Over the weekend, the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar will host the first Grand Prix of the 75th season of the blue riband series in motorcycle racing, which will see the racing debut of Pirelli as the official and exclusive supplier of tyres for the Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes. Pirelli will make its range of DIABLO™ Superbike slick and DIABLO™ Rain wet tyres available to both classes, in line with its philosophy “We sell what we race, we race what we sell” which envisages the use not of prototypes but of standard tyres that can be purchased by all motorcyclists. Lusail is a circuit that hides several challenges for the tyres, due to the presence of sand coming from the desert and the temperature changes, plus a new surface built in 2023. Pirelli will face them by relying on the standard allocation planned for 2024 for the two classes, with the addition of a rear development solution dedicated only to Moto3™ riders.
Our adventure in Moto2™ and Moto3™ begins under the spotlights of Qatar.
“Lusail is a circuit that we know well because we raced there with both the Superbike World Championship and Formula 1. A very fast track with the longest straight among the circuits on the World Championship calendar. The temperature range between the sessions at the start and end of the day and, above all, the sand that is often deposited on the track by the wind, always have a significant impact on tyre wear and imply greater difficulty in managing pressures. The sand makes the asphalt very slippery, and this often results in graining and accentuated thermal degradation. Precisely with the aim of cleaning the track, in the first sessions of the weekend the riders will be asked to take curves with constant radii trying to better manage tyre wear and probably using harder solutions, which is why for the Moto3 riders we have also brought a rear development more protected from wear. The track evolution is generally good but overnight there is always the risk that the wind could deposit new sand, limiting the benefits of the rubber laid down on track. Furthermore, last year the circuit was completely resurfaced: this is certainly the main unknown for us: we are aware that the new asphalt is quite aggressive with the tyres, the riders have already raced here in 2023 but not in this period of the year therefore the data available to us is limited. In any case, the tests carried out in Valencia and Jerez returned very positive feedback so we are confident that we can have a good season.”
· Tyre allocation: the standard allocation for the 2024 season includes DIABLO Superbike slick tyres, at the front in SC1 (soft) and SC2 (medium) compounds for both classes, at the rear in SC0 (soft) and SC1 (medium) compounds for Moto2™ and SC1 and SC2 for Moto3™. Then there is the DIABLO Rain wet solution in SCR1 compound for both the front and rear. For the Qatar Grand Prix, the Moto3™ riders will also have a development rear compound in C1096 specification, a harder solution than the others which could prove invaluable if the severity of the asphalt significantly affects wear, especially in the first sessions.
