Pirelli enter their fourteenth season as Sole Tyre Supplier to the Bennetts British Superbike (BSB) Championship this year with the addition of the DIABLO™ Superbike Slick SCX (Super Soft) tyre to rider’s available options.
Introduced into the WSBK paddock in 2019, the Bennetts BSB series debut of the SCX tyre follows last season’s change to Pirelli’s larger size tyres.
Each Bennetts BSB event will be a triple-header format with the opening race on Saturday, ahead of two further races on Sunday. The new SCX tyre is likely to feature heavily during Saturday qualifying and the shorter Saturday race providing ultimate performance over the shorter distance races.
SCX also comes into its own when track temperatures are higher and on smoother asphalt, allowing teams to develop a chassis setting aimed at exploiting the increased grip levels provided by the SCX option.
Superbike riders will have the choice of the new SCX tyre and the almost universally used (in BSB2020) SC0 Soft rear tyre. After inclement weather at the early BSB tests, riders were able to evaluate the qualities of the new tyre at the most recent Donington test which was held in warm temperatures. Rear tyre sizes as introduced last year are 200/65R17, with a larger diameter for increased grip as riders exit a corner.
At the ‘front end’, riders can choose from the SC1 and SC2 (harder) option tyres with the SC2 giving a more stable feeling as a rider transitions into a corner (drops in). The front tyres were also increased in size last season to give a wider contact patch from a 120 to 125 section (now 125/70 17).
In the event of rain, there are two RAIN tyres in a soft or harder compound and the Diablo WET (Intermediate) tyre, which was used to good effect by Jonathan Rea at the recently held Aragon round of the World Superbikes Championship.
The Pirelli presence in the paddock has also changed as new logistics partner Protyre Motorsport will be bringing 4,000 tyres to each of the eleven events to service the Superbike, Supersport, Superstock, Junior Superstock, Junior Supersport and Ducati Tri-Options classes.
Jason Griffiths Pirelli UK Racing Manager explained, “Pirelli are ready for what will certainly be a very busy season with a compact race calendar. The introduction to the series of the SCX rear tyre will provide added interest in terms of tyre strategy. The high track temperatures at the recent Donington Park test allowed the teams and riders to evaluate the new tyre over race distance and it is clear that given suitable track temperatures and less aggressive asphalt the SCX option can be used for the full-length races, as we have seen in World Superbikes. BSB continues to provide an incredibly competitive grid and we’re ready for the racing to begin.”
To find out more visit: www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-gb/motorcycle