• • Supersport Best Lap Award won by: Kyle Smith (PATA Honda World Supersport Team), 2’02.122 (7^th lap)

• • Temperature in Race 1: air 32°C, asphalt 37°C

• • Temperature in Race 2: air 31°C, asphalt 34°C

• • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 322.4 km/h, by Jordi Torres (Aprilia Racing Team – Red Devils) in Race 2 at 13^th lap.

Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa SC tyres in Supersport: 279.1 km/h, reached by Roberto Rolfo (Team Lorini) at 10^th lap.

Today in Spain at the Jerez circuit, the championship titles for World Supersport, Superstock 1000 and the European Junior Cup were decided. Winning them were respectively Kenan Sofuoglu on his Kawasaki, Raffaele De Rosa with BMW and Spaniard Mika Perez in the single-brand Honda championship. Team Kawasaki Puccetti Racing's Kenan Sofuoglu was crowned FIM Supersport World Champion for the fifth time, also winning the WorldSSP race today. For Raffaele De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team), born in 1987, this is, on the other hand, his first championship title in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. All of the lower category championships were decided, whereas the FIM World Superbike Championship remains open. In the two races at Jerez, Chaz Davies, astride his Ducati operated by team Aruba.it Racing – Ducati to a splendid double, leaving the Kawasakis ridden by Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes behind, but that will not be enough to finish the battle for the championship title, having accumulated a 67-point advantage over the Akashi manufacturer's Northern Irishman. The World Championship remains an in-house Kawasaki battle with Jonathan Rea who, with a third and second place finish this weekend, remains solidly at the top of the overall standings with 48 points ahead of his teammate, Tom Sykes. The two green knights will decide the outcome of the 2016 Championship in the last round at Qatar in two weeks.

