At Assen Pirelli brings on the comparison between SCX compounds and races for the first time with the young riders of the talent cup which is part of the Road to MotoGP™ project

The third round of the season of the FIM Superbike World Championship will start this weekend at the TT Circuit in Assen, in The Netherlands. Pirelli confirms the options already deployed in 2023 for both the WorldSSP and WorldSBK classes, with the addition for the latter of the development rear SCX with C0900 specification, already seen in action in Barcelona both in testing and in the race.

At the “Cathedral of Speed”, as the Assen circuit is informally called, the young riders of the Northern Talent Cup will also take to the track, for which Pirelli is the sole supplier from this year as for all the other championships of the Road to MotoGP™ project.

GIORGIO BARBIER INGLESE

“The characteristics of the track as well as the climatic conditions usually found in Assen are very different from those of Montmelò where we raced last month, and this allows us to collect other useful data from a development perspective. Here we want to continue the work on the C0900, which in the last round gave good feedback in terms of grip and behaviour but, given the aggressiveness of the Catalan asphalt, suffered a bit in terms of wear. On paper, Assen is a less abrasive and usually colder circuit; therefore, we expect to collect information that can give us a more complete picture of the potential of this solution. In past years the characteristics of the asphalt have allowed the use of fairly soft solutions despite the cold temperatures, consequently we think there is margin in the teams’ work to find the ideal set up to exploit the options provided. Assen also sees us busy on another front, that of the Northern Talent Cup which holds its first seasonal event here. From this year we are in fact sole suppliers not only of this, but of all those competitions for young talents which are part of the project Road to MotoGP™ promoted by Dorna, including the Asia Talent Cup which made its successful debut last month in Qatar.”

KEEP AN EYE ON

· Tyre allocation: in addition to the aforementioned SCX in C0900 specification, WorldSBK riders will have access to the SC1 and SC2 standard solutions at the front and SCX and SC0 at the rear, in addition to the SCQ exclusively intended for use in Superpole and Superpole Race. In case of rain, which is often a real possibility at Assen at this time of year, there will be intermediate and SCR1 wet tyres on both the front and rear. In WorldSSP riders will be able to choose between SC1 and SC2 for the front and SCX and SC0 for the rear, with the SCR1 as the wet option.

· Asphalt and temperatures: at this time of year, the area where the historic Assen circuit is located is often affected by rain and it can still be quite cold, with asphalt temperatures that can be as low as 4°C, as happened in 2022. Despite these temperatures, usually the not particularly abrasive asphalt can allow teams and riders to find set ups suitable for softer solutions.

· Turn 5: the Assen track is feared by the riders due to the first left corner, which comes after four consecutive right corners and is located in a part of the circuit often subject to cold winds, which makes the management of the front tyre temperature and caution when entering of vital importance.

· Pirelli for the Northern Talent Cup: the bikes of the young riders – aged between 14 and 17 – competing in the Northern Talent Cup will be equipped with Pirelli DIABLO Superbike slick tyres in SC2 compound, 100/70 R17 at the front and 120/70 R17 at the rear. In case of rain, SCR1 compound is available in same sizes for the front and 125/70 R17 at the rear.