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WorldSBK.com has caught up with Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director of Pirelli Moto, to talk about the continuing effort of the Italian tyre brand in the eni FIM Superbike World Championship, his review of 2013 and the expectations for the upcoming year of racing.

How was 2013 from Pirelli's point of view?

"I would say an extremely positive season, the tenth as the sole supplier for all eni FIM Superbike World Championship classes. Year after year we managed to make the series more exciting while keeping a high level of competitiveness, in complete harmony of communication between organisers, teams and manufacturers.

We currently are the longest-running sole supplier and the most successful one in the international motorsport scene; this shows how commitment, development are as important as feedback and communication between all parties involved to get this type of results. Our role in the Championship was never as mere suppliers, who dictate their choices to teams and riders, and I think our way of work has rewarded us in the end.

This year was a good challenge due to the introduction of the 17'' Diablo Superbike. Thanks to the know-how and the experience gathered during the years, not only we didn't experience any problem in the winter, but the new product was greatly welcomed by all riders and it showed a good improvement in terms of performance and lap-times."

What's new in store for next year?

With the arrival of the SBK EVO, whilst remaining faithful to our way of manufacturing, we worked closely with Dorna in order to give our contribution and maintain a high level of competition in the Championship, trying to make sure EVO riders can be on a level playing field with Superbike riders. This is why tyres available to EVO and WSBK riders could differ in terms of selection. Racing must be close, exciting and entertaining, and we have always been working in this direction.

How much work is required to develop new tyres with increased performance that can work best with every machine?

"In order to switch from 16.5'' to 17'' tyres, Pirelli engineers had to work hard from scratch, to design and develop completely different tyres in terms of compounds, side walls and shoulders. This is why, compared to the previous 16.5'' models, these tyres have wider contact patch and improved stability, especially in corner entry, and better durability in the race. The new compounds are softer, more versatile and better performing: with just two front and rear compounds available, instead of the three used in the past, we managed to cover the entire Championship calendar, because Pirelli could increase the range of use of each compound.

There's a lot of work to do and, especially in our field, mistakes are not allowed. You need to make sure that the new product will be a better one because riders and customers expect an improvement in performance. The secret is to make a product which works well on every single bike. This is the hardest part of our job, but so far we've been able to do so. Several manufacturers have indeed chosen Pirelli as their first tyre choice."

How important is the work done in WSBK for Pirelli? How that translates in your product line in the tyre market?

"The Superbike World Championship is the main laboratory for Pirelli to develop increasingly performing tyres, which are not prototypes, they are tested by professional riders and available to every motorcyclist. We update our line every year, thanks to the experience gathered during the racing season; this world never stops and we need to keep the pace. We think an extremely precise fine-tuning shouldn't be required to take the best out of tyres, and this works best for the end-user, who doesn't need a special set-up to use our latest racing products. WSBK is crucial for Pirelli to offer the most performing tyre to professional and amateur racers, but also to improve all products in our line, as most of solutions developed in World Superbike can be used on road tyres, too."