This was the comment made by Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli Moto Sports Activities Director, at the end of the race weekend: “First of all, I would like to congratulate Kenan Sofuoglu, Raffaele De Rosa and Mika Perez for their success in the respective championships. It is a pity about Leandro Mercado who certainly would have been able to make a play for the Superstock1000 championship title until the end. I would also like to give Kenan a special mention for his fifth title this year, a truly important benchmark. In recent years, he has always worked to spread motorcycle racing passion in his country and to help young Turkish talents to grow. As a company, Pirelli is satisfied with the work done this weekend and more in general, throughout the year. We gathered a lot of important data and, above all, we managed to define which of the development solutions we brought this year will become the new standard tyres for 2017. In this regard, I can already reveal that, as for the DIABLO™ Supercorsa used in the Supersport, Superstock1000 and European Junior Cup categories, on the rear, the V0467 solution will become the new standard SC0 and the V0705 will become the new standard SC1. In conclusion, I would like to thank the organization of the European Junior Cup, a championship that will no longer be part of the World Superbike Championship from next year in order to make room for the new FIM Supersport300 World Championship, but that did a lot of work over the years, grooming and encouraging many young riders.” In Race 2, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) started well, but his teammate, Tom Sykes and Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) started better, overtaking the Northern Irishman already halfway through the first lap, with the Ducati rider taking the lead ahead of the Akashi manufacturer's Englishman. Behind them, Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) brought up fourth place. On the third lap, Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) left the race due to a technical problem and a lap later, Alex De Angelis (IodaRacing Team) followed him to pit lane after a crash. Jerez was also unforgiving to Xavi Forés, who crashed out on the ninth lap. During the tenth lap, Jonathan Rea tried to gain precious championship points, managing to overtake teammate Tom Sykes for second place. The order would stay like that for the rest of the race with Chaz Davies who, after winning Race 1 yesterday, brings home a splendid brace for Ducati, riding under the chequered flag about six second ahead of Jonathan Rea, Second, and Tom Sykes, third. The battle for the championship title is postponed to the last round in Qatar with Jonathan Rea leading the standings at 462 points, 48 ahead of teammate, Tom Sykes. Race 2 standings: 1) Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 4) Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) 5) Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 6) Michael Van Der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) 7) Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 8 ) Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 9) Anthony West (Pedercini Racing) 10) Lorenzo Savadori (IodaRacing Team) … At 11:20, the penultimate race of the FIM Supersport World Championship got underway, with nineteen laps to race. Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) got off the line well straight away from pole position, followed closely by his teammate and potential title contender, Randy Krummenacher and Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing) who, after starting from fourth place, overtook Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) to move up a position. As early as the fifth lap, the upset arrived when Randy Krummenacher crashed out of the race, handing Sofuoglu the 2016 championship title. But Sofuoglu would not have it easy for the rest of the race, especially since Niki Tuuli would do anything to win it. The team Kallio Racing Finn overtook the Turkish rider no less than twice, temporarily taking the lead from him, but Sofuoglu would not settle for winning the Championship but finishing the race second and in the end, he was the one to cross the line first ahead of Niki Tuuli and Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda), with an excellent third place finish. And so, Kenan Sofuoglu lifts the FIM Supersport World Champion cup for the fifth time after winning in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2015. Supersport standings: 1) Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing) 2) Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing) 3) Kyle Smith (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 4) Patrick Jacobsen (Honda World Supersport Team) 5) Axel Bassani (San Carlo Team Italia) 6) Jules Cluzel (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 7) Illia Mikhalchik (DS Junior Team) 8 ) Ayrton Badovini (Gemar Balloons - Team Lorini) 9) Christoffer Bergman (CIA Landlord Insurance Honda) 10) Lorenzo Zanetti (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) ... After WorldSBK Race 2, the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup race was held. Unfortunately, the race lost an important protagonists even before the start: Argentinian Leandro Mercado (Aruba.it Racing - Junior Team), who was leading the overall rider standings, had a technical problem with his Ducati during the sighting lap and was unable to take to the track for the last race of the Championship, thereby leaving the title to Italian rider Raffaele De Rosa (Althea BMW Racing Team). The latter, although he did not win the race, was in any case good enough to bridge the 7-point gap that separated him from the Argentinian and, finishing the race fifth, was crowned Superstock 1000 FIM Cup Champion with a five-point advantage over the unlucky Ducati rider. For the record, the race was won by Chilean rider Maximilian Scheib (GRAPHBIKES Easyrace SBK Team) ahead of Lucas Mahias (PATA Yamaha Official Stock Team) and Toprak Razgatioglu (Kawasaki Puccetti Racing). Finally, closing out the day was the WIL Sport European Junior Cup race that, as already mentioned, assigned the championship title to seventeen-year-old Spaniard, Mika Perez (Granshagen Racing Team). The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for Race 2 and Supersport: In Race 2 of WorldSBK, the most used solutions yesterday were substantially confirmed. On the front, the U0176 SC1 development tyre (option B) was still the most used solution, chosen by half the riders on the grid. Compared with Race 1, the Kawasaki riders, Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea, decided to abandon this option in favour of the standard SC2 (option C) with which they have a better feeling. For Race 2, Davide Giugliano also decided to change up the front, relying on the S1699 development tyre (option A) that he knows better and has used more in the past. As for the rear, the V0377 SC0 development solution (option B) was once again the most popular among all the riders on the grid, with the exception of Leon Camier who chose the standard SC0 (option A) instead. In the WorldSSP race, the riders made a rather uniform choice. The prevailing race set was the standard SC1 (option A) on the front, chosen by eighteen of the thirty-one riders on the grid, whereas on the rear, almost everyone opted for the V0467 SC0 development solution (option A). Pirelli statistics for Race 2: •  Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), in 1'41.492 at the 2^nd lap •  Most used front solution: Development SC1 U0176 (12 out of 24 riders) •  Most used rear solution: Development SC0 V0377 (23 out of 24 riders) •  Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Rain tyres: 279.1 km/h, achieved by rider Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team), in the 4^th lap •  Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 7 front and 6 rear •  Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 73, including 40 front and 33 rear •  Air temperature: 24° C •  Asphalt temperature: 37° C Pirelli statistics for Supersport: •  Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Niki Tuuli (Kallio Racing), in 1'44.355 in the 3^rd lap •  Most used front solution: Standard SC1 (18 out of 31 riders) •  Most used rear solution: Development SC0 V0467 (26 out of 31 riders) •  Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Supercorsa tyres: 262.1 km/h, achieved by Axel Bassani (San Carlo Team Italia) in the 2^nd lap, Federico Caricasulo (Bardahl Evan Bros. Honda Racing) in the 2^nd lap, Patrick Jacobsen (Honda World Supersport Team) in the 2^nd lap and Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) in the 5^th lap •  Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 5 rear •  Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 49, including 25 front and 24 rear •  Air temperature: 21° C •  Asphalt temperature: 29° C

