At the annual Barber Small Bore, each evening ends with parade laps on the racetrack.
We never have a bad time at the Barber Motorsports Park, and that especially holds true for the Barber Small Bore event. The event is full of riders zipping around on small bikes, competing in races and competitions, and having plenty of fun. This year, the Barber Small Bore, presented by MNNTHBX, will run June 9-11 for its fourth iteration.
Racing includes drag races on a dual-lane 168-foot strip, the two-hour Minibike Endurance GP held in partnership with Sportbike Track Time, and pitbike races. Each race event has dedicated track time before the race to give you the chance to sharpen your skills.
Everyone has a smile on during the Barber Small Bore
A returning fan favorite race is the Creek Bottom Classic, in which streetbikes with displacements of 200cc or less compete on an off-road trail. All riders and bikes that fit the requirements are welcome. There will also be a minibike hill climb and an amateur stunt competition with a $1,000 cash prize. A stunt lot will be available throughout the weekend to practice your stunts before the competition.
The Creek Bottom Classic is a can’t-miss activity at Barber Small Bore.
A party in the South wouldn’t be complete without good BBQ. On Saturday night, there will be a whole-hog pig roast, beer, and a custom minibike show. At the end of each day, there will be parade laps on the famous 2.38-mile Barber Motorsports Racetrack.
Saturday night will have a whole hog roast and plenty more to keep you well-fed and entertained.
Eight miles of trails for off-road riding will be available, top vendors will be selling their wares, and some riders will be enjoying recommended off-site rides.
You’re bound to see something you’ve never seen before at the custom minibike show.
A weekend pass is $50, and one-day tickets are $30. For those wanting a quiet retreat from all the activity, $120 gets you a weekend pass along with access to the Paddock Club with a private balcony, an air-conditioned lounge, and catered meals. Tent camping is $40 for the weekend, and RV camping is $100. Some events have an entrance fee, but most are included with admission.
Chad and Chuck park the bikes in front of the Rainy Lake mural, which graces an old brick building in downtown International Falls.
Most of us love the feeling of anticipation leading up to a multiday motorcycle trip. This particular Minnesota motorcycle ride one was more memorable than most because my son, Chad, was able to join me on a trip that would take us north from Minneapolis to the Canadian border at International Falls. We had three days for the ride and only a loose plan. We had a direction, and we knew we wanted to check out some towns that were new to us, but otherwise we’d make it up as we went along.
We were mounted on our Harleys – I was on my 2017 Street Glide Special, and Chad was on his 2011 Softail Blackline – and we were evaluating some new gear: Highway 21 gloves and boots for me and a sissy bar-mounted backpack and Shinko White Wall SR777 tires for Chad’s Blackline (see Chad’s Shinko White Wall SR777 Tires review).
Starting the Minnesota Motorcycle Ride: Rain and Runic Artifacts
A Classic Minnesota welcome sign in International Falls.
As we pushed off on our mid-August ride, the skies were unsettled. A check of the weather showed we might be able to avoid some rain by heading west for a while before heading north to our first destination, the town of Alexandria. By following my Harley’s navigation system, we took a backroads route to get there, but our slower pace meant we didn’t outrun the rain entirely. After a few missed turns, Chad gave me “the look” – what we call the Head Wag of Shame – but we were out to ride, and we were riding!
We caught this photo in Ranier with these two friendly longtime residents and parade watchers.
Alexandria, which is nestled between lakes with names like Darling, Victoria, Geneva, Latoka, and Le Homme Dieu, has resorts and activities that make it a popular destination for tourists year-round – and full-time residents too, since the town is one of the fastest growing areas in the west-central part of Minnesota. The town was named after Alexander Kinkead, who established the first townsite in 1858 along the stagecoach road. A Viking artifact from 1362 was unearthed in 1898 in the nearby town of Kensington and is exhibited in Alexandria at the Runestone Museum.
