WorldSBK Estoril: Pirelli supply softs for demands of Portugal

Circuit Estoril in Portugal will see Pirelli focus almost exclusively on soft tyres as it prepares for a demanding third WorldSBK round of the season.

At the front, the standard soft SC1 will be joined by the development SC1 A0674; at the rear, the supersoft SCX and soft SC0 tyre, in addition to the SCQ option that can be used in the Superpole session and Superpole Race.

The WorldSSP class will exclusively use standard tyres: SC1 and SC2 at the front with SCX, SC0 and SC1 options at the rear.

Estoril is one of the most technical and demanding tracks on the calendar for tyres. The particularly varied layout features four left and nine right handed corners with very different loads.

The right-hand corners are quite fast and therefore the tyre temperature in the right shoulder is high, especially at the rear, while the left-hand corners, including the chicane, are slower and the tyre temperature on the left side is much lower. A long straight in which riders reach considerable maximum speeds is followed by a slow first corner that requires demanding braking. In the long final corner, tyres have to face high lean angles combined with high speeds, while the riders try to open the throttle as soon as possible, to maximise drive onto the finish straight.

The track has a rather slippery asphalt that dates back to 2006 and could be even more slippery in the case of high temperatures. For this reason, it is necessary to use soft compounds that can generate more grip.

“Estoril is undoubtedly a rather demanding circuit that puts a lot of strain on the tyres due to the varied layout and an old road surface that changes from one corner to another,” Giorgio Barbier, Racing Director explained. “The slippery asphalt requires the use of