News

"With the appointment here at Portimão we conclude a truly rewarding season and I renew my congratulations to the new champions in each class, but especially to Carlos Checa and Fabien Foret who in the SSP and SBK classes were awarded the 2011 Pirelli Best Lap Awards as Fastest Riders of the Year and the respective financial contributions included in this initiative. In 2011, our commitment has always been clear and consistent in WSBK from the point of view of development and logistics: we took an average total of 5,000 tyres to each round with around 20,000 being consumed by riders in the 5 categories throughout the year. This massive allotment consisted of nearly 80 different compounds of which more than 35 new developments were dedicated to SBK. A team of 8 operators worked simultaneously at every race to mount/dismount and balance an average of 210 tyres per hour, loading and unloading the 7 to 9 trucks of the service area used to transport the tyres and equipment. Also for the first time this year, Pirelli sponsored an initiative to further the future of the sport by encouraging talented young riders of National Superstock 600 championships: thus is born the Pirelli Superstock 600 Series, an initiative providing an opportunity for the most talented riders of the various European STK600 series to take part as wild-cards in the last round of the European Superstock 600 race here in Portimao. The top 3 ranked riders from these wild-card positions were then awarded a plaque and additionally a financial award to help them to continue their growth as riders. To conclude this year for us, the Superbike World Championship has been an excellent laboratory for developing more advanced technological solutions that we will soon offer our customers, thus remaining always true to our philosophy: We sell what we race, we race what we sell."

Pirelli BEST LAP Awards:

SBK Race 1 - Sylvain Guintoli (Team Effenbert -Liberty Racing) 1'43.453 (Lap 3)
SBK Race 2 - Joan Lascorz (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1'43.553 (Lap 2)

Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) with 10 best lap awards is the 2011 Pirelli Best Lap Winner for Superbike class: FASTEST RIDER OF THE YEAR

WSS - James Ellison (Bogdanka PTR Honda), 1'45.638 (Lap 3)

Fabien Foret (HANNspree Ten Kate Honda) with 3 best lap awards is the 2011 Pirelli Best Lap Winner for Supersport class: FASTEST RIDER OF THE YEAR

Stk1000 - Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Team), 1'45.066 (Lap 2)

Stk600 - Romain Lanusse (MRS Yamaha Racing France), 1'48.126 (Lap 2)