The Kensington Runestone was unearthed in 1898 and dates back to 1362, providing evidence that Vikings visited America long before Columbus. (Photo by Mauricio Valle via Wikimedia Commons)
Just a runestone’s throw from the museum, towering over Broadway and 2nd, is Big Ole, a 28-foot-tall Viking statue originally built for the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York City. This was the first stop on our ride, and we were already surprised by what we were seeing. That’s what I love about motorcycle travel: encountering – and enjoying – the unexpected.
The 28-foot-tall Viking statue Big Ole towers over downtown Alexandria. (Photo by gdbrekke – stock.adobe.com)
From Alexandria, we followed State Highway 29 – part of the Viking Trail – north through towns such as Miltona, Parkers Prairie, and Deer Creek to Wadena. We continued on U.S. Route 71 to Park Rapids, a town in the Heartland Lakes Region. The Heartland State Trail, a multiuse paved recreational trail that was one of the first “rails to trails” projects in the U.S., runs for 49 miles from Park Rapids to Cass Lake. Park Rapids is also a popular destination for camping and fishing, and there are many seasonal cabins nearby.
Rolling grassland along the Rainy River, which separates the U.S. and Canada.
Another 20 miles north of Park Rapids on U.S. 71 is Itasca State Park, Minnesota’s oldest state park, which was established in 1891. There are more than 100 lakes within the 32,000-acre park, and its most famous feature is the headwaters of the Mississippi River. For anyone visiting the park, the headwaters area is a must-see, and it has a visitor center with educational exhibits and a cafe.
Walking down the trail toward the official headwaters, you can wade across the foot-deep babbling trickle that has an average flow rate of just 6 cubic feet per second. After draining much of the U.S. between the Appalachians and the Rockies over the course of 2,552 miles, the Mississippi River ultimately discharges more than 593,000 cubic feet of water per second into the Gulf of Mexico.
It’s just a short hike to the headwaters post marking the origin of the Mississippi River.
Itasca Park is also the northern terminus of the Great River Road, which runs the length of the Mississippi River for more than 3,000 miles through 10 states. It’s an epic journey that I did with a few buddies in 2021.
On the way out of the park, we hopped on a 10-mile one-way road called Wilderness Drive, a scenic road that winds through woods and meadows and passes by several lakes. Our relaxed approach to discovering the area was paying off, but we couldn’t help feeling a little guilty as we thundered past the occasional cyclist or hiker on our rumbling V-Twins.
The end of the Great River Road if you began in New Orleans.
From Bemidji to the Border
We ended our first day’s ride in Bemidji, where we stayed at a hotel right on the shores of Lake Bemidji, the northernmost lake feeding the Mississippi River. I stayed in Bemidji at the start of my Great River Road run, and it was good to be back in such a fun town. By this time, we had a couple hundred miles under us and were a bit cold and soggy.
Chad and Chuck in Bemidji with Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.
Bemidji, a name derived from an Ojibwe expression, Buh-mid-ji-ga-maug, meaning “a lake with crossing waters,” is known as the “First City on the Mississippi.” It is also the curling capital of the U.S. and the alleged birthplace of Paul Bunyan. After the wilderness of Itasca State Park, the city of 15,000 felt like a modern metropolis. Bemidji is also home to Bemidji State University, and students were moving in during the weekend we were there. Lots of loud co-eds and tired-looking parents. We were ready to get back on the road and away from the crowds.
The Rainy River separates the U.S. from Canada.
With the hotel’s complimentary breakfast under our belts and a blue sky above our heads, we followed a northeastern trajectory on U.S. 71, known in Minnesota as the Voyageur Highway, passing through towns like Blackduck, Northome, Big Falls, and Littlefork. In Pelland, the road makes a sharp turn to the east as it follows the southern shore of the Rainy River, which serves as the border between the U.S. and Canada. Voyageur Highway, though fairly straight and flat, was in good condition, and we enjoyed the rolling fields with farmhouses and barns.
