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Pirelli, sole supplier of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship since 2004, will provide Superbike riders with two rear solutions both in soft compounds and two front, in SC1 and SC2 compounds, this weekend.

At the rear, among the solutions identified by the Italian tyre company there are the standard SC0 and the development SC0 T0611, whereas for the front riders can choose the well-known development SC1 S1699 or the standard SC2.

Laguna Seca’s position on a hill not far from the sea gives rise to large variations in asphalt temperature between morning and afternoon sessions, which is why in the past usually Pirelli has brought for the rear both SC0 and SC1 solutions. Thanks to the work done by Pirelli to improve the range of use of the SC0 compound, this year the riders will have only soft solutions, able to perform well even if the temperatures are not so high.

Among the variables that can play an important role, usually on Friday, the track can be dirty due to the presence of artificial sand and that early in the morning you can find a bit of mist due to the circuit being near the sea.

Analysing the sections of the circuit in more detail, we cannot be exempt from quoting the famous ‘Corkscrew’. This part of the circuit between Turns 8 and 8a consists of a chicane situated on top of the hill that runs on a very steep slope and which usually riders cover with a speed of around 80 km/h. In this short passage, bikes and tyres experience rapid elevation changes of direction that stress the front tyre and, at the same time, the many load transfers may affect the grip of the rear tyre.

Another challenging point is the short start/finish straight which has two light changes of direction where the maximum speed of about 270 km/h is reached

Pirelli solutions for Laguna Seca:

- Pirelli has brought a total of 1,435 tyres, all destined for Superbike riders: the only class running at Laguna Seca.

- Each rider can count on 28 front and 29 rear tyres, on the understanding that for regulation they will not be able to use more than 24 (10 front and 14 rear) tyres for the entire race weekend (Friday to Sunday)

- Two dry solutions for the front and as many for the rear are accompanied as usual by intermediate and wet tyres and by the rear qualifying tyre, one for each rider to be used only during the Superpole of Saturday

- At the front the development SC1 S1699, which debuted successfully at Aragon in 2014, has been brought to every round this year because it offers greater support in the approach to turns in favour of better steering precision. The standard SC2 is ideal for high external temperatures because it guarantees solidity and support to the tread band

- At the rear the standard SC0, offers maximum tread contact on smooth asphalt and maximum traction development at high temperatures, as well as higher resistance to thermal performance decay. The development SC0 T0611, which debuted at Imola and was also used in Portimao and Misano, uses a very soft compound which is able to offer a very high level of grip when used with high temperatures