Pirelli SBK Track Day and Pirelli Diablo Rain, on the track in the rain with my knee on the ground [VIDEO]

Collaborator: Marco “AGO” Agosti

Pirelli SBK Track Day and Pirelli Diablo Rain – We should have told you about a different tyre, a new product from the Pirelli range, approved for road circulation and also suitable for a session on the track, but we'll do that later. The scheduled test session in fact featured one of motorcyclists' worst enemies: the rain. We spent the last few days hoping that the weather would turn to good weather, but in the end it didn't. We therefore arrived at the Pirelli SBK Track Day in Imola knowing that "plan B", running in the wet with specific tyres, would still be an interesting experience, because it was new for one of the two testers involved, in the awareness of the fact that these tires offer enough grip to be able to push even to pull a challenging braking or to put the knee on the ground when cornering, with a good dose of safety. The combination with the excellent electronics of the BMW S1000RR on which we would test them completed a picture that allowed us to be calm, even if we were about to take to the track, under a downpour, on one of the most beautiful, but also most treacherous, Italian tracks. and difficult.

The Pirelli SBK Track Day

Let's take a step back first. The Pirelli SBK Track Day deserves a few words of explanation, before going into the merits of our test. This is an initiative organized by the official "tyre dealer" of the Superbike championship, on the Mondays following some stages of the world championship. Last year two were held in Italy, in Misano and Imola, this year (unfortunately for fans) only the latter. The only prerequisite to be admitted is the use of Italian brand covers, obviously suitable for this type of use, therefore specific for track or road sports.

For a very low price you can thus purchase interesting packages, starting from Silver, which for only 70 euros it includes 3 shifts of 20 minutes, but with the possibility of adding paddock passes for the two days of the Superbike (110 euros with the Gold package), or even entry to the Pirelli VIP Lounge, lunch included, with the 180 euros of the Platinum. The sessions on the track are then enriched by the presence of instructors, who lead the way for the first laps, so as to allow even those who do not know the track to find the correct trajectories straight away.

From spectators to protagonists, with the tires of the official drivers

Our experience begins on Sunday, with the arrival in Imola and the collection of the paddock passes, thanks to which we were able to attend race two of the Superbike, as well as the Stock 1000 and the Supersport, which race in a single race over the weekend time. After looking at the champions, on Monday the context is the same, but the protagonists are us, thanks to the possibility of entering the Enzo and Dino Ferrari Autodromo track. But here the rain comes into play. Upon waking up, even though we had already had confirmation of this from the weather forecast, our last hopes of riding on a dry track were extinguished. Not bad, because the curiosity to try the Diablo Rain is there and the opportunity is tempting. It is not easy to have the opportunity, unless you are used to taking part in competitions. In fact, usually the Track Day audience, if the weather is not kind, gives up on filming. Few people like to take risks with wet conditions. Perhaps until a few years ago it was even a more important danger, so these hesitations were more justified. Today however, with the level reached by electronics, with ABS cornering, inertial platforms and other "magic", things have become simpler and, as we will see, you can have fun even without being experienced pilots.

Pirelli Diablo Rain

When we arrived at the circuit, the Pirelli technicians were already at work installing the tires suitable for the track conditions. Watching them was a pleasure, as well as the opportunity to touch and get to know a type of tire that we normally see. used by “real pilots”. We already knew its characteristics, but it's one thing to see the others, it's another thing to put on your overalls and helmet and get on the track in the rain to give full throttle with a 199 horsepower beast (187 in Rain mode). These are tires that are so soft to the touch that they are sticky, with a tread design that has nothing to do with that of road tires, obviously optimized for water drainage. The compound guarantees high performance in both cold and medium-hot temperatures. Diablo Rain must be used only and exclusively on wet asphalt, while for mixed conditions, when for example the circuit is humid in some sections, already dry in others, the Diablo Wet tires (the so-called "intermediate" tire) should be used. In fact, in the case of dry asphalt, just a few laps would be enough to make the tires unusable, given their particular characteristics, while the intermediate ones have a reasonable performance and durability even without the presence of water. The compound between the front and rear is different, the first is 100% silica (material that generates phenomenal "chemical" adhesion), to guarantee the best possible grip, the rear is 70% silica, 30% “black”, to be able to ground all the power without heating up excessively. The size of the rear is also slightly different compared to the road tyre, with a 190/60, instead of 190/55, a slightly larger shoulder guarantees a pinch of extra "softness", with less abrupt reactions. This is exactly the same official tire as the Superbike championship.

