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With Round 2 around the corner, the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field is loading up to take to the track, at which Pirelli has provided them with some all-new tools. In addition to their standard options, the rollercoaster round at Portugal’s Autodromo Internacional do Algarve will feature the debut of an all-new soft tyre option alongside the standard SC1.

REAR TYRE SOLUTIONS: Three choices available, SCX, SC0 and SC1

Pirelli have confirmed that, as in years prior, the supersoft SCX variety -known last season as the development E0126 tyre- will be available instead of the SCQ option in the Tissot Superpole session and Superpole Race. Portimao’s demanding layout, particularly on the right side of the tyre, often causes more rear-wheel spin and tyre degradation. In the long races, riders will have the choice between the soft SC0 variety and the Medium SC1 tyre. The latter, having been known as the D0286 development tyre, has since been promoted to the standard medium tyre option.

FRONT TYRE SOLUTIONS: All-new development SC1 variety

On the front, riders will have the choice between the standard medium SC2, the soft SC1, as well as the E1164 development front tyre. The development variety has been painstakingly designed with a new structure and rubber compound, providing teams with a dynamic new soft option alongside the tried-and-tested SC1 and SC2 solutions.

WORLD SUPERSPORT ALLOCATIONS: Two options per axle

World Supersport returns to the track after their opening round at Phillip Island, and at Portimao, the WorldSSP grid will have the choice between the SC1 soft and SC2 medium options on the front. On the rear, teams will have the choice between the SC0 soft and the SC1 medium. The paddock’s newest category, the FIM Sportbike World Championship, will also be making their debut at the rollercoaster round, and riders will find themselves equipped with SC1 tyres on both the front and the rear, in the 120/70 size on the front, and 180/60 on the back.

BARBIER ON PIRELLI’S TYRE SOLUTIONS: “The alternative to the standard soft SC1 features an innovative structure designed to enhance stability under braking and on corner entry”

On the solutions he and the rest of Pirelli have proposed, Pirelli Motorcycle Racing Director Giorgio Barbier said: "While at Phillip Island we had two rear development options available, for the first European round of the premier production‑based Championship we decided to concentrate on improving our front‑tyre range by developing the E1164 specification. This alternative to the standard soft SC1 features an innovative structure designed to enhance stability under braking and on corner entry, as well as a new compound intended to deliver more consistent performance over race distance. The Algarve circuit, with its characteristics and its elevation changes that place significant stress on the front tyres during braking, is indeed particularly well‑suited to testing the performance of a new front tyre.”

See these new duds in action on track this weekend! Catch every lap, Live and OnDemand with the WorldSBK VideoPass!