Pirelli invites the Superbike World Championship to a final dance: an era comes to an end in Jerez

The introduction of standard tyres in the 2004 Superbike World Championship caused an outcry in the paddock at the time. ‘This has nothing to do with motor racing,’ was the sentiment back then. Many teams had lucrative contracts with tyre manufacturers and feared for their survival. Over the years, however, all such concerns have vanished into thin air.

Looking back, the idea was visionary. The tyre arms race has since come to an end; the quality of the rubber no longer determines victory or defeat. Many other racing series have since adopted the idea of standard tyres, and they are now commonplace in the major racing series on both two and four wheels.

More than 20 years on, many fans and riders know the production-based World Championship only in association with Pirelli – we’re talking about 23 years – though that was not the original intention either. Whilst MotoGP has changed tyre supplier on several occasions, the World Superbike Championship seemed inextricably linked to the Italian manufacturer – until promoter Dorna (now Liberty) announced in June 2025 a switch to Michelin from 2027!

The 2026 season is therefore the last with Pirelli, and it concludes this coming weekend with the season finale in Jerez! And because it is a special occasion, Pirelli is acting as the title sponsor for the twelfth round.

“The Pirelli round in Spain marks the end of a long journey that began in 2004, when Pirelli joined the World Superbike Championship as the official tyre supplier,” said racing director Giorgio Barbier wistfully. The Italian is a veteran of the paddock and has been involved since the championship’s inception. “Over the years, we have built a partnership through which we have become not just a supplier, but an active and strategic partner contributing to the growth and development of the championship. However, before we say our final farewells, we still have one last round ahead of us, which we intend to tackle with the same determination to round off a particularly positive season in the best possible way.”

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It was both astonishing and impressive that Pirelli continued to introduce numerous new developments even last season – records were set at many circuits this year. For the season finale, however, tried-and-tested tyres will be used.

“For the final round, we have decided to retain the softest rear tyre options – the Extrasoft SCQ and the Supersoft SCX – which have been used throughout much of the season,” revealed Barbier. “The extensive data collected over the years at Jerez, both during races and test sessions, confirms that these are the most effective options.”