Pirelli debuts 4th-generation Diablo Supercorsa

Since launching in 2002, the Diablo name has represented Pirelli in the sports motorcycle tyre market, taking on the baton from luminaries such as the Mandrake, Phantom, Demon, Dragon and the wonderfully-named Gordon. Pirelli considers Diablo a tyre family that has “revolutionised global street tyre paradigms” over the years, creating a “proper brand” that has been “enriched year after year by technological innovations and the experience gained in the FIM World Superbike Championship,” where Pirelli has been sole tyre supplier since 2004.

After introducing Diablo Superbike slick tyres exclusively for track use in 2005, Pirelli went on to launch the first generation of Diablo Supercorsa SC grooved racing tyres in 2007 and followed this with the SP street version the following year. Pirelli notes that Diablo Supercorsa SC became the “absolute benchmark for the Supersport and Superstock categories” both in world and national championships, and even now it is the standard for those championships that still use treaded tyres. In the same way, over the years, Diablo Supercorsa SP has been selected as OEM equipment on the most prestigious supersport and hyper naked bikes. The second generation of Diablo Supercorsa arrived presented in 2012 and a third generation in 2018. Now a fourth continues what Pirelli began more than two decades ago.

SC & SP: One soul, two products

When Pirelli produced the first Diablo Supercorsa in 2007, they did so with a rather specific idea and goal. The idea was to make a racing tyre that respected the basic philosophy of the World Superbike Championship and thus retained a bond with normal production. The result was a product that could be used by both professional riders and normal motorcyclists.

The tyre maker took advantage of this top-flight race series not only to gain visibility for the Pirelli brand but also used it as a laboratory to develop, together with some of the best riders and prestigious motorcycle manufacturers in the world, advanced technological solutions and tyres intended for use by both world championship riders as well as average riders in everyday use. With the debut of Diablo Supercorsa the motto dear to Pirelli’s’ heart was thus born: We sell what we race, we race what we sell.

This approach was helped by the decision to develop the Diablo Supercorsa as a single project but in two forms: the SC track tyre in various compounds and its SP street version. Pirelli opines that this sharing of tread pattern, profiles and many materials, including one of the two compounds used (SC3), remains “the best and most immediate example of the technological transfer from track to road.

20 years of development

The tyre maker describes the latest generation of Diablo Supercorsa, in both the SC and the SP versions, as a “true concentration of technology capable of providing high performance” combined with the “highest safety standards” thanks to the tyre’s ability to interact and collaborate closely with the most modern and sophisticated riding assistance systems. It is the result of twenty years of studies, development, and testing of solutions by Pirelli in the FIM World Superbike Championship. Furthermore, it was designed with input from former world champions and developed with the support of all the manufacturers and teams that participate in the most important competition for factory derivative bikes.

Diablo Supercorsa SC

SC stands for Special Compound, and Pirelli says the Diablo Supercorsa SC V4 is the “best and fastest treaded track tyre” it has ever made. Availability in a range of compounds makes the Diablo Supercorsa SC V4 suitable for use by both professional and semi-professional riders, as well as by those who are simply track day enthusiasts or riders just starting out in their careers who want to improve performance without making changes to the settings on their bikes.

Compared with its V3 predecessor, these are the features and benefits that Diablo Supercorsa SC V4 offers:

Latest generation compounds for outstanding performance and grip
Racing structure for better support coming out of corners

Racing profiles to the advantage of rideability, line holding, and stability at high speeds

Tread pattern with patented Flash evolution for smoother power on leans and improved consistency of performance

Diablo Supercorsa SP

SP stands short for Sport Production, and Pirelli says the Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 is the “sportiest tyre ever for street use in the Diablo family.” The SP tyre complies with all the regulatory restrictions imposed by the vehicles it can equip, such as, for example, the speed index requirement (W). It is also less sensitive to temperature and heats up more quickly, while its compounds provide riders with greater mileage. This tyre is intended for riders who love sport riding both on the track and on the road. This undoubtedly includes owners of supersport street bikes but also track day enthusiasts who want a street legal tyre that allows them to ride to the circuit and do laps without packing the bike on a trailer or swapping out tyres.

