Brit Superbikes head to Brands Hatch on Pirelli tyres

Pirelli will travel to Brands Hatch over Easter weekend, to provide tyres to the MCE British Superbike Championship. Last year’s series provided some of the closest racing in the world, and the tyre supplier believes there is more to come in the 2012 Superbike, Supersport and Ducati 848 Challenge classes. The new Rapid Solicitors National Junior Cup for riders aged 13-18 riding Kawasaki Ninja 250R machines also joins the portfolio of championships run on Pirelli tyres.

Last season the BSB series ended with local hero Tommy Hill edging out ex-GP star John Hopkins by 0.006 seconds in the final round at Brands Hatch to take the title. This Easter weekend the 2012 season starts again at the Kentish circuit, and the defending Champion has an even wider line-up of potential challengers, starting with his new Swan Yamaha team-mate, World Superbike legend, Noriyuki Haga.

Pirelli says new regulations for 2012, outlawing traction, launch and wheelie control, will increase excitement as much as new entrants on the grid; the laws put more emphasis on rider ability as costly electronics systems are removed from BSB bikes. The tyre supplier says the new regulation will place greater emphasis on managing the Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres and smoother riders with a good machine setup are expected to achieve optimum tyre durability.
 
With limited winter testing by many teams there remain many unknown factors as the series lines up this weekend at the predominantly right handed, short Indy circuit. Pirelli racing manager, Jason Griffiths explains: “This will be a very interesting first round with new riders and teams plus plenty of rider transfer action over the winter. The teams are working hard to ensure they can transfer their power to the track in a ‘user friendly’ fashion. The absence of the sophisticated electronics packages will place greater emphasis on machine set-up in order to get the best tyre life. I’m sure the weather will play a part over the course of the weekend but everything adds up to some top quality racing in front of what will be a huge crowd.”

British Supersport Championship

The Motorpoint British Supersport Championship will begin on Bank Holiday Monday, at the venue that saw Suzuki GSX-R600 rider Alastair Seeley and Kawasaki ZX-6R mounted Ben Wilson battle for the series. Seeley won at Brands Hatch in 2011, but Wilson starts the season as title favourite, as the champion returns to BSB. He faces a wider range of high-level opposition, including Glen Richards, who has won the Supersport title along with the Superstock and Evo crowns, Billy McConnell, Sam Warren, Jack Kennedy, 2011 Superstock champ Richard Cooper, Jimmy Hill and class debutante, Taylor Mackenzie- son of three time BSB Champ Niall.
 
Supersport machines are closely derived to those ridden to and from the BSB events – and that includes the tyres. The Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tyres, which have helped give such close level racing in both World and British Supersport are the close cousin of the Diablo Rosso Corsa.

The Ducati 848 Challenge also runs on Pirelli’s Diablo Supercorsa tyres; Former World and British Superbike champion Neil Hodgson is the Series Ambassador and will be present to mentor younger riders as well as offer advice to those more experienced competitors. The Championship winner will receive a Ducati 848 EVO.

One more class joins selected rounds of the BSB circus this season, though not at Brands Hatch: the Rapid Solicitors National Junior Cup. The 13 and 18-year old riders will compete on identical Kawasaki Ninja 250R machines on Pirelli Diablo Rosso II tyres (110/70 R17 front and 140/70 R17 rear tyres). The series runs in both BSB and Bemsee road race series.
 
Pirelli product and marketing manager Jim Worland commented: “Last year’s British Superbike Championship will go down in history as a classic and this year is certainly set to be exciting on a number of levels. This pinnacle of racing remains the target of all of Britain’s young riders and we’re proud to also be involved in three of the stepping stones to get to that level, namely the British Supersport, Ducati 848 and Kawasaki one make classes.”

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