BSB: Pirelli to bring tougher tyre for abrasive Thruxton

Pirelli will introduce a new specification tyre to combat severe tyre wear at this weekend’s Thruxton round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

The high speed Hampshire circuit is notoriously bumpy and abrasive, leading to a number of teams experiencing issues with blistering and tearing on the right-hand side of the tyre in the past.

To combat this, spec-tyre supplier Pirelli will provide an alternative tyre option to the existing SC1 and SC0 rears for this round only.

The new tyre, specification number X0489, uses the SC1 compound but a different, stronger carcass material. The usual harder SC1 and softer SC0 rears will still be available.

The new tyre is not, as some riders have claimed, the larger profile option Pirelli provided to World Superbike teams earlier this year. It’s shape and profile remain identical to the existing tyre options with the only difference the material used for the carcass.

“For the Thruxton round, we will, of course, make available the existing SC1 and SC0 rear options that we normally carry for the Superbike class,” says Pirelli’s Jason Griffiths.

“In addition, the teams will have access to another option, the specification number is X0489. This specification uses the SC1 compound but a different carcass material. This material provides increased protection against blistering which can affect some riders/teams at Thruxton.

“The nature of the circuit – high speed, bumpy and abrasive – together with a layout that means prolonged use of the right shoulder of the tyre ‘on throttle’ provides a severe challenge for the rear tyre. This is further complicated by it not being possible to conduct any testing at Thruxton.

“Pirelli continues to stress the importance of the correct tyre pressure setting & tyre warmer strategy to achieve optimum performance and durability over full race distance.”