Although Chad is a Minnesota native and I’ve lived in the state for more than 30 years, neither of us had been to International Falls, a city known as the “Icebox of the Nation,” with an average of 109 days per year with a high temperature below freezing.
A border information building.
International Falls has a border crossing to Canada – on the other side of the river is Fort Frances, Ontario – and it serves as the gateway to Voyageurs National Park, which is situated on the southern side of the 360-square-mile Rainy Lake. It’s also home to Smokey the Bear Park, where there’s a 26-foot statue of America’s favorite forest advocate made by fiberglass sculptor Gordon Schumaker, who also made Big Ole.
Some friendly advice from Smokey the Bear.
After checking out the long lines of cars waiting to cross into Canada, we were ready for lunch. An online search led us to the small neighboring town of Ranier and the Cantilever Distillery. Sitting outside in the sun with great food and service really hit the spot. While eating, we began seeing men in kilts, some toting bagpipes. Little did we know it, but the annual Ranier Days parade was about to begin.
In the town of Ranier, we had a great lunch at the Cantilever Distillery overlooking the Ranier Days parade route.
On a beautiful summer afternoon, the people-watching was great, and it was heartwarming to see the enthusiasm and community spirit that still thrives in small-town America. Evidence of this being a close-knit community was obvious with neighbors greeting neighbors. We struck up a conversation with some longtime residents who were surprised we had never been there before and encouraged us to make it a regular stop.
A pre-parade bagpiper meeting.
After the parade, we took a stroll down to the lakefront to check out one of the dockside light towers. Put in operation in the 1940s, towers like this provided needed navigational assistance on this international waterway.
Back on the bikes, we returned through International Falls with the goal of following the Rainy River west through Baudette up to Warroad. From State Highway 11, Canada was almost always in sight to our right. In Baudette, we were greeted by the giant Willie Walleye statue and a sign proclaiming the town the “Walleye Capital of the World.”
Willie Walleye greets those entering the town of Baudette, the “Walleye Capital of the World.”
Somewhere along the 40 miles from Baudette to Warroad, which breaks away from the Rainy River, Chad thought I had lost my marbles because I kept stopping to wander into fields of sunflowers that were more than 6 feet tall. My son is very patient, and eventually I got my fill of the flower forests. Warroad, a small town of 1,900 residents on the western shore of Lake of the Woods, is known as “Hockeytown USA” since it is the hometown of several Olympic, NHL, and collegiate hockey players, and the Warroad Lakers have won several boys and girls state championships.
From Warroad, you can take a side trip to the northernmost road in the lower 48 states in a place called Angle Inlet. However, to get there, you must ride north on State Highway 313 and cross into Canada, so be ready to show a passport or other form of approved border-crossing identification. You then need to cross back into the U.S. to reach Angle Inlet, and then back into Canada to return to the U.S. Not including the time it takes to pass through border security twice in both directions, the route is a 2.5-hour roundtrip. We didn’t have the time to do it on this trip, but we plan to go back next summer.
Old navigation tower on Rainy Lake.
Another Lake of the Woods adventure that’s on our radar for next summer is charter fishing. Rods, reels, bait, tackle, and a licensed charter captain provide everything that’s needed for a fun, relaxing fishing trip, so all we’ll have to do is drop our kickstands and climb aboard.
For our return ride to Bemidji, my navigation system routed us onto a couple of roads where the pavement ended, and we had to backtrack to tarmac, eliciting a few more Head Wags of Shame from Chad. Eventually we connected with State Highway 1, which runs along the southern shore of Red Lake, the largest lake in Minnesota, and through part of the Red Lake Reservation, home of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. The road around the lake is beautiful, and we welcomed the cooler air. We were greeted with a couple of friendly waves as we thundered past various homes along the route. Rounding the bend on the southern shore, State Highway 89 returned us to Bemidji.
