Pirelli Diablo 600 Challenge - The Skinny

[Super Dave]

As far as the tires - isn't that the whole reason Pirelli is sponsoring it - to get more riders to switch from other brands to their tires in order to compete in this class and have a chance at the purse.  It makes a lot of sense to me from a capitalistic perspective.  It also, potentially, makes a tire contract with another manufacturer that much less valuable if you could otherwise race the spec class and win.

Well...

It's a marketing opportunity.  Obviously, the winner of a spec tire class is always racing on that spec tire. 

How much money can be made is the real question for a capitalist racer.  A spec tire series usually requires a spec tire price.  So, there will be no contracts for tire support in that part of the program.  A racer would have to pay to play in comparison to a very fast and well marketed rider that might be able to get free tires and contingency in other classes.  Doesn't really reduce the value of a tire contract as there are still a huge number of classes and organizations that won't be running that single, very focused class. 

It is an opportunity for some racers that don't have contracts, obligations or commitments. 

[Boober]

Don't you love when people who don't race at all or didn't race this year or don't have anything to do with a CCS middleweight expert race comment and/or vote on this topic!? 

[Boober]

regular sprints are normally 15-18 miles long.  How is a 20-24 mile long race gonna DESTROY a tire compared to a 16 mile race?

Lets just see how this shapes up before we start slamming the idea.

Someday when you win a 600cc expert race look at your rear tire.

[Super Dave]

Don't you love when people who don't race at all or didn't race this year or don't have anything to do with a CCS middleweight expert race comment and/or vote on this topic!? 

LOL!  So, you are the seat of all knowledge for all time? 

[sasrocks]

Someday when you win a 600cc expert race look at your rear tire.

I will, but since I am so smooth on the throttle and such a fantastic rider  I doubt it will look much different from the MW and UL races I won this year   

[Boober]

I will, but since I am so smooth on the throttle and such a fantastic rider  I doubt it will look much different from the MW and UL races I won this year  

It better or you are in trouble when you turn expert!

[TommyG]

LOL!  So, you are the seat of all knowledge for all time? 

Wow! You wanted to throw that at someone else for a change Dave?

[TommyG]

So last year Pirelli paid $350 in contingency to win in a ton of different classes......will that be in addition to the CCS $300 or is the contingency gone? I also agree it will be a low turn out class, at least here in the midwest. A quick look at the points or at any weekend's results shows few enough riders that any contingency payouts from Pirelli may be void anyway.  CCS had qualifying in ULGP (another purse paying class) just a couple of years ago and it got canned.  I always did one quick lap and parked it (to save tires) and just took whatever grid I got.

Seems like a waste of precious time on an already tight schedule to me.

[JBraun]

It better or you are in trouble when you turn expert!

Wow...I guess I'm not qualified to comment on this since I didn't race in 09, and my best finish in an expert MW race is second. But thats an ignorant thing to say.
But if I was in a postition to comment, I might say that the measure of speed is not your ability to wreck your tires, quite the contrary.
Go look at the bikes on the podium after an AMA or World Supersport race and tell me if their tires are destroyed.

[JBraun]

Actually here's Joan Lascorz's rear tire after 18 laps in the World Supersport race at Miller. (He was fourth) This is the same Pirelli tire you get trackside. I guess he wasn't going fast enough...

[Andi]

Actually here's Joan Lascorz's rear tire after 18 laps in the World Supersport race at Miller. (He was fourth) This is the same Pirelli tire you get trackside. I guess he wasn't going fast enough...

Yep he obviously sucks.  

[J Farrell / Speed Tech Motorsp]

So I'm gonna ASSume that this won't be a overall points paying class seeing as it's only for 600 riders on Pirrelli's??  WoW! Experts only.....that's like two people in the midwest region! A race that length will DESTROY a set of tires almost everywhere so with qualifying you need two sets!  I'LL PASS

Anybody recall the Team Challenge race I did at Blackhawk? Just so you know I run on Pirelli tires. I won that race overall starting from the back row racing by myself with no quick fuel can. Just my buds and a crappy fuel jug.
Oh yeah back to the tire issue... They looked brand new when I got off the track! I even used them later for another race. Then when I did a whole track day at Blackhawk on them and still pulled respectable low 11's with the rubber almost gone off the carcass. Yeah it was spinning up a bit and I was sliding. But lets see.....I must have put on like ? 250-300 miles on those tires at a mostly blistering pace.

So in my honest opinion the tires last if your bike is setup properly and well.... you know how to ride? No pun intended.