Pirelli Diablo Rossa Corsa for the new MV Agusta F3

On the occasion of the dynamic press launch of the new MV Agusta F3 at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet, Pirelli confirms its leadership in the top of the range segment: the queen of the Schiranna company, in fact, already presented to the international press on the occasion of EICMA 2010 with the declared objective of becoming the new reference of the 600 category, will use Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa supersport tires as original equipment in sizes 120/70 ZR17 for the front and 180/55 ZR17 for the rear. The Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa are the most versatile supersport tires for road and track use intended for modern faired and naked motorbikes and incorporate within themselves the personalities of the three founding souls of the Pirelli sports range, brought together in a single product: Diablo as the prestigious brand which since the beginning of the new millennium Pirelli has proposed as an undisputed reference in the world of tires for racing and hypersport motorcycles, Red as the all-Italian Pirelli passion for motor racing and Corsa as the noblest expression of the power of a lineage of tires with undisputed performance .
Designed and developed according to the latest generation of powerful road motorcycles characterized by important technological features and electronic aid systems, Diablo Rosso Corsa offers unimaginable performance thanks to the continuous research that Pirelli conducts in the field of radial racing tires for WSBK, to the know-how -how acquired through vast experience in high performance segments, new techniques for optimizing the contact patch area in all driving conditions and the use of racing-derived differentiated compound zones on its tread. The capabilities of the Diablo Rosso Corsa are able to meet the expectations of all the most competitive and passionate motorcyclists who push beyond their limits in every situation, from the circuit to mountain curves; authentic specialists who know their favorite routes and are able to recognize the subtle difference between pure track use and pure road use, and yearn for the latest generation performance combined with the aggressive look of the tread.
The profiles of the Diablo Rosso Corsa are derived from WSBK experience and have been specifically designed to ensure optimal distribution of forces in the contact area. The footprint on the asphalt is therefore wider and all the available power can be transmitted to the ground. Thanks to ICS (Ideal Contour Shaping) technology, born from the combination of the artisanal knowledge of Pirelli engineers and the support of sophisticated computer modeling systems, the Diablo Rosso Corsa offers excellent support when leaning and a great feeling of confidence when exiting corners at maximum acceleration.
The structure has been designed to maximize the contact area at any lean angle in terms of surface area, shape and pressure distribution allowing the tire to achieve exceptional levels of grip and stability. In fact, this tire uses the Pirelli patent, the EPT (Enhanced Patch Technology) derived from the WSBK experience, for an optimized footprint area at every lean angle on the road and on the circuit, to guarantee total driving confidence and transfer to the ground of power in all conditions.
The tread design of the Diablo Rosso Corsa features a patented solution which provides for the differentiation between longitudinal grooves and lateral grooves in order to reduce the overall air/rubber ratio without compromising the water drainage capacity. The angle of inclination of the grooves on the tread keeps the flow of water constant for the entire life of the tire because with wear the less marked inclination of the grooves guarantees uniform performance, preventing the edge of the tread from deforming, while the variable width of the grooves allows constant dispersion of water up to the last kilometre. Furthermore, the front and rear tread pattern was designed incorporating FGD (Functional Groove Design) technology which guarantees racing performance on the track (close to that of a racing slick) and exceptional control in the wet. In wet conditions, the front tire disperses the water by opening a gap and thus allowing the rear tire to provide adequate grip. On the rear tyre, the grooves are positioned in the most suitable configuration to guarantee a perfect balance between drainage and temperature rise time with a 100% slick area at the maximum lean angle for WSBK championship grip, transverse grooves between the central section and the shoulder to quickly disperse residual water offering maximum grip when cornering in the wet and with the central rib which guarantees a greater presence of rubber in contact with the ground to provide traction and stability in a straight line.
Among the solutions developed for the Diablo Rosso Corsa, the compounds play an essential role. The compound of the front tire guarantees maximum support during sudden braking and corner exits. The concept of "high grip/robustness" has been maintained by using a set of ingredients for the creation of compounds (carbon black and dedicated reinforcement resins) which increase the life of the tire and safety on wet surfaces. The result is a compound in which two souls coexist: the road and the track. The rear tire instead offers a three-zone compound which represents the ideal way to offer the best performance in very different conditions such as road and circuit.
The use of different compounds for the shoulders and central area is the winning system developed to give the Diablo Rosso Corsa performance capabilities on the track and long life on the road. The high mileage is guaranteed by materials with high mechanical resistance in the central area, while the high hysteresis compound on the shoulders gives the tire constant grip and excellent traction even with accentuated lean angles. The compound of the central area is derived from the Diablo Rosso experience, but features a more sporty character. Pirelli engineers have included in the formulation some special resins and plasticizers optimized in terms of chemical properties and quantity in order to guarantee the best possible balance of grip performance on dry and wet surfaces. Furthermore, the compound has been hardened using a special process to increase wear resistance and therefore mileage. Finally, the wide shoulders of the tire use a softer compound developed and used in WSBK competitions. The 100% carbon black compound is less rigid, particularly at low to medium temperatures allowing for very rapid warm-up and reducing the temperature difference towards the crown area for an extremely smooth transition from one compound to the other.
Finally, Diablo Rosso Corsa, like Diablo Rosso II, allows the tire to be customized using special labels to be applied in dedicated areas on the sidewalls of the front and rear tires specifically designed to accommodate the adhesive labels, which anyone can create freely on the website www.pirelli .com and receive directly at home (service available in Europe and Australia).