Pirelli celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Superbike World Championship

In the 2012 Superbike World Championship, held for the first time in 1988, is celebrating its 25th anniversary and Pirelli, present in this prestigious competition since its inception and its sole supplier since 2004, has decided to pay homage to this important anniversary by creating an exclusive version of the racing tyre. superpole that the riders will use in Monza on Saturday 5 May to decide the starting order of the races that will take place on Sunday 6 May. The tyre Diablo Superbike with supersoft superpole compound, in this exclusive guise “Silver Stripes“, features six silver stripes on the tread, a color traditionally linked to the 25th anniversary, and on the side a label reproducing the Italian flag and the commemorative logo created by Infront to celebrate the quarter-century milestone of the Superbike World Championship .

“All of our knowledge begins with experience just as knowing means remembering, so I remember when Pirelli began dedicating itself to world motorcycle competitions again: we did so after decades of minor activities and the memory of the historic grand prix with Gilera, Guzzi had been lost - declared Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director of Pirelli Moto and part of the Superbike project since its birth in the late 80s – …after the first slicks developed in the early eighties at a national and European level, diving into the adventure of the newborn Superbike World Championship in 1988 was a choice of passion and courage. We took the Rumi team, the outgoing world champion, and its rising star, the American driver Fred Merkel. A tough year, full of emotions, disappointments and successes: a championship won in the last heat in New Zealand against a Mertens who would later, in turn, become a Pirelli driver. Since then, Pirelli's sporting identity in motorcycling has returned to being a business culture and constant commitment."

The long partnership with the Superbike World Championship has allowed Pirelli to develop a series of products that have been available in the Diablo range for 10 years and which are continuously updated thanks to the series derivative platform. The experience acquired guides many current choices: Motocross, Enduro, as well as Rally and even the return to F1 give a clear signal of Pirelli's commitment to Motorsport.

"This – adds Barbier – it is certainly a very important milestone not only for Infront Motor Sports and the Superbike World Championship but for the entire world of two-wheel sports competitions. Despite the economic crises of the 90s and those of recent years, the World Championship has continued to grow constantly both in terms of visibility and prestige, carving out in all respects a role of primary importance in international motorcycling. The Flammini brothers' project immediately proved successful, attracting the names of important drivers who later became legends. Pirelli believed in this project right from the start and since 2004 has been chosen as the sole official supplier for all four classes of the Superbike World Championship, contributing to increasing the emotions that these races can give us every weekend. We are therefore happy to be able to celebrate this anniversary together with Infront and all the other parties involved and we are sure that the Superbike World Championship will continue to grow in the years to come".

As proof of Pirelli's important role in increasing the quality and spectacle offered to the public by the Superbike World Championship, suffice it to say that, since the beginning of Pirelli's collaboration as sole supplier of tyres, the championship ranking has been defined for three times during the last round (in 2004, 2007 and 2009) and five times during the penultimate race. While in the open championship (pre-2004) only three manufacturers managed to earn the title in more than 16 years, in the 8 years of single tire 5 of the 8 participating motorcycle manufacturers (including Petronas) obtained at least one title: Ducati, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha e Aprilia. Thanks to continuous improvements in tire performance, since the first season average race times have decreased year after year resulting in an average reduction in race time of -0,3 seconds per year. Approximately 30 Pirelli patents derive from the experience of WSBK competitions, patents which concern various aspects of tire technology and impact on the increase in contact area (EPT), tread designs, compounds and processes. Many of the latest products introduced on the market, such as the Diablo Super Corsa SP, Diablo Rosso Racing and Diablo Rosso II, have elements derived from these technologies to offer more advanced products to consumers for their use in everyday driving, both on the track and on the road.