Even without a Superbike commitment: Pirelli keeps a foot in the door

The Superbike World Championship was the first major motorbike racing series to introduce a tyre monopoly. A tyre war raged until 2003; since 2004, Pirelli has been supplying all riders with identical tyres. The contract with the Italian manufacturer has been extended several times, but the Pirelli era will come to an end after the 2026 season, with Michelin taking over from 2027.

Over the years, however, Pirelli has also firmly established itself in national series – partly as the sole tyre supplier, partly in competition with other brands. Even though the Milan-based company now wants to prove itself in MotoGP, it has no intention of losing sight of production-based racing.

“The world of production-based motorbikes belongs to us, if I may say so; it is our home. So we have no intention whatsoever of leaving this world,” emphasised Pirelli Racing Manager Max Damiani to GPOne. “We have used the Superbike World Championship for product development and will continue to do so in the coming years, as we will be represented in the most important national championships for production-based racing bikes. Spain, the BSB and Germany are examples of this.”

Whilst the national series have benefited from Pirelli’s involvement in the World Championship over the past twenty years, the company will now use these championships to keep a foot in the door.

“Everything we have applied and learnt over the years in the World Superbike Championship will be incorporated into the national championships I mentioned,” said Damiani. “The development process will not be interrupted. On the contrary, it will continue. It will simply be a different phase, in championships at the very highest level.”