Pirelli conquers Daytona: the secrets to the 200 Mile win

The 2022 edition of the Daytona 200 is done and dusted, with a second consecutive win for Brandon Paasch who was able to just beat Cameron Petersen and Sheridan Morais to the line aboard TOBC Racing’s Triumph 765. The top three, who finished within 0.057 of a second of each other, were all equipped with Pirelli tyres, the Italian manufacturer thereby monopolising the podium at the prestigious race in Florida.

A result that is even more extraordinary when you read the full results, seeing as six of the first eight across the line were in fact Pirelli riders, with the Italian manufacturer’s tyres equipping more than half the grid, despite Dunlop having been the single supplier for all other MotoAmerica rounds for years already.

Giorgio Barbier: “Daytona is unique and really demanding on the tyres”

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Pirelli sporting director, Giorgio Barbier, gives us some background on this triumph, highlighting the peculiarity of the American track: “We’ve been able to enter a world, that of MotoAmerica, that has been focused on single supplier Dunlop for a long time. Up until 2021, Daytona was organised by a different body to the national series, but now that it’s part of the calendar, we had many riders on Pirelli tyres. A demonstration that the presence of more than one manufacturer stimulates the competition and makes it more exciting”.

“Daytona is a one-of-a-kind track and is very demanding on the tyres”, continues Barbier. “In the banked section, there is enormous stress on the rear, but through the internal section, there’s little grip, so it’s like having two different tracks. As for the front, there were various options that could be competitive, as proved by the fact that the three guys on the podium had three different compounds.  The rear tyre, on the other hand, is a dual compound with a harder SC2 carcass on the side subject to more stress through the raised turns and an SC0 on the other side. Years ago, they used a dual compound tyre in the world championship at Monza too”.

“Paasch exploited the Pirellis perfectly”

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With his win, Paasch showcased the value of the Pirelli project in two ways: “In winning, Brandon did not just highlight the competitiveness of our tyres, but also and particularly their lifespan at high level, seeing as he used the same tyres for 33 laps of the race. He already knew the Pirellis well and Triumph too, as he raced in British Superbike last year, and he was able to exploit them perfectly. As for the future, BSB could be important ground for our development and testing, as could a British King of the Baggers series”.

Translated by Heather Watson

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