Superbike's new era: how are the Michelin tires performing? Early reports

While the riders on track try (in vain) to counter the steamrolling Ducati, Superbike is planning its future. In 2027 the single-supplier Brembo carbon-ceramic brake discs will debut, but above all it will mark a watershed moment in tire supply: Pirelli is out, Michelin is in.

The Italian brand has managed the single-make supply since the distant 2004. At that time, Superbike was the first World-level championship to adopt this technical approach: F1 followed two years later and MotoGP in 2009. Now the two industry giants are swapping roles: Michelin is leaving the top class in Pirelli’s hands. Now the question is: what impact will this have on the current technical balance? And above all: will the Superbikes be faster or slower?

Superbike teams have already had the chance to test Michelin tires on two occasions: at Jerez and two weeks ago at Aragon, right after the sixth World round. These outings, for obvious reasons of respect for the current supplier Pirelli, were ultra-restricted. Circuits were hermetically closed and no official information was released. But the paddock is big, and naturally some rumors circulate. For example, we know that at Aragon with the Michelins Iker Lecuona on the Ducati set a lap time seven tenths faster than his personal best of the weekend on Pirellis. That would be an excellent benchmark, because we must consider that teams and riders have tons of data and experience with Pirellis, and as we all know, Michelins have always been conceptually different tires from those of the Italian manufacturer. So the fact that the times are already this close is quite surprising.

In FP3 the championship leader continued preparing for Misano’s three showdowns, a track where he has yet to win in Superbike. On SCX race rubber, Bulega was the first to break the 1'32" barrier, showing his usual destructive pace. In the final minutes of the session, with the SCQ qualifying compound, Sam Lowes set the fastest lap ahead of a fired-up Yari Montella. Good signs also from Bimota with Alex Lowes just confirmed for the next two seasons (details here)

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Photo: Mauro Stanzani