We wanted to take an interesting route back to Minneapolis, so we followed a different part of the Voyageur Highway: U.S. Route 2 south of Bemidji and over to Cass Lake. Continuing east on U.S. Route 2 would have taken us through the Leech Lake Reservation and over to Grand Rapids, another cool, motorcycle-friendly Northern Minnesota town with breweries, wine bars, and all sorts of recreational activities. The town’s website provides route info for seven scenic rides featuring rolling hills, sparkling lakes, and deep woods.
Sunflower fields line Highway 11 along the border with Canada.
But our long weekend was running short, so we continued south on State Highway 371 through an area that is quintessential Minnesota – a recreational paradise of lakes and lakeside cabins, some of which would qualify as mansions. Down around Nisswa, we stopped for lunch and a cold one at Big Axe Brewing.
Big Axe Brewing in Nisswa – a welcome cooling off spot on a hot summer day.
This town holds special meaning for Chad and me. Our family has spent many Fourth of July holidays there fishing on Gull Lake, playing golf, and staying at Grandview Lodge. In Little Falls, we picked up U.S. Route 10 – still part of Voyageur Highway – and rode through Royalton, Sauk Rapids, and Becker. The trip home reinforced what I love about living in Minnesota. Our license plates boast “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” but the true figure is 14,380, and they all showcase the beauty of the great outdoors. From the friendliness of the people to the interesting history and boundless recreational opportunities, Northern Minnesota has something for everyone.
“Hi everyone! Finally I’m back on social media. It’s been a month and week after the crash and I can talk a little bit, I’m saying that because I broke my jaw in two places, I’ve been with my jaw completely closed for four weeks after the crash, I couldn’t eat, I lost a lot of weight, but finally I can smile and I can talk quite good so that’s why I making this message,” began the Spaniard.
In their 25th season as ‘Official Car of MotoGP™’, BMW M GmbH is continuing the tradition of providing an extraordinary highlight as the winner’s car in the BMW M Award. The fastest qualifier of the MotoGP™ 2023 will be rewarded with the flagship version of the first BMW M high-performance car with an electrified drive system: the brand-new BMW XM Label Red (combined fuel consumption: 1.7 – 1.6 l/ 100 km; combined electricity consumption: 34.5 – 33.0 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 39 – 35 g/km in the WLTP cycle; provisional values; figures for the NEDC cycle: –). The exclusive winner’s car for 2023 was officially revealed at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez de la Frontera. The car was unveiled during the traditional ‘Casual Dinner’ hosted by MotoGP™ rights holder Dorna Sports on Friday evening, with Marc Saurina, Head of Global Commercial Partnerships at Dorna Sports, and Steffi Armbruster, Head of BMW M Brand Experience, doing the honours.
As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descends on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round, all eyes are on Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) ahead of the round. The reigning Champion has been dropping hints about his future in recent weeks and a press conference has been called on Thursday ahead of the round by the Aruba.it Racing – Ducati squad for Bautista.
Talks about Bautista’s future come at a time where the vast majority of the grid do not have their futures beyond 2023 in place, with only Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) having a contract for 2024. Now, ahead of track action starting on Friday, Bautista will hold a press conference at 15:00 Local Time (GMT+2) on Thursday.
Keep up to date with Bautista’s press conference on Thursday on worldsbk.com and WorldSBK’s social media channels!
While the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship had a weekend off between the Dutch and Catalunya Rounds, MotoGP™ was in full swing in southern Spain at the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto for the Spanish Grand Prix. During the weekend, five-time World Champion Jorge Lorenzo sat down to discuss WorldSBK, a potential move to the MotoGP™ paddock for Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) as well as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Jonathan Rea’s (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) seasons.
ADVICE GIVEN, CHALLENGES LAID OUT: what would Lorenzo say to Razgatlioglu?
