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Pirelli have unveiled the tyre choices for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s opening round of the season, the Australian Round. The iconic Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit hosts the action for Round 1 of the 2026 season and, ahead of the round, Pirelli have revealed what tyres are available to the riders in both WorldSBK and WorldSSP, with a new SC1 medium development tyre debuting.

REAR TYRE CHOICES: Two race tyres on offer, SC0 replaces SCQ

For the rear tyre choices, Pirelli have two SC1 rear tyres on offer that can be used in the races. The medium tyres come in two development solutions. The first is the D0922, which was used at Phillip Island and Most in 2025, as well as in Moto2 at this venue last year. It’s designed specifically for circuits that place high demands on tyres. The second option is an evolution of this tyre, the E0829. It features the same compound as the D0922, but has a revised carcass to enhance consistency and stability over the course of the race distance. In practice sessions and the Tissot Superpole session, riders will be able to use the development SC0 soft tyre, in E0125 form, previously used at Portimao, Balaton Park and Aragon in 2025. In the event it rains, the standard intermediate and standard rain tyres are available.

STANDARD FRONT SOLUTIONS: Soft and medium tyres available

For the front of the bike, there are two standard tyres available across two different compounds. The first is the SC1 soft, used commonly throughout the 2025 campaign, which ensures a good feeling and confidence when entering corners and also at maximum lean angle. The second option is the SC2 medium, which offers better mechanical resistance and greater protection from wear compared to the SC1. Should it rain, riders can choose either the standard intermediate or standard rain tyres.

WORLD SUPERSPORT OPTIONS: Soft front, medium rear

In WorldSSP, there is only one rear option available. This is the D0922 offered to the WorldSBK field, with a larger size than usual for WorldSSP – at 200/65, rather than the usual 190/60. This allows for better heat dissipation. At the front, there are two choices available. The first is the SC1 soft that comes from the WorldSSP range, used quite often throughout the 2025 season. The second is the SC1 WorldSBK offering, which is a slightly larger size (125/70 compared to 120/70), giving riders an option to pair the WorldSBK front tyre with the WorldSBK rear tyre if they want to. For both the front and rear, if it rains, the standard rain tyre is available.

PIRELLI SAYS: “Phillip Island is always a very demanding circuit for the tyres”

Discussing the tyre allocation, Pirelli’s Motorcycle Racing Director, Giorgio Barbier, said: “Phillip Island is always a very demanding circuit for the tyres because of its particular layout and the extreme temperatures that the asphalt can reach on the hottest days, two characteristics that can cause a lot of thermo-mechanical stress. Based on the experience gained in past seasons, this year for the WorldSBK class we have developed a new rear solution in the medium compound, the E0829 specification, which should offer more consistent performance over race distance than the D0922 specification that was the reference for testing and racing in 2025. At the same time, we have decided to use the sizes normally adopted in WorldSBK also for the WorldSSP class, which will therefore have the 200/65 rear instead of the 190/60 and the 125/70 front in addition to the 120/70 which allows heat to be dissipated more effectively thanks to a greater heat exchange surface with the asphalt, reducing the risk of overheating. This is a phenomenon that we often find ourselves managing on this circuit, especially when the air temperatures, and therefore the asphalt ones, are very high. At the front, we have decided to offer the SC1 in both sizes, so as to allow each rider to choose the combination they prefer according to their riding style. In the two days of testing that preceded the race weekend, the riders and teams worked well, so we are confident that they will be able to find the best setup to better manage tyre wear, which is always very pronounced on this track.”

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