Pirelli Supercorsa Pro
Even more new DOT race tires
PROVIDING THE TRACTION needed for our literbike shootout at Buttonwillow Raceway were Pirelli's new Supercorsa Pro tires, an evolution of the company's Supercorsa DOT race bun. Pirelli has incorporated many changes developed from last year's World Superbike championship series (Pirelli is the official tire supplier) into the Supercorsa Pro, including construction, compound and profile updates.
One major departure for the Supercorsa Pro is the front tire, which retains the Supercorsa's zero-degree steel belt but has a significantly taller and sharper profile to promote quicker turn-in. On the 180/55 rear tire, the tread pattern has been adjusted for more even wear and is said to offer improved stability. And across the range of applications, the tread compounds have been reformulated and an SC0 compound added to the previous SC1-SC3 offerings (though we're not sure what it will be called, as the SC1 was referred to as supersoft).
For our track day, Pirelli supplied 120/70 fronts in the SC1 compound and 190/55 rears in the SC2 compound, a typical combination we've used many times with the Supercorsas for track days and races. The Pros offered better traction overall compared to the standard Supercorsas, with improved grip at severe lean angles. And even subjected to the brutal horsepower levels of the literbikes, the tires retained good grip over the course of the day, with Kento setting his fastest time on the GSX-R late in the afternoon.
The Supercorsa Pros seem to have a softer sidewall, which pays off with better midcorner bump absorption, but the trade-off here is movement under high cornering loads; in Buttonwillow's fast sweepers all four bikes squirmed around to some extent, some uncomfortably so. The taller front tire definitely speeds up steering compared to the standard Supercorsa, yet it provides good stability under braking and excellent trailbraking characteristics.
The new tires are available in 110/70 and 120/70 front and 150/60, 160/60, 180/55 and 190/55 rear sizes.-Andrew Trevitt