The first MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship race of the weekend has just ended at the Andalusian Jerez circuit in Spain. Race 1 of World Superbike saw the win go to the number 7 Ducati ridden by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), but thanks to the placements of Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea, respectively second and third across the line, with one round left in the season Kawasaki can already mathematically celebrate the 2016 Manufacturer Title, the second in a row for the Akashi manufacturer. The solutions that Pirelli brought to Jerez confirmed the expectations of the brand with the long P. Particularly noteworthy was the performance of the rear V0248 Superpole tyre: not only did it allow Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) to win Superpole^® with a time of 1'39.190, improving the record he set last year by more than one second, but it also allowed ten other riders to break the previous record. As for the race, thanks to the 35°C asphalt temperature and considering the fact that the Jerez track has a rather dated surface that provides poor grip, most of the riders opted for soft solutions on both the front and rear. Of these, the front U0176 SC1 development solution and the V0377 SC0 development solution were by far the most used by the riders. In Race 1, Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) got off the line well, but poleman and teammate, Tom Sykes, stayed solidly in the lead. On the second lap, Davide Giugliano and Xavi Forés were forced to abandon the race after contact. A lap later, Alex Lowes was also forced to retire after crashing. In the meantime, Rea fell back to third place, overtaken by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), who also overtook the other Kawasaki standard-bearer for the lead in the fourth lap. The top three spots would remain unchanged until the end of the race, with Davies finishing more than three seconds ahead of Tom Sykes and more than seven ahead of Jonathan Rea. Fourth place went to Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team), thirteen seconds behind the Ducati rider. The third place finish was not enough for Rea to be crowned 2016 World Champion, but with 44 points ahead of teammate Tom Sykes and three races left to go, tomorrow the Northern Irishman could lift the cup for the second year in a row. Thanks to their riders finishing second and third, Kawasaki, on the other hand, mathematically clinched the Manufacturers Title for the second consecutive year.

Race 1 standings: 1) Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2) Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 4) Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) 5) Michael Van Der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) 6) Sylvain Guintoli (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 7) Leon Camier (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 8 ) Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 9) Markus Reiterberger (Althea BMW Racing Team) 10) Joshua Brookes (Milwaukee BMW) … The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for Race 1: With asphalt temperatures higher than 30°C and considering the fact that the Jerez track surface is rather dated and therefore does not provide much grip, the riders' choices fell to the softer solutions, precisely because of their ability to compensate for the poor tarmac grip. Specifically, on the front, most of the riders chose the U0176 SC1 development solution (option B), whereas others went with the better-known S1699 SC1 development tyre (option A). The only riders who chose the standard SC2 tyre were Leon Camier, Markus Reiterberger and Péter Sebestyén. On the rear, practically all the riders opted for the V0377 SC0 development solution (option B)that made its début this year at the Donington Park round and was then taken to Misano, Lausitzring and Magny-Cours as well, rounds where it proved to be very popular. Only three riders, Alex Lowes, Nicky Hayden and Luca Scassa, opted instead for the standard SC0 (option A). Pirelli statistics for Race 1:   •  Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), in 1'41.467 at the 3^rd lap   •  Most used front solution: devolpment SC1 U0176 (16 out of 24 riders)   •  Most used rear solution: devolpment SC0 U0176 (21 out of 24 riders)   •  Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 277.6 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) in the 1^st lap   •  Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 7 front and 6 rear   •  Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 73, including 40 front and 33 rear   •  Air temperature: 21° C   •  Asphalt temperature: 35° C

Thirty years after the legendary 1986 edition of the Motocross of Nations, which marked the beginning of the modern era of motocross, the MXoN was back on the historic ‘Mottaccio del Balmone’ track in Maggiora. In front of over 40,000 fans who packed the hill at the foot of the small town in Piemonte. The national teams selected three riders each to compete for the prestigious ‘Chamberlain Trophy’. On a track characterized by a medium-hard soil, Pirelli’s riders entrusted in the excellent SCORPION™ MX32™ Mid Soft that, both front and rear, have demonstrated once again their incredible level of performance. Riders equipped by Pirelli have dragged their teams onto the podium after some dramatic races. France, with 29 points, won for the third year in a row while the Netherlands finished second by just one point. The USA team grabbed the last step of the box and Belgium was fourth overall. Romain Febvre, who won the first race and was fourth place in the third, was the best French rider on the day. Jeffrey Herlings and Glenn Coldenhoff obtained the best results for the Dutch team, with the freshly crowned MX2 champion in his debut aboard the 450 winning the third and final moto. Team Italy, with Antonio Cairoli and Samuele Bernardini both equipped by Pirelli, finished in fifth place. The eight-time world champion also won the MXGP class. Overall victories in their categories belonged also to Jeremy Van Horebeek (MX2) and Jeffrey Herlings (OPEN). The seventieth edition of the ‘Motocross of the Nations’ is now in the books. In two weeks riders will engage in the first edition of the ‘SMX Riders Cup’, the indoor supermotocross race that will be hosted at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Race results: Race 1 (MXGP+MX2)

