As the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship descends on the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve for Round 7 of the 2024 season, Pirelli have announced their tyre solutions for the Pirelli Portuguese Round. The Italian company have brought a new development soft rear tyre while the SCX tyre is also back in the allocation after not being available at Most, with that tyre the softest available with the SCQ tyre once again not in the allocation.
REAR TYRES: no SCQ, SCX returns and a new development SC0
Portimao is a high-speed and undulating circuit and, coupled with potential high temperatures for some sessions, Pirelli have decided to not make the SCQ tyre available for the second consecutive round. In its place is the SCX, limited to the Tissot Superpole session and Tissot Superpole Race, which returns after missing Most. The other rear tyres are the standard SC1 medium and standard SC0 soft, while there’s a new SC0 development – the D0661 – available as it makes its debut; it’s designed to provide consistent performance throughout the race while retaining the same compound as the standard equivalent.
FRONT TYRES: standard solutions all round
For the front tyre choices, there are only two options for the WorldSBK field. The softest is the standard SC1 medium, one of the most widely used tyres throughout the season, while there is a harder option available. The standard SC2 hard tyre is the second one available and could be the tyre of choice due to the stress the up-and-down circuit can put on the tyres.
WORLD SUPERSPORT OPTIONS: no SCX tyre, standard options available
In the WorldSSP allocation, there are two front and two rear tyres to choose from. At the front, the standard SC1 soft and standard SC2 medium are the two options while, for the rear, it’s the SC0 soft and SC1 medium, both from the standard range. It means the SCX tyre, often an option for the WorldSSP gird, is not at Portimao.
PIRELLI SAYS: “It has a unique layout with an intense alternation of uphill and downhill corners, heavy braking and peculiarities”
Discussing Pirelli’s allocation, Motorcycle Racing Director Giorgio Barbier said: “Portimao is not a circuit that stresses tyres as much as Most and Phillip Island, but it still has a unique layout with an intense alternation of uphill and downhill corners, heavy braking and peculiarities to be taken into account. We have a lot of data available both from the races of previous years and from the tests we did in January, but finding ourselves racing in the middle of August, the high temperatures that the asphalt could reach represent a pitfall that should not be underestimated. The heat can in fact affect the grip of the track, leading to sliding and therefore greater wear for the tyres.
“For this reason, we felt that this was the ideal circuit to debut the new development SC0 in D0661 specification which, while using the same compound as the standard SC0, has an evolution of the structure. In a way, it follows the philosophy already introduced with the SC1 in D0286 specification that we brought to Most and that all the riders appreciated, both in practice and in the races. Considering the nature of the circuit, as has already happened in the past, we have also decided to replace the SCQ, usually allocated for Superpole and Superpole Race, with the standard SCX which is better performing in more critical conditions and can therefore also guarantee use in the Superpole Race.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com