195 HP superbike from Borgo Panigale will hit the road with brand new original equipment Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tires. SC compound version will be raced this year in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 15, 2012 – Pirelli returns to the Yas Marina circuit in the United Arab Emirates after introducing its 2012 F1™ tire line up, this time in support of the Ducati 1199 Panigale press launch, which will soon be available for sale with the new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP (Sport Production) tires as original equipment. The newest member of the Diablo family will fit the Italian red fury in 120/70 ZR17 front and 200/55 ZR17 rear sizes. This new tire model from Pirelli will be exclusively used by Superstock 1000 FIM Cup riders starting this year in an SC compound (Special Compound) version of identical sizing.
Two top notch testers Troy Bayliss, three time World Superbike Champion and Andrea Forni, Ducati Vehicle Technical Director, were on hand this week to test the performance of the Diablo Supercorsa tires in the race replica SP version, suitable also for daily street use. Bayliss, ex-WSBK rider for Ducati said: “Simply excellent tires. If the SP version won me over with the fluid neutrality that accompanies each maneuver, even the most extreme ones, the SC2 compound version brought me back to an absolute total racing feel. I know Pirelli quality well, but this time they’ve managed to astonish me.”
Engineer Forni confirmed: “The new Diablo Supercorsa SP tires [along with its] 200/55 version are without a doubt the best street legal racing tires in the world at the moment and I must say the best that I have ever had the opportunity to test in my career.”
Ducati Motor Holding’s General Director, Claudio Domenicali commented: “Great credit goes to the tires that Pirelli developed in close cooperation with Ducati. The new Diablo Supercorsa SP demonstrated performance and extremely high and consistent riding levels even in the difficult conditions represented by a demanding track and high test temperatures like the ones at Yas Marina. These are difficult conditions that, together with the particular asphalt grade brought out the quality of the tires even more. This is even more confirmation of just how effective the cooperation between Ducati and Pirelli is in setting increasingly high levels of quality.”
“The new Diablo Supercorsa SP is certainly the highest performance street legal racing tire ever designed by Pirelli”, emphasized Uberto Thun-Hohenstein, SVP of Pirelli’s Motorcycle Business Unit “and the signals we are receiving from Abu Dhabi confirm the excellent work of our R&D department to improve a product which has already won 65 victories in 18 countries in national and international open tire championships. We’re proud of this lasting technological and development partnership with Ducati. After developing many recognized fitments for Ducati, for them to continue to express their satisfaction after this latest work confirms Pirelli’s leadership in the premium segment and its commitment to investing in innovation.”
Both the Diablo Supercorsa SP and SC versions have a new profile on the front and rear which, compared to the 190/55 version, is 2mm taller at the edges and 4mm in the central diameter for greater support during braking, more intuitive riding and more precise line holding. The new 200/55 size is the widest tire ever mounted on a street legal Ducati Superbike and was the ideal solution to increase the contact area and grip while leaning.
The rear 200/55 size of the Diablo Supercorsa SP implements a bi-compound tread surface in order to permit both increased mileage and more grip while leaning. EPT (Enhanced Patch Technology) has also made it possible to use 23% softer compound on the shoulders (compared to the previous Diablo Supercorsa SP version) which now allows for an tread pattern extension of 33% on each side for better grip in mid to full lean. Finally, new polymers used for the SP compound help achieve an earlier warm-up and improved grip in all conditions.
The performance of the compounds is further enhanced by the new and aggressive single element tread pattern, which revolves only six times on the tire surface. The result is that the “naked” area of the slick shoulders is 24% wider compared to the previous version, increasing contact area and grip. The long longitudinal grooves, expanding from the central area to the shoulder, improve wear regularity especially under severe usage and helps drainage of standing water.
The Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP’s increased grip and traction allows for higher corner speeds which made it necessary to use a new structure, derived directly from competition applications and able to provide a greater resistance to deformation. The rear tire carcass, patented by Pirelli and developed in WSBK, is made with an innovative high module fiber that has a considerably lower deformation ratio than the fiber normally used in street tires. This increases carcass rigidity throughout the tire helping to improve resistance to stress created by aggressive cornering or when accelerating early out of turns at lean. The new carcass also means better performance when the bike’s weight shifts longitudinally, more evident as the lean angle increases.
At the beginning of 2013, Pirelli will expand the SP street range with 180/55, 190/50 and 190/55 sizes for the rear and will make the SC0 and SC1 compounds available for the SC version as well as 150/60, 160/60, 180/55, 180/60, 190/55 sizes for the rear and 110/70 for the front in order to extend use of the new tire in national championships.
