REVEALED: Pirelli’s tyre solutions for the Dutch Round
The Italian tyre manufacturer will bring two front solutions and four rear solutions to the Cathedral of Speed for dry weather
With the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship returning to action for the Pirelli Dutch Round at the TT Circuit Assen, the tyre solutions brought by Pirelli have been revealed for all three classes in action. Teams and riders will have plenty of solutions and compounds to choose from in the event of either dry or wet conditions, while there’s also a new size front tyre in WorldSSP which looks ahead to the future.
In WorldSBK, the riders will have two front solutions to choose from of differing compounds and both are from the standard range. The SC1 tyre is the standard medium tyre used a lot by teams and riders, while the other compound is the standard SC2 hard compound tyre; offering a better mechanical resistance and therefore ideal for circuits that stress the front tyres more. These are the two slick tyre options for the front, with eight of each to use throughout the weekend. there are three options in case of wet weather.
Pirelli will bring the standard intermediate tyre to Assen to help in conditions that are not fully wet or fully dry and there will be two full-wet tyres if needed. One of these is the standard SCR1 full wet tyre and riders will have six of the standard tyres to use. Pirelli will also have the SCR-X development rain tyre, aiming to offer better grip in corner entry and at maximum lean angle even in low track temperatures or with smooth asphalt; riders will be able to use four of these during the weekend.
For rear tyres, the WorldSBK field will have four slick options to choose from, ranging from soft to extra soft. The SCQ tyre is back for Assen, to be used in the Tissot Superpole session and Tissot Superpole Race, while the three race tyres are the standard SC0 soft compound, standard SCX super soft compound and the SCX-A development super soft compound which was used in Indonesia this year. Riders have eight of both SCX tyres, four of the SC0 tyres and four of the SCQ tyres.
In WorldSSP, there’s a new tyre size available to the field which comes from the WorldSBK class. The SC1-A tyre is the standard medium tyre from WorldSBK in the 125/70 size as Pirelli evaluate whether to bring this tyre size to WorldSSP; Assen will be the first test. Also available for front tyres is the standard SC1 soft tyre, in 120/70 size as usual, and the standard SC2 medium tyre. In the event of rain, WorldSSP riders will have either the standard intermediate or wet tyre. At the rear, the tyres WorldSSP riders can use will be the standard SCX super soft compound or the standard SC0 soft compound. As with the front tyres, standard intermediate and wet tyres are available if it rains.
There is also a slight change to the solutions for WorldSSP300 riders who start their season at Assen. Previously, the standard SC1 tyre was the reference tyre for the Championship but for 2023, with the aim of guaranteeing better performance on colder tracks and to allow the riders to understand the differences between the two compounds, there will be a SC2 tyre available. At Assen, the riders will have the SC2 tyre at their disposal.
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