The test

Massimo Roccoli, a driver with a past in the Supersport world championship and 4 victories (the last one just last year) in the Italian championship in the same category, he explains the conditions of the track to us. In addition to its usual pitfalls, with some curves made blind by the ups and downs, with counterslopes and curves among the most beautiful and difficult that can be had, the Imola track in the rain is made even more complicated by different types of asphalt, with totally different from one stretch to another. We put on our overalls, boots, gloves and helmet and are ready for our wet shift. Prudence is maximum, the desire to unleash the 4 cylinder of the "RR" too, two things that without the reins of electronics and a tire like this, would be decidedly at odds with each other. We carry out the first two laps behind a trailblazer, which allows us to understand where it is best to put the wheels. The trajectories are not exactly the same as on the dry, often passing through different points to avoid streams of water forming on the asphalt. The fear of finding yourself riding a nervous and difficult to manage motorbike disappears after a few turns. We are in the wet configuration, with a slightly sweeter throttle response, a handful of horsepower less (187 out of 199 total), less rigid suspensions and electronics with a more "interventionist" calibration. The result goes beyond expectations. The initial pace is rightly cautious, but we gradually start to dare more and she always "stays" with unprecedented ease. The only rule to follow strictly is to avoid inertia when cornering, switching from the brake to the gas, even just by "peeling" it, to maintain active control and make better use of the help of the electronics. In fact, we took the only small risk in the variant before the finish line, where there was the only real uncertainty in the change of direction, coincidentally while we were at closed throttle after having just let go of the brakes. For the rest the bike is almost too stationary, if you like strong sensations, making it clear that to go faster in these conditions you could be more daring, perhaps with a different calibration of both the ESA II and the traction control, thanks to the grip that the Diablo Rain offers. You end up passing over rivulets of water without worrying about it, because where any other tire would send the bike into trouble, this one seems to not care and not have the slightest problem. Instead, we are the ones who have to "violate" ourselves to gain confidence and take turns as if the track were dry, which is not at all automatic or obvious. You can drive essentially as if you were on dry ground, only doing everything more gently and with less force, but you can pass over painted lines on the asphalt and even curbs., without risking too much. Even the structure of the casing does not show any substantial differences compared to those of a dry tyre, at least they are made imperceptible in the overall result obtained. A curiosity, we work on pressures of about 0,3 bar higher, also due to the fact that the water keeps temperatures lower.

Some final thoughts

At the end of the day the regret for not having been able to carry out the test that was initially planned remains with us only in part, because the experience of riding in the wet with the Diablo Rain was amazing. We would have liked to continue, but the weather played against us again, with the track starting to dry out. What the riders and technicians were saying during the morning, which might have seemed like madness to some, we were able to see first-hand. Better a deluge (or rather a bit of rain) than uncertain weather. With the track drying out, things become complex for the drivers competing in the world championship, let alone for those who don't have a team of mechanics and the possibility to choose between 3-4 types of tyres. After lunch we found ourselves with the Imola track which had only partially dried out, making the Rain tires less effective (with the risk of causing them to deteriorate in a few laps) and at the same time the asphalt in many areas was still too wet for road sports tires. If we were on the road it would be enough to reduce the pace, but on the track everything becomes more complicated. After a few minutes the conditions improved and in the end someone even started to dare on slicks. Those who had signed up for the Pirelli SBK Track Day and did not have the Diablo Rains available in the morning (they could also be purchased and fitted at the Pirelli technical center on site) were able to make up for the morning shift and make full use of the day. We preferred to postpone our test to a day with more optimal conditions and we take home an interesting lesson on driving on the track in the wet. For those who have never thought about it, we can guarantee that the experience is worth it, it is also useful for learning to manage a new situation, which is always useful when driving on dry asphalt, on the track or on the road..

Test clothing:

Total: Dainese Laguna Seca Evo
Boot: Dainese Axial Pro In
Gloves: Dainese Full Metal D1
Helmet: AGV Racing