Advantages for Ducati, Honda, Yamaha? Pirelli racing director sticks to the facts

On 22 June in Brno, Czech Republic, a number of regular MotoGP riders took to the track together for the first time on next year’s bikes, which feature 850cc engines, restricted aerodynamics, no height-adjustable suspension and Pirelli tyres. World Champion Marc Marquez and Fermin Aldeguer were on track for Ducati, whilst Aprilia had Marco Bezzecchi and Raul Fernandez testing. Joan Mir and Luca Marini took to the track for Honda, whilst Toprak Razgatlioglu and Augusto Fernandez clocked up test kilometres for Yamaha. KTM was represented by Pedro Acosta, Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro.

The Brno test was an important opportunity to assess the current situation not only for the manufacturers but also for the future tyre supplier, Pirelli, which will replace Michelin in the premier class from next season. Hot conditions meant that everyone involved was pushed to the limit right from the start.

As the tyre supplier to the Superbike World Championship and its supporting categories, Pirelli has done an astonishing job over more than two decades; Ducati, Honda and Yamaha know the tyres from Milan very well through their involvement in the production-based world championships. Aprilia, which won the Superbike World Championship with Max Biaggi in 2010 and 2012 and with Sylvain Guintoli in 2014, was last involved in Superbikes with factory support in 2018, whilst KTM has never been involved.

Nowadays, everyone is used to the fact that all teams have the same equipment.

Giorgio Barbier

Barbier: “It became very complicated”

“When standard tyres were first introduced in the Superbike World Championship, there were huge differences between the manufacturers,” explained Pirelli’s racing director Giorgio Barbier in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com. “That was because the two brands involved up to that point were building special tyres for each manufacturer. Or even prototypes for every rider on the team – it became very complicated. Today, everyone races on the same specifications, because standard tyres have also been in use in MotoGP for some time now. Nowadays, everyone is used to the fact that everyone has the same tyres, which helps us in the development process.”

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This process works as follows: “We provide all manufacturers with various options and then decide which range we’ll use later on. That’s why the Brno test was so important for us, as was the one at Misano a month earlier. Because when all manufacturers are on the track on the same day, we get the best feedback. If we were to test one set in Sepang and the next in Mugello, we’d run the risk of no longer knowing which direction to take. Then Honda might have the right tyre for Sepang and KTM the right one for Jerez.”

No advantages can be identified yet

Do Ducati, Honda and Yamaha have an advantage because they’re familiar with Pirelli tyres? Does any particular bike suit the new standard tyres especially well? “It’s too early to say at this stage of preparations,” says Barbier. “What I do see, however, is that the engineers and mechanics – the teams as a whole – are working to a very high standard. Leading the way are the test teams from KTM and Ducati; I really enjoy working with them because they’re at the cutting edge of knowledge. They know what needs to be done and are focused. When they want to test something relating to aerodynamics, electronics or the tyres, they concentrate on that. They don’t try out various new things at the same time – that’s important. Their test riders have the right attitude; they know what they have to do. This professionalism helps us a great deal in our work.”

Pirelli-Rennchef Giorgio Barbier

Foto: gold & goose