Lorenzo claimed three MotoGP™ World Championship titles for Yamaha in 2010, 2012 and 2015 as well as two 250cc World Championship titles in 2006 and 2007 and he spoke about what he would say to Razgatlioglu, as well as laying out the challenges he would face. Razgatlioglu has had two tests on the Yamaha M1 machine, at MotorLand Aragon and Jerez, with the first one heavily impacted by rain. His future, like a lot of the WorldSBK paddock, is not secured beyond the end of the 2023 campaign.
Discussing the advice he would give Razgatlioglu and the challenges the 2021 WorldSBK Champion would face, Lorenzo said: “What can he lose? I think he will always have open doors in WorldSBK to come back in case he doesn’t make it to be a winner or Champion in MotoGP™ but he needs to try. His talent is so big, he needs to give it a try and try to find the best option possible, in the best team he can get. If he’s not good, like Ben Spies for example who wasn’t as good as everyone expected, he can return to WorldSBK.
“I think he will find a way to be competitive on a MotoGP™ bike. It’s a matter of time. Obviously, MotoGP™ bikes have become so complex, you need to manage so many things compared to 20 years ago that all the small details are very important and you need a lot of experience to understand everything and to put together all the pieces to be competitive. He will need some time, but he could not be so aggressive with a MotoGP™ bike compared to a WorldSBK bike, because it’s a completely different type of bike.”
THE PERFECT MATCH: hoping Bautista and Ducati stay together
Bautista made his WorldSBK debut in 2019 with Ducati before switching to Honda for 2020 and 2021. He returned to Ducati in 2022 and he claimed his first WorldSBK Championship last year after a thrilling battle with Razgatlioglu and Rea, with the trio often not separated on track. Bautista’s form has continued in 2023 with the reigning Champion winning eight of the nine races held so far this season.
Lorenzo spoke about the Bautista-Ducati combination, saying: “Having everything match is like when you find the ideal match for you. Everything is easy. His riding style matches completely to the WorldSBK Ducati bike, which is very strong on the straight. He’s very small so he can be so fast on the straight but also be competitive in the corners. It’s a very difficult target for the rest of the teams and the riders so I hope they still stay together for a very long time, because they match perfectly.”
TAKING MORE RISKS: Lorenzo on Rea in 2023
While the race wins in 2023 have been shared between Bautista and Razgatlioglu, Rea has been fighting with them in the early stages of races before dropping back and has three podiums from nine races this season. Despite bringing an engine upgrade for 2023, Rea is yet to stand on the top step of the podium this year and it’s a situation Lorenzo related to when other manufacturers made a bigger step forward.
Discussing Rea in 2023, Lorenzo said: “I was in this situation a little bit in the past, especially in 2011. Honda made a clear step forward with their seamless gearbox that they were so fast on the straight, and I was trying to risk a little bit more with the Yamaha and I had many crashes. I had a terrible crash at Phillip Island and lost part of my finger. Everything becomes more complicated when you need these extra two or three tenths. Like Marquez, with the Honda and it looks like it’s also happened with Rea especially because Bautista and Toprak are very good riders and they have a very strong package. If your bike is a little bit weaker that year and you have very strong rivals, if you want to win, you have to take more risk.”
ON THE CATALUNYA ROUND: “spectators will see a great show”
WorldSBK heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for Round 4 of the season, the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round, this weekend. Lorenzo discussed the upcoming round and gave his thoughts on what might happen, as well as taking a trip down memory lane to remember some of the riders he watched when he was younger.
He said: “It’s nice to see WorldSBK again at Montmelo which is a really interesting track. Actually, I really love WorldSBK races. When I was a kid, I was following WorldSBK in the era of Carl Fogarty, Slight, Scott Russell and all these riders. Haga, Corser, Edwards… it was like a golden time for WorldSBK and it looks like now, WorldSBK is growing so much. Interesting races, interesting riders and now, in Montmelo, spectators will see a great show. I’m going to follow the Championship until the end.”
