Pirelli to supply 17” Diablo to World Superbike Championship in 2013

From the 2013 World Superbike Championship season Pirelli will replace the current 16.5" tyres with larger 17" Diablo Superbike tyres. Pirelli says the move will better allow the company to develop its road-going products in the motorsport arena. The Italian manufacturer says it “develops its reference product through technologies and advances learned from its highest-level production series, the World Superbike Championship, for which it is the sole supplier.

Since 2005, Pirelli’s 16.5″ Diablo Superbike tyres have been the sole reference rubber in the Superbike World Championship, with the tyre also used in World Endurance, BSB and CIV. Pirelli’s choice to move to 17″ tyres in WSBK in 2013 comes following a similar move successfully negotiated in local Superbike championships, such as those in New Zealand, Holland, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Canada and Malaysia. The new 17” slick tyre will allow riders to fit it without having to modify the chassis or wheels of their motorcycles.  

Pirelli says the past three years have seen a period of accelerated tyre development to meet end users’ needs and the power delivered by new bikes. In 2009, it introduced the new 190/60R17 size, the manufacturer exemplifies, while in 2010 it introduced a new high modulus carcass (Pirelli Patent). The company unveiled the new 200/60R17 size in 2011.

Compared to the 16.5” slick, Pirelli says the 17″ tyre offers a thicker tread for better handling and consistency. Its footprint in mid to full lean is approximately 10 per cent wider thanks to a higher profile and a carcass able to endure more side force. The Superbike World Championship, of which Pirelli remains the sole supplier, returns in 2012 at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.