Riding full tilt on Australia’s Phillip Island Circuit at the launch of Pirelli’s newest sport bike tyres made us feel like a Superbike racer

Story by: Deyna Chia

PHILLIP ISLAND CIRCUIT, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

Pirelli’s motto “We sell what we race, we race what we sell” is embodied in the Italian tyre maker’s commitment to racing. The brand is celebrating 20 years of supplying race tyres to World Superbikes (WSBK) this year, and Silvio Frare, head of product management, explained that Pirelli leverages the platform as an open-air R&D lab, to develop next generation road products like the Diablo Supercorsa tyres which themselves are the result of the Pirelli WSBK partnership.

Launched the day after the opening round of the 2023 WSBK championship in Phillip Island Circuit, we got to sample the new Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V4 (4th generation) motorcycle tyres in the SC1 and SP compounds, piloting the 2023 BMW S1000RR in the base and M-sport variants. 

What’s new?

The Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa V4 sports a new tread pattern, with the lightning pattern now shortened. This change has been done to improve grip, encourage consistent wear and also aid water dispersion. The sides remain 100 percent threadless slicks, as before. Compared to the V3, the Supercorsa V4 has a new tyre structure comprising new materials and thicker structural textile cords, which is designed to increase structural stiffness and enhance vibration damping capabilities.

On a sports bike with no other variables changed, these modifications over the V3 tyres claim to improve lap times and increase the ease of maintaining fast lap times. At the 2.539km, 9-turn Racalmuto proving ground in Sicily, the Supercorsa V4 SC1 was timed as lapping 0.7sec faster, allowed seven percent more time on full throttle and achieved a 3.2km/h higher top speed. With the street-use Supercorsa V4 SP, the resulting lap time was 0.5sec faster over the old V3.

The SC tyre compound was specifically designed for track-based sports riding and  comes with three choices:

SC1 – best contact feeling; smoother asphalt, hotter temp

SC2 – best stability and consistency; lower working temp, abrasive asphalt 

SC3 – multiple long sessions, without tyre warmers. Resists heat cycles. 

Pirelli specifies that track enthusiasts should aim to have these tyre pressures for track use:

Front: 30-35psi/ 2.3bar  hot; Rear 25-28/ 2.1 bar hot; tyre warmers set @ 80degC for 50 minutes.

For occasional track-goers, the Diablo Supercorsa V4 in the SC3 would be most suitable, given that these tyres are resistant to heat cycling, and avoid turning rock-hard after a day at the track, unlike the SC1/ SC2 compounds.

The Diablo Supercorsa SP is where Pirelli’s technology distinguishes it from the competition. Both front and rear tyres are constructed with “cap and base” treads (picture the head and shoulders of a person, wearing shoulder pads). The centre and base of the front SP tyre compound is made up of full silica, the 20mm middle tread providing high speed stability and abrasion resistance. The sides are SC3 race compound, made of 100% carbon black. Additionally, the bead shape and ply shaping have been changed, resulting in a fuller profile.

The rear  Diablo Supercorsa SP tyre features Pirelli’s patented Adaptive Base Compound (ABC), which exhibits limited variation in mechanical properties over temperature swings. When the operating temperature increases, the base softens – with the claimed result of more stable edge grip over prolonged sessions. At lower temperatures, the resulting tread compound assembly preserves grip.

Who is it for?

The multi compound Diablo Supercorsa SP is supplied as an OEM tyre to super bikes like the BMW S1000RR and Ducati Panigale V4, and would appeal to those who use their bikes on the road, with the occasional trackdays. 

The single compound Diablo Supercorsa SC would appeal to pro-racers and track addicts. We’ve personally had the Diablo Supercorsa SC2 for street use when we frequented Johor Circuit on a weekly basis way back when it was still in operation, since longevity wasn’t a consideration. New profiles have been added – 110/70 R17 for fronts and now just like the Diablo Superbike, 200/60 R17 for rears, covering a wider range of race applications from underbone race bikes to fire breathing superbikes. 

How did it perform?

Opened in 1956, the 5.33km long, twelve-turn Phillip Island Circuit in Australia is fast flowing with mesmerising scenery. You get a face full of the Bass Strait as you speed down the front straight into turn 1, and the pristine tarmac is lined with greenery all through the circuit. MotoGP rider Enea Bastianini set the speed record of 349.5kmph in 2022. Phillip Island Circuit holds a special place in my heart because it was here where I first managed to “knee-down”. Phillip Island is known to be punishing to tyres, especially on the left side, because of the fast sweeping left handers like Turns 3 (Stoner Corner), 9, 11 and 12. 

The weather at PIC is known to be fickle. The morning was overcast and windy, leaving the track surface quite cold. Taking out the tyre-warmer equipped S1000RR M-sport with SC1s fitted, we took it easy the first two laps, reacquainting ourselves with the circuit. With the tyres warmed, we upped the pace with each successive lap. 

Unsurprisingly, the SC1s gave good feedback, egging us to carry more speed into the “harder” braking turns, Miller Corner (Turn 4) and Turn 10 (where Marq Marquez famously saved a front end slide with his elbow a few times). Exiting the corners with more than a fist full of throttle whilst in first gear was no drama. 

Next up we jumped on a SP-shod S1000RR, and with a warmer track, upped the pace, chasing local hero Troy Geunther. Truth be told, we took more liberties in this session, and yet the SPs felt unflappable. There wasn’t an appreciable difference in feedback or grip (compared with the SC1s from the first session), though the traction control (set in Race mode) did seem a little more active. 

In the third and final session before the heavens opened, we managed our quickest runs with lap times in the mid one-minute forties, adapting the riding lines to a more point and shoot style, loading the SC1s even more on the edge into turns and punching harder out of corners. Edge grip felt infinite under hard brakes, and accelerating hard, the rear tyre never complained. Down Lukey Heights into Turn 10, the front tyre needed only light steering inputs, the carcass resisting collapse where standard street tyres probably would, egging us to carry more speed, and to brake later and harder. Exiting Turn 12 on to the front straight, the rear wheel could drive the bike relentlessly forwards without any butt clenching moments. 

Conclusion 

Even though eleven years had passed since we rode Phillip Island Circuit, the combination of superlative feel and mechanical grip from both the front and rear Diablo Supercorsa V4 in both the SC1 and SP compounds, allowed us to lap more confidently, and faster than before. We’re pretty certain that this later “flash evolution” will outperform the outgoing V3. 

When is it available for purchase? 

End April/ May 2023.

Interested? 

Contact Pirelli Moto official distributor Singapore – South East Asia Tyres Pte Ltd, at [email protected]

Plus!

Find a Pirelli dealer near you or send them a message here.

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