13
May
2007
|
10:00
Europe/Amsterdam

The World Superbike Championship is now in its 20th year

The World Superbike Championship is now in its 20th year. Riders and organizers celebrated that birthday at Donington but those with most cause for celebration are the public - the fans - because Superbike is the fans' Championship.

This world Championship has lived a long and sometimes complex history; just remember the evolution of the automotive sector in the last 20 years. Evolution is the key word and it has been the reaction speed, adaptability and the self-renovating capabilities of this Championship that make it a successful model and an example to others in Championships worldwide.

This is the Championship's strength: 20 years old but it is still very young and vigorous because it has been able to re-launch itself, thanks to the bravery of the promoter, who four years ago changed the rules of the game.

Having a subsequent look at what happened and on the "numbers", it is clear that the result of that choice has been a big growth.

What is distinctive and attractive to the fans is that this Championship is close to their world. The user can identify himself in the show offered by production-derived bikes, and at races the fans can live in an "open paddock" where they can meet SBK riders, real people with real emotions.
The decision to negate the difference between the riders by giving the same tyres to everybody meant the championship would become more competitive, cancelling those advantages that penalized the 'show' as well. The overall result has been more exciting and combative races, plus more appeal for a wider base of the general public. This renewed vitality has raised the interest of motorcycle manufacturers, teams and of the most famous riders- increasing the level of competitiveness in the championship.

Pirelli interpreted the role of official tyre supplier by keeping in mind these double objectives, which reward both the riders and fans.

The industrial production of racing tyres - a basic requirement given the numbers of tyres required and to eradicate the inconsistencies inherent in building prototype tyres - has an immediate effect on what Pirelli offers to its consumers.

Development and fairness are the two new "pillars" for Pirelli, and Pirelli found the right way thanks to the 'development teams.' Every bike manufacturer puts forward a representative team, and those teams are called on to test the new solutions provided by Pirelli. Then, when they have proved they are the right solutions for the different riders, and thus for the different bikes, they are placed at disposal of all the riders.

The ensures the tyres used at each race will be able to suit all the different bikes, confirming the ease of setup and performance to match and even exceed Pirelli's product philosophy.
The job of development can be measured in terms of lap times, new records and pure performance. Pirelli is all this, and that's why both in the Nationals and in the World Championship the new DIABLO SUPERBIKE and DIABLO SUPERCORSA, in the "SC" version, are already seen as the new benchmark - because they have been dominating the race results, smashing the stopwatches all over the world.

On one side Superbike, with its powerful bikes and cosmopolitan array of riders, offers Pirelli the best drivers for development; on the other side, it translates to lap records and that translates into a production for the market which - once again - eradicates the difference between the riders on the track and the fans in the grandstands.

This role is for Pirelli a driving force for development, ensuring - as per Pirelli tradition - the maximum performance for its consumers. A proof that racing development is immediately incorporated into the product for the market comes from the National Championships, where Pirelli Normal Production Tyre dominate the races and is fitted to more and more bikes on the grid.

The product line that represents this ideal bridge from fans to their idols is called DIABLO, and the varieties that compete in the SBK paddock directly are the DIABLO SUPERBIKE and the DIABLO SUPERCORSA, in Superbike and Supersport World Championships respectively.
This product line transfers the passion and talent of the SBK riders who are responsible for the final design of the tyres to the bikers on the streets and track days, providing them with intense emotions and high performance, by providing them with a complete product range, from a slick to a sport road tyre.