Pirelli and racing legend Fabien Barel develop new range of Gravity Racing tyres

Pirelli has announced a technical partnership with three-time Downhill world champion Fabien Barel for the development of a new line of Scorpion mountain bike tyres aimed specifically at the world of Gravity Racing (Downhill and Enduro racing).

R&D began two years ago and development is in the final stages, with Barel himself putting the tyres through a range of strenuous tests. Barel is a legend in the world of downhill racing with three world downhill titles and seven French national championships to his name. He retired from downhill in 2011 and concentrated on Enduro racing and is described by Pirelli as “the ideal partner for Pirelli, for the development and continuous improvement of our products.”

Pirelli also says that “Downhill has always been recognised as the most rigorous and demanding laboratory from the point of view of product stress. It is the perfect and definitive test bench, where tyres are pushed to the limit in all their aspects, from reliability to extreme grip. “Parameters such as absorption and low rolling resistance should not be overlooked: these factors are increasingly crucial in the modern racing world, where the level of performance is so high and the differences between riders so small that even the tiniest improvements in performance can make the difference between an anonymous placing and victory.”

Fabien Barel says: “Pirelli’s involvement in the world of MTB Gravity racing is a great opportunity for everyone.” He went on: “I’m a great believer in Pirelli’s technical skills and their ability to interpret the needs of the mountain bike world in the best possible way. There’s already a solid line of Pirelli MTB tyres on the market, my job is to help complete it with models dedicated to racing, which will hopefully lead to the successes that the company has already achieved in many other sports. Take Formula 1, motocross or Superbike, for example. The clear objective of these new tyres is to reach the top of the podiums.”