Dorna WorldSBK Organization (DWO) and Pirelli have announced an extension to their partnership of a further three years, with the tire maker named sole supplier of to all classes of the FIM Superbike World Championship up to and including the 2026 season.
Pirelli’s current agreement was set to expire at the end of the 2023 season but talks with Dorna WorldSBK Organization and the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) resulted in a new three-year agreement that will see Pirelli continue to supply normal production tires for use within the competitive races.
“Not only does our partnership ensure a great level of quality and performance to our teams and riders throughout the season on a wide variety of venues, but they also completely embraced the values and philosophy of the Championship by bringing to the race track the products they offer to motorcyclists,” explained Gregorio Lavilla, WorldSBK executive director for DWO.
“WorldSBK has evolved through numerous eras and phases since we started to work with Pirelli and the fact that we’ve been building on this mutually beneficial collaboration over the past 20 years is unprecedented.”
“This year we are celebrating an important milestone: in fact, it has been 20 years that we have been alongside the FIM Superbike World Championship as Sole Supplier for all classes,” commented Aldo Nicotera, senior vice-president and head of moto and cycling Pirelli.
“A road, begun in 2004, which represented the first example of a single-tire formula in the history of top motorsport competitions and which, years later, has proven to be a winning choice, later followed by other championships. Motorsport has historically been an integral part of Pirelli’s DNA and this renewal is in line with our corporate strategy which sees World Superbike as a key platform for the development of our motorcycle tires, starting with racing and super sports tires.”
In 2004, Pirelli made the decision to stop supplying prototype solutions to the championship in favor of production tires. Furthermore, Pirelli’s single-tire formula enables all riders to compete on a level playing field with an equal supply of tires for each team.
