Going soft in France. The FIM Superbike World Championship

· SCQ for the flying lap, SCX for race distance. Magny-Cours features a smooth and low-abrasion track surface that is sensitive to temperature variations combined with a layout alternating long straights and fast corners with heavy braking zones and low-speed exits. In this context, the softest rear solutions have already proved particularly competitive. Pirelli will therefore provide WorldSBK riders with the extrasoft SCQ for qualifying and potentially for the Superpole Race, with the possibility of using it also in Free Practice. This is the specification introduced in 2025 as the E0479 development tyre. The rear allocation will be completed by the supersoft SCX, which was used last year as the E0126 development tyre and is now part of the range, and the soft SC0, known last year as the E0125 development specification. At the front, the production soft SC1 and medium SC2 solutions will be available. Finally, in wet conditions, the allocation for both axles includes DIABLO™ Wet intermediate and DIABLO™ Rain wet-weather tyres.

· All solutions competitive. Last year, all the options made available to riders proved competitive, with Toprak Razgatlioğlu (BMW) winning all three races using the medium front-supersoft rear combination, while Nicolò Bulega (Ducati), who finished second in all three races, opting for the softer front solution. Alex Lowes (Bimota) took third place in the Superpole Race using the development extrasoft rear tyre.

· Supersoft and soft for Supersport. For the fourth-from-last round of the WorldSSP season, riders will have a choice of the production supersoft SCX and soft SC0 rear solutions, while at the front they will have the soft SC1 and medium SC2. The WorldSPB will also return to the track this weekend for the sixth of its eight scheduled rounds, alongside the young riders of the Yamaha R3 World Cup. Both championships use Pirelli DIABLO™ Superbike tyres in SC1 compound at both the front and rear.

Grip, durability and consistency key at Magny-Cours
 
“Magny-Cours is a circuit that puts very different demands on the tyres: it alternates long straights and fast corners with heavy braking and low-speed exits, requiring a good balance between grip, stability and consistency of performance. This is compounded by a relatively smooth and low-abrasion track surface that is sensitive to temperature variations, making it particularly important to have solutions capable of working well in different conditions.
 
For this FIM Superbike World Championship round, we have chosen the softest rear solutions in the range: the extrasoft SCQ, intended for qualifying and potentially the Superpole Race, and the supersoft SCX for the long races, in addition to the SC0 should temperatures be relatively low. These are the same specifications introduced at Magny-Cours last year as development tyres and now integrated into the 2026 range. Their combination of performance, wear resistance and wide operating window makes them particularly well suited to a circuit where track and air conditions can have a significant impact on race strategies”.