With the launch of the new Diablo Rosso Corsa, Pirelli confirms a technological leadership with roots planted firmly in a commitment spanning years of sportracing activities, the most strategic of which is the Superbike World Championship, where Pirelli is the official supplier for the seventh consecutive year. The Superbike World Championship, as with other national road racing, motocross and Enduro series, remain for Pirelli not only a diverse and continuous testing environment, but also an opportunity to develop new solutions together with manufacturers to meet the needs of motorcyclists. One example is the new Diablo Rosso Corsa, which adopts a patented contact patch technology (EPT), carcass solutions derived from what is used in the Superbike class, and shoulders of its III zones compound rear tyre being offspring a compound featured in the Superstock class.

The commitment of Pirelli in WSBK is well explained by the numbers, certain to be repeated also in the 2010 World Championship which has just begun:

• More than 40 solutions developed each year for the different circuit requirements, weather conditions and driving styles of riders (nearly 48 for the 2009 championship alone)

• Progressive decrease of lap times by as much as 0.8 sec and race time by an average of 20 seconds, signifying faster and more consistent racing as well as a strong stabilization of race performance.

• Pirelli supports each round of WSBK with 8 service vehicles and up to 5,000 tyres (which must be industrialized products due to the quantities needed and the constraints of maximum uniformity), along with 30 staff between tyre engineers providing technical advice and service staff for the mounting / dismounting of tyres to all drivers of different classes.

• Solutions designed by R&D for the track emerge as technical benefits of the product range. Of the available dry solutions used by the Superbike and Supersport riders on the grid last season, one front and three rear solutions have already become part of the 2010 Pirelli Racing range.

With nine manufacturers and nearly 90 riders competing in the four classes of the championship, Pirelli’s seventh year as sole supplier marks a further increase of the absolute performance from its Diablo family of products, thus resulting in technologies uniquely injected directly into new tyres like the new Diablo Rosso Corsa for passionate road and track riding. Due to the industrial processes used to manufacture consistent product for each weekend of the WSBK season, the various technological breakthroughs in compounding, contact patch and structural materials discovered within this environment can be quickly transferred into Pirelli street product.

The first two year period of Pirelli’s relationship was dedicated to refining the service element to guarantee adequate support for all riders in the Superbike paddock. The next step then began with a true search for performance, improving lap times and cornerspeed for an elevated excitement and the shattering of circuit records. Over these last two years, Pirelli has reached a noteworthy stabilization of performance, that being a reduced lap times all the way to the checkered flag.

“After completing six enriching years as a partner in the Superbike World Championship, our team has found a proven formula of developing new technical solutions in this extreme environment, primarily through a commitment and involvement of our whole R&D department who share participation throughout the season. Our ultimate achievement has been the elevation of both performance and quality using an industrial process that allows us to spread these benefits throughout our entire radial tyre range.” – Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director, Pirelli Moto

In addition to the Superbike World Championship, Pirelli is also represented as the single tyre supplier in seven national championships, i.e. British Superbike, Canadian Superbike, Brazilian Superbike and the CIV Superstock 1000 in Italy. Pirelli’s competitive appetite is continually fed by the participation in nearly 85 different classes of 32 open national racing championships worldwide.

The new Diablo Rosso Corsa hypersport tyre emerges as the ideal synthesis of grip
for track riding and mileage for everyday adrenaline

Pirelli Moto is delighted to announce the Diablo Rosso Corsa, the newest member of the successful ROSSO Generation and the only hypersport tyre for road and track use with WSBK technology. The new tyre supplements the Diablo Rosso in Pirelli’s sport range and effectively replaces its acclaimed predecessor, the Diablo Corsa III, by measurably exceeding its key performance values. Diablo Rosso Corsa matches the evolution of bikes’ needs in terms of handling and acceleration, as a technical component to reach the maximum potential by transferring more horsepower on the ground.

TARGET: EVERY DAY IS RACE DAY
The Diablo Rosso Corsa’s reach includes all true performance-oriented motorcyclists who push the limit from the mountain curves to the racetrack, specialists who can recognize the distinction between pure racetrack and pure road usage, and those who crave ultimate performances along with an aggressive tread design look. The new top-of-range for Pirelli Moto features a broader range of sizes, EPT (Enhanced Patch Technology) technology, and an undoubted grip level from its III zones compound. Pirelli’s development of this ultra-performance radial tyre was aimed towards today’s modern sport bikes characterized by new technological features and electronic aids, e.g. new ABS system, traction control, advance electronic management systems, suspension control and gear shifting systems. Diablo Rosso Corsa is structurally adaptive to the new generation of chassis with higher rigidity, allowing greater responsiveness for the optimal balance between grip and handling.

PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY
• Diablo Rosso Corsa is credited with 25 patents, along with grip enhancements from its Enhanced Patch Technology (EPT), a solution developed in the WSBK experience for an optimized contact patch area at all lean angles on road and track, for true confidence and power transfer to the ground in any riding condition.

• EPT is complemented by the III Zone Compound rear tyre whose new compound in the central
zone guarantees lasting performance and ample shoulder zone compound from WSBK.

• Diablo Rosso Corsa’s captivating tread pattern is designed with the winning FGD (Functional Groove Design) technology, which combines a slick-like area on the rear shoulders while the tread grooves are selectively concentrated for an aggressive tread design resulting in quick racetrack warm-up and consistent water drainage for great control on wet surfaces.

