Pirelli completes first MotoGP tyre test at Misano

Pirelli has concluded its initial tests with its first prototype MotoGP tyres. The company, which will be the exclusive supplier of the premier class from 2027, had the tyres evaluated by test riders from the test teams of the five manufacturers participating in the World Championship: Augusto Fernandez for Yamaha, Daniel Pedrosa for KTM, Takaaki Nakagami for Honda, Lorenzo Savadori for Aprilia and Michele Pirro for Ducati.

The aim of this first test, which took place today at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in mainly sunny and dry track conditions with asphalt temperatures between 25 °C and 43 °C, was to obtain feedback to continue the development and process of defining the characteristics of the front and rear tyres to be used in MotoGP.

Pirelli has organised and defined the parameters and the run plan of the test in agreement with the manufacturers and has made seven sets of tyres available to each team, in two different versions for the front and three for the rear, in the current sizes used in MotoGP, i.e. 17-inch in diameter for rims with a width of four-inch at the front and 6.25-inch at the rear.

The new Pirelli tyres, as required by regulations, have been tested with the bikes that are competing in the current season, with ride height devices deactivated and, in some cases, detuned, and with appropriate aerodynamic changes to make them as similar as possible in terms of characteristics and performance to the configuration of the new 850cc bikes, to be used in the new era of the World Championship starting in 2027.

Pirelli tyres for MotoGP will be made in the company’s factory in Breuberg, Germany, the same one that produces all motorcycle radial racing tyres and also some of the most successful models for road use.

Giorgio Barbier, Pirelli motorcycle racing director, said: “The Misano test was the first step in our return to the World Championship, and we are very satisfied with both the excellent working relationship that has been struck up between our engineers and all the teams and riders of the test teams and the tyre performance.

“The test took place according to the run plan, which also included a Sprint race simulation, and the first feedback received is very encouraging – this test has generated a lot of data to be analysed in order to continue our development work of Pirelli MotoGP tyres.

“The most appreciated features are definitely grip, warm-up speed and confidence. We have decided to approach MotoGP with the same philosophy that has always distinguished us in motorcycle racing: the tyres will have to be dedicated exclusively to the premier class, because this is what the regulations require.

“We also want to exploit the technologies and processes consolidated over years of production with the triple objective of making our participation in this championship a virtuous example of sustainability in motorsport, offering a quality and homogeneous construction of the product and, last but not least, transferring more directly the technologies and know-how that we will develop in MotoGP to tyres intended for road use for the benefit of motorcyclists all around the world.”