Pirelli says Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 ensures significant benefits for riders:

Dual compound on both the front and the rear for maximum grip in leans and outstanding thrust coming out of turns, but also adequate mileage.

Latest generation structures that work in unison with the compounds for optimum performance both on the road and on the track by simply adjusting the pressure.

Profiles, identical to those of the SC version, which ensure a simple ride and maximum reactivity.

Tread pattern identical to that of the SC with the new flash pattern interrupted at the centre with a slick area for smoother thrust at any lean angle and more consistent

Both versions share the tread pattern, the profiles, the compounds in part, and some technological solutions in terms of structure

Tread pattern

A broken up ‘flash’ design improves the tread’s ability to displace water and enlarges the area of contact surface with the tarmac. The slick section interrupting the flash influences tread rigidity, reducing the risk of groove deformation and ensuring better thrust at any lean angle. The flash pattern follows the direction of lateral force experienced in track riding, ensuring more even and consistent performance along with reduced warm-up time.

The absence of grooves in the shoulder area guarantees greater contact between rubber and road surface both halfway and all the way into a lean, ensuring ensure greater grip on turns. The completely slick external area of the shoulder improves thrust at extreme angles.

Profiles

The same racing profiles developed in the World Superbike Championship can be found on both the Diablo Superbike slick tyre and other fourth generation hypersport tyres in the Pirelli range. Multi-radius profiles allow for abrupt changes in direction, whereas the slick shoulder area provides high grip and outstanding line holding on corners.

The profile of the front improves handling, enabling the rider to lean into corners earlier, facilitating speedy changes in direction. It also provides exceptional stability thanks to the extended contact area in the leaning stage. The rear tyre follows the same pattern and similar geometry to the front in order to ensure synchronised performance of the set.

The tyre bead used in the DIABLO Supercorsa SP V4 is designed to provide maximum performance with tyre pressures for both for road and track use (2.3 Bar front / 2.1 Bar rear with hot tyres). The ability to decrease tyre pressure for track sessions is a feature that sets Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 “clearly apart from the other tyres in the Pirelli hypersport range.”

Structure

The SC version shares both structure and materials with the Diablo Superbike in order to ensure top performance and greater ease of riding with the use of specific pressures for the track.

Compared with its V3 predecessor, the new V4 uses new materials, such as wider section structural cords that are made up of a high number of textile fibres braided together to give the tyre greater rigidity combined with better shock-absorbing capabilities.

In the SP version, each size has its own structure that is fine-tuned for optimum performance in combination with the width of the specific profile for that size, the proportions of the compound and the arrangement of the tread pattern. Additionally, the structure of the SP is optimised for street use, so also for long distances in a straight line on motorways.

Compounds

Diablo Supercorsa SC V4 is available in three compounds for both the front and rear:

SC1 – Front: maximum feeling / Rear: top performance with high temperatures and not very abrasive asphalt
SC2 – Front: maximum stability and consistency / Rear: consistent performance and ideal for low temperatures or extremely abrasive asphalt
SC3 – The race-for-fun choice for extended track sessions, but not intended for professional racing use
Diablo Supercorsa SP V4 is dual compound both at the front and the rear.

Front:

The first Diablo Supercorsa tyre to adopt two compounds at the front.
Layout with a central and base compound paired with a second compound on the tyre shoulders.
The base compound, which covers the entire profile of the tyre and emerges coming into contact with the asphalt at the central section, is full-silica and extremely versatile, providing thermal stability and ensures consistent performance in both cold and hot temperatures.
The compound of the shoulders is the same one used in the SC3 racing version, in 100 per cent carbon black formulation, and it is capable of ensuring outstanding handling and maximum grip even at full lean.

Rear:

Compared with the front, this has a softer central compound and a wider side, but still maintaining the same base compound of the front in support of the two compounds in contact with the asphalt.

The central compound is 100 per cent carbon black and optimised to work effectively in a broad range of temperatures because it provides grip and quick heating in various conditions. Additionally, it ensures stability at high speeds and resistance.
The compound used on the shoulders is the same as the one used on the front, so SC3, for maximum power coming out of corners.

The base compound, which is beneath the two compounds that are in contact with the asphalt, has a 100% Carbon Black formulation and was designed to work in the best possible way with the other two compounds, providing thermal stability and a better feeling for the rider.