Pirelli notes from Miller Motorsports Park
Giorgio Barbier (Racing Director Pirelli Moto) analyses the sixth round of the year, held at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, USA from the point of view of the championship's official one-make tyre supplier.
"The two overseas World Superbike races held at Miller Motorsports Park offered Pirelli important feedback for its work over the last few months with the new R302 rear tyre, developed from the reference SC1 compound as an alternative for use also under lower temperatures and to prevent cold tearing often encountered with the use of soft compounds in harsh conditions. The R302 solution was first used by SBK riders at the Imola test, followed by a successful first-race showing at Donington Park in mid-May receiving great appreciation from nearly all riders. For this reason Pirelli made available this tyre for the USA round which proved positive: in both R1 and R2 the R302 solution was preferred to the SC1 and SC2 reference tyres by 20 of 24 SBK riders on the grid, and as a demonstration of its excellent adaptability to the various motorcycle makes, four different manufacturers finished in the first 5 positions for both races. We leave the USA very satisfied with how this weekend unfolded both for how this new tyre performed as well as how it positively contributed to the two very equal and winning races."
Pirelli BEST LAP Awards:
SBK Race 1 - Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1'48.867 (Lap 18)
SBK Race 2 - Carlos Checa (Althea Racing) 1'48.820 (Lap 2)
Total BEST LAP (SBK): Checa C. (Althea Racing) 4, Biaggi M. (Aprilia Racing Team) 3, Sykes T. (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2, Guintoli S. (Team Effenbert Liberty Racing) 1, Melandri M. (BMW Motorrad Motorsport) 1