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Whilst those names will be sure to feature at the front, there are also plenty of fast rookies, returnees and riders looking to make a step to keep an eye on. Dominant at Estoril in the European Talent Cup last year, Joel Esteban (Aspar Junior Team) graduates to the JuniorGP™ category in 2023, whilst after a first full year in the class last year, Adrian Cruces (STV Laglisse Racing) goes in search of more podiums. His teammate, Alvaro Carpe, is also back for a second year, as is Eddie O’Shea (British Talent Team), although the Brit is recovering from surgery. There are 14 different nationalities on the grid this year, from South American and Uruguay with Facundo Llambias (Team Estrella Galicia 0,0) to Oceania via New Zealander Cormac Buchanan (AGR Team), so there’ll be plenty for fans to cheer on all over the world right from the start of the season.
While race victories have been shared between Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) so far in the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, one rider has been impressing with his strong pace and consistency this season. Andrea Locatelli, teammates to Razgatlioglu, as the only rider to record a top-five finish in every race and challenging for podiums consistently. However, one thing still remains out of reach for the Italian is his first WorldSBK victory and he recently sat down to discuss the 2023 season, his strong start, aiming for a victory and his future.
BOUNCING BACK: difficult 2022, excellent start to 2023…
Locatelli is now in his third season in WorldSBK after he took the WorldSSP title in 2020 in dominant fashion with 12 wins in 15 races. Promoted to the factory Yamaha seat for 2021, he took four podiums in his first season and helped Yamaha to the Manufacturers’ Championship while Pata Yamaha took the Teams’ Championship and Razgatlioglu won the Riders’ Championship. Locatelli was fourth and finished as the highest-placed rookie. 2022, however, proved to be more challenging with only two podium finishes and a mid-season results slump. He ended the season strongly in Indonesia and Australia, with top-six finishes throughout, and has continued that run after three rounds in the 2023 season.
Looking back on 2022 and the start to his 2023 campaign, Locatelli said: “2022 was really difficult for me. Sometimes we lost the base setup a little bit, sometimes I lost the feeling with the bike a little bit. Now, I think we have a really good base setup. I have more experience so I can manage this situation, and this is the big improvement. 2023 started in a very good way. We scored some podiums and I’m really happy. It’s my third year in WorldSBK and I want to try to beat a little bit faster and closer to the front guys and to fight for the podium in every race. The focus during winter was important. We worked very well with Yamaha, we tried new parts on the bike, and we started the season in a very good way. I think I’m having my best year in WorldSBK and in my life.”
THE NEXT GOAL: a race win for Locatelli
Four podiums in three rounds in 2023 has Locatelli sitting third in the Riders’ Championship, 14 points behind teammate Razgatlioglu. He has already equalled his podium count from his rookie season and doubled it from last year with the majority of the season to go. He is yet to stand on the top step of the podium but, in 2023, has generally been closer to the race winner than in his previous two seasons. Locatelli will be hoping to claim his first victory in WorldSBK sooner rather than later.
Outlining his further goals, Locatelli said: “I think we made a really good step with the bike and I made a step with the feeling. I want to try to be in front in every weekend. The target is to continue in this way to get more podiums. I would like to win a race! What’s missing is difficult to say because I’m fighting with strong riders like Bautista, Jonny, Toprak and other riders. It’s never easy. I try to be ready in every weekend because, maybe, one time we have a good situation, a good opportunity, so we need to be ready to be there to fight for the win. The gap is not too far from first place. I’m ready and I’ll try to fight in every weekend to be fast and then, I think, we can get the first win.”
THE FUTURE: looking at 2024 and beyond
Locatelli has spent three seasons with the Pata Yamaha squad since winning the WorldSSP title and has had Razgatlioglu as his teammate in that period with the pair often seen working together in free practice sessions as well as the Tissot Superpole session. Talk about the future is already beginning in WorldSBK with pretty much the entire grid out of contract at the end of the 2023 season, including Locatelli and Razgatlioglu.