NEW PATENTS
• “H shaped” bead – the new design optimizes the sidewall stiffness, bringing increased support and precision at maximum lean angles. The layout of the “H shaped” bead wires creates a uniform pressure between the tyres and rim, creating a stiffness that improves stability both at lean and in straight-line riding, also reducing the risk of tyre slippage during severe racetrack usage. A reduction of the number of steel wires used in this layout also results in a lighter weight.

• High Performance Single Cord (HPSC): Using a single cord winding of the steel belt, Pirelli’s engineers were able to obtain a differentiated structure from crown to shoulder, in the center a road-oriented winding scheme for street handling and a racing winding scheme in the shoulders for track performance, while the total number of steel strings maintains a linear performance. The tread design and compounds are designed to assure maximum safety in all riding conditions, even in the wet: confidence and safety feeling are never compromised; in wet condition Diablo Rosso Corsa surpasses all race replica products.

COMPOUNDS: DERIVED FROM WSBK
The front compound is the result of WSBK top riders’ feedback whose indications resulted in the development of a solution that combines the highest grip without loosing the tread stiffness, in order to guarantee the necessary support during heavy breaking and the fastest exit from the curve. The III zone compound on rear represents the ideal way to offer the best performances required throughout different conditions (racetrack and road). The differentiated compounds between shoulders and centre zones is the winning solution engineered to give to Diablo Rosso Corsa the racing performance needed for the track and the long lasting performance for the road:

• Long mileage is guaranteed by high mechanical resistance materials on the Central Zone with a compound derived from Diablo Rosso experience, but even sportier; Pirelli engineers have inserted pecial resins and plasticizers optimized in terms of chemical properties and quantity to ensure the best balance between dry and wet grip. A new dedicated curing process increases the compound’s wear resistance, thus mileage.

• The wide shoulders adopt a new high hysteresis compound developed and used in the WSBK arena featuring continuous grip response and incredible traction even at high lean angle. The 100% Carbon black compound’s lower rigidity, especially at mid-low temperature, allows very fast warm up and reduces the temperature difference on the tyre’s surface for a very linear transition from one compound to the other. Specifically tuned WSBK resins from the Diablo Supercorsa are used which function at very high temperatures and levels of stress, distinctive elements of racetrack use. The wide shoulder zone offers WSBK grip starting from low lean angles, to exploit the new performance when needed, whether on racetrack or on road.

TREAD PATTERN: ATTRACTIVE DESIGN
The Diablo Rosso Corsa tread pattern adopts the same winning FGD technology (Functional Groove Design) concept of the Diablo Rosso tread, combining excellent slick-like racetrack performance together with great control on wet surfaces. The 100% slick area on the rear shoulders (nude shoulder) is available from low to high lean angles to allow WSBK racetrack feeling with calibrated grooves in the middle that maximize the contact patch: Transversal groove between rear central section and edges quickly disperse residual water and assure maximum grip throughout the corner, even on very wet surfaces. Another slick area in the center puts more rubber on the ground for traction and stability.

PRODUCT BENEFITS
Diablo Rosso Corsa confirms all the outstanding features of Diablo Corsa III in terms of comfort and stability, while enhancing to the utmost handling and grip. Diablo Rosso Corsa improves duration performance on racetrack, and above all on-road to ensure true road lasting and racetrack performance. Furthermore, Diablo Rosso Corsa improves wet performance compared to the Diablo Corsa III, confirming itself as the best in class for wet versus any race replica product.

AVAILABILITY
The Diablo Rosso Corsa is available in the following sizes: front, 120/70ZR17; along with rear 160/60ZR17, 180/55ZR17, and 190/50ZR17 as well as 190/55ZR17. More detailed information and videos of the Diablo Rosso Corsa as well as the entire range of Pirelli motorcycle tyres can be found online at www.pirellimoto.com .

The new Pirelli motorcycle tyre can be personalized with one’s own name
or with words, designs and colors placed on the sides of each tyre

With Pirelli’s new Diablo Rosso Corsa, the motorcycle tyre is transformed from a purely technical component into a “canvas” on which motorcyclists may write and communicate their story and inspirations. Pirelli Moto opens the road to tyre personalization with an industry first: the unique and exclusive possibility to apply special labels on the sidewall of the tyres, accepting a full name or initials, single words or entire messages, images, logos and colors. Dedicated spaces on the sides of the front and rear tyres of Pirelli’s newest ultra-performance tyre are specially designed to accommodate the innovative labels, which anyone can freely create from Pirelli’s website and receive at home.

The Diablo Rosso Corsa personalisation kit contains an exclusive set of six tyre labels and the necessary adhesive materials to apply them to the tyres’ sidewalls, and is available to create and order on-line directly from a special section of Pirelli’s website: www.pirellityre.com/drc.

In a simple yet new era of exclusivity, motorcyclists can choose from a vast selection of templates containing prestigious circuits of the Superbike World Championship, as well as designs and country flags, and compose even one’s own name or unique message in a variety of colors. In this simple but stylish way, the Diablo Rosso Corsa becomes an even more unique element of the bike as its expression of personal tastes makes it more possible for motorcyclists to differentiate themselves.

The Diablo Rosso Corsa is a hypersport tyre characterized by differentiated compound zones with an exclusive shoulder compound derived straight from WSBK, along with a performance-enhancing contact patch technology for a package that fuses superior craftsmanship and a “signature” look, both ultramodern and timeless. The tyre thus becomes a discreet element of style and is all about the consumers’ tastes. This Pirelli innovation makes the tyre purchase even more personal, since the labels can be applied only to Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa motorcycle tyres.

Label application and safety instructions can be downloaded from Pirelli’s website: www.pirelli.com.