2006 has been a year of continuous research and uninterrupted rapid development for Pirelli. It all began in Qatar with the presentation of a new tyre, the Pirelli Diablo Superbike, manufactured to various specifications specifically for a circuit subject to dramatic variations in climate and afflicted by sand on the track, which is not only abrasive but highly detrimental to grip. After Qatar the championship moved to Australia, and here too Pirelli introduced new solutions, tested in January and proven valid by a new lap record. Back in Europe there followed two development sessions (on top of the FGSport tests) at Valencia and Misano. Yet more new solutions were introduced, including changes to the mix and body design of both front and rear tyres.
Then it was the turn of Monza, where rear tyres in particular benefited from the development of interesting new materials. Of the 3 tyre solutions offered to riders, 2 were multi-mix (softer on the sides) and one had a diameter of 200 mm. This was the solution preferred by the fastest riders on the day, instead of the usually more popular 190. The 200 mm tyre, known as the ‘big tyre’, made its debut at Misano last season, and has proved useful on various circuits where its characteristics have led to a reduction in lap times.

The secret of the bigger tyre lies in the greater contact surface that it offers. This means better traction, and a chance to open the throttle earlier and come out of bends faster. On the downside, the bigger tyre is heavier and penalises agility and rapid direction changes. That is why, despite its success at Monza, Pirelli will not be taking the ‘big tyre’ to Silverstone. The many bends and short straights of the British circuit would not suit its characteristics and laps times would suffer as a result.
There will be a total of 3 choices for the front plus 3 for the rear at Silverstone, in addition to the usual qualifying tyres. Two of these front tyres are already available commercially: the Diablo Superbike mixes SC1 (solution A) and SC2 (solution B) have been on sale since February.
Silverstone will also see the introduction of a new rear tyre mix, specially formulated for medium-low temperatures. (The fickle British weather is likely to give us conditions quite different from those of previous editions of the race). The new mix has already been tried out with excellent results during the night-time phases of the Le Mans 24 hours, perhaps the most famous endurance race in the world