1. 1. FEBVRE Romain (FRA)
2. 2. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA)
3. 3. STRIJBOS Kevin (BEL)
4. 4. WEBB Cooper (USA)
5. 5. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL)

Race 2 (MX2+OPEN)

1. 1. ANDERSON Jason (USA)
2. 2. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)
3. 3. PAULIN Gautier (FRA)
4. 4. TONUS Arnaud (SUI)
5. 5. FERRIS Dean (AUS)

Race 3 (MXGP+OPEN)

1. 1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)
2. 2. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA)
3. 3. STRIJBOS Kevin (BEL)
4. 4. FEBVRE Romain (FRA)
5. 5. SEARLE Tommy (GBR)

Class Overall: MXGP

1. 1. CAIROLI Antonio (ITA)
2. 2. FEBVRE Romain (FRA)
3. 3. STRIJBOS Kevin (BEL)
4. 4. COLDENHOFF Glenn (NED)
5. 5. WEBB Cooper (USA)

MX2

1. 1. VAN HOREBEEK Jeremy (BEL)
2. 2. MARTIN Alex (USA)
3. 3. SEEWER Jeremy (SUI)
4. 4. PATUREL Benoit (FRA)
5. 5. BERNARDINI Samuele (ITA)

OPEN

1. 1. HERLINGS Jeffrey (NED)
2. 2. TONUS Arnaud (SUI)
3. 3. PAULIN Gautier (FRA)
4. 4. FERRIS Dean (AUS)
5. 5. BOBRYSHEV Evgeny (RUS)

Nations overall:

1. 1. FRANCIA p.29
2. 2. OLANDA p.30
3. 3. USA p.33
4. 4. BELGIO p.36
5. 5. ITALIA p.44
6. 6. SVIZZERA p.44

After their one-two finish in the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship Race 1 yesterday, Kawasaki managed to place one of their riders on the top step of the podium in Race 2 as well. In this case, bringing home the victory was Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) since his teammate Jonathan Rea, the Race 1 winner yesterday, was forced to retire today following a mistake in the first half of the race. But the stars of the show this Sunday were also definitely the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati riders, Davide Giugliano and Chaz Davies, who finished respectively on the second and third step of the podium, but who gave the Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway Track public an exciting show with a spectacular battle of the Ducatis for second place, as well as their constant attacks on the English rider from the Akashi-based manufacturer. From Race 2 came nothing but confirmation for Pirelli since the riders chose to use mainly the same solutions they had used in Race 1 on Saturday, in other words, the standard SC0 on the rear and the S1699 development tyre on the front. Race 2 began well for Davide Giugliano who, during the third lap, overtook Tom Sykes to move into the lead. Giugliano managed to pull away, leaving the group of Sykes, Rea and Davies a half second behind him. Unfortunately, the Italian's attempt to run away with the race on his Ducati was thwarted by a red flag during the sixth lap due to Pawel Szkopek's crash. The race was suspended with twenty-one laps left to race at the restart. At the second start, Tom Sykes got off the line well, but shortly thereafter, Davide Giugliano overtook him for the lead. Behind them were Nicky Hayden astride his Honda and Jonathan Rea on his Kawasaki who soon moved into third place after overtaking the “Kentucky Kid”. Giugliano tried to pull the pin but Sykes was having none of it. In the third lap after the restart there was a crash, fortunately without consequences, for Lorenzo Savadori who was forced to retire. In the fourth lap, both the Kawasaki riders made a spectacular move on the Corkscrew to overtake Giugliano. Sykes was the new race leader, but Rea was extremely close and in the fifth lap he made his move for the lead. Shortly thereafter, however, the Irishman made a mistake and ended up in the sand. He managed to get back on the track in tenth place, but then he stopped and decided to retire. In the second half of the race, Nicky Hayden was overtaken first by Chaz Davies and then by Xavi Forés. In the final laps, Davide Giugliano began to hunt down Sykes in earnest, with Davies right on his heels. The three were within a gap of seven tenths. At the start of the eighteenth lap, Chaz Davies decided he was not going to settle for the inconvenient third place and he began to wage a battle with his teammate for second. Davies managed to overtake the Italian temporarily, but at the Corkscrew the latter took it back. In the nineteenth lap, the three riders were within a gap of four tenths and it was a heart-stopping finale with the Ducatis battling it out down to the last corner and Giugliano keeping Sykes in his sights right down to the end. Race 2 standings: 1) Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) Davide Giugliano (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 3) Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 4) Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team) 5) Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) 6) Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 7) Michael van der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) 8 ) Niccolò Canepa (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 9) Anthony West (Pedercini Racing) 10) Román Ramos (Team GoEleven) … The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for Race 2: Like Saturday, Sunday was also very hot with asphalt temperatures approaching 50°C. Therefore, in Race 2 the riders substantially confirmed their preferences from Race 1. Especially on the rear, the SC0, standard soft solution, remained the most popular solution, chosen by 20 of the 23 riders on the grid. Only Ducati rider Davide Giugliano and the Kawasakis ridden by Dominic Schmitter and Gianluca Vizziello opted for the T1257 SC0 development tyre. On the front, the S1699 SC1 development solution was once again the most popular although, compared with Race 1, it lost a few riders who preferred the standard SC2. Besides Tom Sykes and Jonathan Rea, these also included Nicky Hayden, Lorenzo Savadori, Alex Lowes, Leon Camier, Alex De Angelis, Joshua Brookes, Saeed Al Sulaiti and Gianluca Vizziello. The only rider to choose the hard SC3 solution on the front was Karel Abraham. Pirelli statistics for Race 2: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), in 1’23.552 at the 2^th lap of the restart • Most used front solution: devolpment SC1 S1699 (12 out of 23 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (20 out of 23 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 258.9 km/h, achieved by Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) in 2^nd lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 7 rear Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 66, including 34 front and 32 rear • Air temperature: 20° C • Asphalt temperature: 45° C