Locatelli addressed his future in the interview and also spoke about his relationship with Razgatlioglu, saying: “I think it’s a bit early to speak about the future now. We have a lot of races to come. The first part of the season started very well so this is one point for me. We will see what happens. In my mind, I don’t have anything; just keep working and try to get more podiums and try to be fast on track. With Toprak, we have a special relationship inside the box. From the first day, we were always working together. We will see what happens but if Toprak stays with me in Yamaha, I’ll be really happy. In any case, I need to be focused on my objectives and on my side and working with my group.”
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With the Chicane or Apex package, you’ll enjoy access to an appearance with a MotoGP™ rider from one of these five teams. In an intimate setting, you will be able to hear about their racing journey, personal insights, get the chance to ask them burning questions you may have, and even grab a selfie or signature!
As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rolls into Barcelona for the 2023 Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round, Pirelli have unveiled their tyre solutions for the round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and teams and riders will have a new front compound to use throughout. Pirelli will debut a new soft compound front tyre in Barcelona which will be in development throughout 2023 with the aiming of making the SC0 tyre a standard solution in 2024.
NEW FRONT TYRE: SC0 front to debut in Spain
The SC0 soft compound front tyre is the first soft front tyre developed by the Italian company for WorldSBK and is designed to help balance the bike with the soft rear solutions which offers very high grip levels. Each rider will have six of the SC0 front tyres available to them throughout the Catalunya Round, while they will also have eight each of the standard SC1 medium compound and standard SC2 hard compound as well as standard intermediate and full wet tyres in the event of rain; riders will have three sets of intermediates and eight sets of full wets.
DEVELOPMENTS CONTINUE WITH THE SCX: two super soft compounds available
For the rear of the bike, there will be two SCX super soft solutions available. The standard SCX tyre is back, with eight available per rider, while the SCX-A development solution also returns. Named the B0800, it debuted in France last year and was also used in the 2022 Catalunya Round as well as at Mandalika and Assen this season. The SC0 soft compound is also available at the rear with five available per rider while, in the Tissot Superpole session and 10-lap Tissot Superpole Race, riders will be able to use the SCQ extra soft compound. Two full wet tyres are available in case it rains, the SCR1 and SCR2, as well as the intermediate compound.
PIRELLI SAYS: explaining the tyre choices
Discussing the tyres available in Barcelona, Giorgio Barbier, Motorcycle Racing Director at Pirelli, said: “In Barcelona we will witness what, in its way, can be considered a historic debut in these 20 years of Pirelli in Superbike: for the first time ever, the WorldSBK riders will have a DIABLO Superbike in the soft SC0 compound available at the front. After expanding the range in the past seasons with the introduction of rear solutions in soft compounds, such as the SCX in 2020 and the SCQ in 2022, and having worked on the new front SC1 and SC2, we now decided it was time to complete the range also working on a front in soft SC0 compound with the aim to balance the high level of grip offered by the new soft solutions introduced for the rear wheel. The riders have already had the opportunity to test this new front solution, in specification B1148, in the winter tests and in those held in Barcelona at the end of March but this will be the first time ever that they will have it available in a race weekend. The goal, in line with our philosophy of making the tyres used in the World Superbike available to all motorcyclists, is to develop this SC0 during the season and then make it a standard solution, therefore purchasable on the market, in 2024.”
CONTINUING TO TEST: WorldSSP riders have different sizes front tyres again
At Assen, an experiment started to evaluate a potential move to WorldSBK-size front tyres in the intermediate class and this will continue in Barcelona. The SC1-A medium compound, from WorldSBK, is available in the 125/70 size as well as the standard SC1 soft compound which is in the current 120/70 size. Also available will be the SC2 medium tyre with three available to riders for this compound, compared to seven each of the SC1 tyres. At the rear, riders can use the standard SCX super soft compound, with seven available, and the SC0 soft compound with six available to use. In case of rain, riders will have the intermediate and SCR1 full wet tyre for both the front and rear.
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