News

As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descends on the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve for the Pirelli Portuguese Round, tyre supplier Pirelli have announced their tyre allocations for the round. Each rider will be able to choose from three front solutions and three rear solutions throughout the final European round of the season, while the SCX tyre will take the role of the SCQ for this round and be limited in terms of when it can be used.

The front three solutions are already known to the riders having used them previously, and all three are SC1 soft compounds from the Italian manufacturer. The standard SC1 compound is joined by two development tyres, the B0570 specification and the A0674 solution. The B0570 featured at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya summer test and made its racing debut at t French Round, while the A0674 has been used throughout the 2022 campaign with riders opting to use this tyre and winning races while using it.

On the rear of the bike, three solutions are available again with the SCX tyre limited in its use. The SCX is the standard solution for the supersoft compound but, due to the characteristics of the Portimao circuit, Pirelli have decided it can only be used in the Tissot Superpole session and the 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race. In Race 1 and Race 2, the rear solutions available to riders will be the standard SC0 tyre and a development tyre of the same compound, the B0624.

Giorgio Barbier, Motorcycle Racing Director at Pirelli, explained the tyre allocation, saying: “Portimao is undoubtedly one of the most iconic circuits on the calendar and, despite being a difficult track due to its undulating nature and blind curves, it is unquestionably one of the most fascinating and loved by the riders, who can prove their skills here. The tyre choice is not trivial because it is necessary to guarantee grip, of which the asphalt is scarce, but at the same time it is important to have a solution that can cope with the challenges that this track offers, therefore sufficiently protected even in the case of cooler temperatures to limit the possible appearance of graining. Last year we saw that the rear options in SC0 compound certainly offer an advantage in long races while the SCX can play a role on the 10-lap distance. Much will also depend on the temperatures we will find: at this time of the year it may still be hot but the proximity to the Atlantic can rapidly change the climatic conditions.”

In WorldSSP, riders will be able to choose from two solutions at the front and two at the rear of their machines. All four solutions available in WorldSSP are standard solutions, with no development options. At the front of the bike, riders can choose from the standard SC1 soft compound or the standard SC2 medium compound, while the rear solutions are the standard SC0 soft compound and the standard SC1 medium compound.

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