Race 1 of the MOTUL FIM World Superbike Championship ended just moments ago at the American Laguna Seca circuit. The tracks change, but Kawasaki green continues to dominate. This time it was once again the manufacturer from Akashi on pole position with Tom Sykes, followed by a brilliant one-two race finish with Jonathan Rea first and the English rider second. This result makes seven one-two finishes for Kawasaki in the 2016 season, whereas for Jonathan Rea, this is his eighth win of the year. Behind the Kawasakis were the Hondas ridden by hometown hero, Nicky Hayden in third ahead of Dutchman Michael Van der Mark. As already happened in the last round at Misano Adriatico, the 2015 World Champion left the Superpole honours to his teammate, but in the race he forgives no one and once again managed to get the better of Tom Sykes. As for the tyres brought by Pirelli, the standard SC0 rear and the S1699 SC1 front development tyre were without a doubt the most used solutions by the riders for this first race. In Race 1, Chaz Davies started well astride his Ducati from the fourth spot on the grid, moving up two positions straight away and even taking the race lead during the fifth lap before crashing out into the sand. In the seventh lap, the race also ended early for his teammate Davide Giugliano, who had been riding in a provisional third place position up to that point. This left the Kawasakis ridden by Rea and Sykes alone at the front and they began to set a pace that none of the other riders could maintain. In the final laps the English rider temporarily overtook the Northern Irishman, but a few turns later Rea took back the lead. The green machines from Akashi were uncatchable for the rest, and at the wire they were more than twelve seconds ahead of Nicky Hayden, who finished third. Race 1 standings: 1) Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2) Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 3) Nicky Hayden (Honda World Superbike Team) 4) Michael van der Mark (Honda World Superbike Team) 5) Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) 6) Lorenzo Savadori (IodaRacing Team) 7) Xavi Forés (Barni Racing Team) 8 ) Jordi Torres (Althea BMW Racing Team) 9) Alex De Angelis (IodaRacing Team) 10) Niccolò Canepa (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team) … The Pirelli solutions chosen by the riders for Race 1: The day on Saturday was characterised by sun and heat from the early morning hours and this allowed the riders to use soft rear solutions already in the third free practice session. In Race 1, the most used rear solution was, in fact, the standard SC0, chosen by 18 of the 23 riders on the grid. Only Davide Giugliano, Niccolò Canepa, Dominic Schmitter, Pawel Szkopek and Gianluca Vizziello preferred using the T1257 SC0 development solution. As for the choices on the front, the most popular solution was the S1699 SC1 development tyre. The two Kawasaki Racing Team riders, as well as Nicky Hayden, Gianluca Vizziello and Saeed Al Sulaiti, opted instead for the standard SC2, whereas the two Aprilia riders, Savadori and De Angelis, went with the SC3 solution, as did Dominic Schmitter. Pirelli statistics for Race 1: • Winner of the PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: Chaz Davies (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati), in 1’23.443 at the 4^th lap • Most used front solution: devolpment SC1 S1699 (15 out of 23 riders) • Most used rear solution: standard SC0 (18 out of 23 riders) • Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres: 259.5 km/h, achieved by Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team) in 2^nd lap • Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 7 rear Number of tyres available for each Superbike rider: 66, including 34 front and 32 rear • Air temperature: 22° C • Asphalt temperature: 46° C