Bookings have opened for former world superbike champion Alex Gramigni’s 2017 Old School Racing events, supported by Pirelli and Yamaha. The exclusive track riding school offers six dates at Mugello in Italy, using Yamaha YZF-R1M machines fitted with Pirelli Diablo Superbike SC3 slick tyres.
Pirelli is looking forward to its visit to the shorter Indy configuration of the Brands Hatch circuit, as it supplies the rubber for the latest British Superbike Championship weekend. The circuit tests a rider’s prowess in qualifying, as one second can cover six rows of the grid, as Pirelli UK racing manager Jason Griffiths comments: “The Indy circuit at Brands Hatch never fails to produce close racing.”
A multiple Irish superbike champion will run on Bridgestone rubber for the first time, following the recommendation of a friend and selfless fundraiser, who tragically passed away last year. Brian McCormack, an 11-time bike racing champion, is switching to Bridgestone tyres for the first time, after Aidan Lynam – who died in an accident during a charity bike ride for Down Syndrome Ireland in May – had pushed him to make the decision for many months. The 32 year-old Waterford star will change from a formula that has served him well for years, opting for the manufacturer’s Battlax V02 Slicks.
Bridgestone’s Battlax Racing Street RS10 tyre will be original equipment on Kawasaki’s 2016 model Ninja ZX-10R, the top-ranked model in the Superbike World Championship 2015.
It has already served as official tyre supplier to the FIM Superbike World Championship for a decade, and Pirelli’s technical partnership with the series has now been confirmed for a further three years after winning the tender organised by promoter Dorna in agreement with FIM, the International Motorcycling Federation. Pirelli will thus continue as sole tyre supplier for all Superbike World Championship classes until the end of the 2018 season, and the tyre maker views the longevity of its relationship with Superbike as vindication of its initially controversial support for a single-supplier solution.
Pirelli introduced its latest World Superbike tyres at Misano, helping Tom Sykes to set a new lap record. The Superpole tyre was developed by Pirelli as a qualifying tyre, and Sykes was able to shave more than a tenth of a second off Troy Corser’s 2010 record. He also won both the Superbike races on the new soft blend rear solution with team mate Loris Baz and Italian Marco Melandri crossing the line behind him.
Bridgestone has formed a technical partnership with Belgian motorcycle brand Saroléa, designer of the Saroléa SP7 electric superbike that was shown for the first time during the Speed Trophy at Belgium’s Mettet circuit on 26 April. The deal will see Bridgestone provide technical support and tyre expertise for Saroléa’s track testing and racing plans, which for 2014 include the TT Zero Challenge at the Isle of Man TT series and the FIM eRoadRacing world cup series.
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