A new season following a record début

The 2024 was an important year for the MotoGP™ spectacle itself and this was also the case for Pirelli, as this was in fact the first time that the company has appeared at the championship as sole supplier for the Moto3™ and Moto2™classes. The 2024 Championship ended with the Solidarity Grand Prix of Barcelona, with victories in the Moto2™ class for Aron Canet, riding the Kalex from Fantic Racing, and in the Moto3™ class for David Alonso, on the CFMOTO representing the Gaviota Aspar Team.

For Pirelli tyres this has been a season crowned by a long list of records, in the true sense of the word: out of a total of 40 Grand Prix competitions raced, 20 for the Moto2™ class and the same number for the Moto3™, thanks to the performance of the tyres and the ability of the riders, 37 absolute circuit records were achieved as well as 32 fastest competition laps. Furthermore, a general improvement in competition speeds was noted in 34 out of 40 of the season's Grand Prix races.

If you look at the recapitulative table for each GP showing the best overall time, the best time for a competitive lap and the total time for each GP race, you can see in increased performance for the major part of the Championship. Taking into account the fact that some of the results were skewed, at least in part, by the rain (rain fell even during the Qatar Grand Prix), which compromised the ability to fine-tune the machines and influenced the degree of grip on the track surface, this can be considered an excellent result.

It is indeed a superb result, which fully satisfies expectations but hardly comes as a surprise: Pirelli has been sole supplier for the Superbike series since 2004 and during the course of the past 20 years or so has built up a vast amount of competition-related experience. Right from the preliminary tests in 2023 and from the first official trials in Valencia in November 2024, the Moto2™ and Moto3™ riders had started to set record lap times using the DIABLO™ Superbike tyres for the first time.

An excellent outcome, because at the beginning of a season the unknowns linked to new bikes are numerous, so the new equipment and fittings might not necessarily have worked ideally together immediately; furthermore, both the teams and the riders had for many years been accustomed to using different tyres, and the bike settings, including the frames themselves, had been optimised for the tyres from the previous supplier. Pirelli had the advantage of being in a position to offer tyres which had already been well-proven and adjusted for the biggest Superbike competitions, and consequently the results were there immediately.

With the season ended, the outcome of this first year in its capacity as exclusive supplier for the Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes is thus more than positive: not simply because of the excellent performances achieved but also because Pirelli's working methods have been greatly appreciated by both the teams and the riders.

As well as the fast times, other factors have also contributed positively to the spectacle; the races in fact have always been well-fought, adding further interest in the display, once again confirming the quality and versatility of these tyres.

It is not enough, though, simply to have achieved these results; now there is a further challenge: for 2025 the aim is to improve these performances. This will not be easy, given that the results have confirmed that they were built on excellent foundations, but the significant commitment in the competitions due to the arrival of the two new  Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes, in addition to the Superbikes, will generate a lot more information for Pirelli's technicians. As a result, some interesting innovations will be introduced, which will further stimulate both the teams and the riders and ensure that the level of competitiveness and the spectacular nature of the Championships are maintained.

The riders are being supplied with slick tyres from the DIABLO Superbike range and DIABLO Rain range for wet weather, as used successfully for many years in all the classes of the FIM Superbike World Championship and in a large number of national championships too. The same products are available to both professional and amateur riders, and can be used in competitions or simply for pleasure. The current range for “racing within easy reach” is therefore increasingly comprehensive, thanks to the continuous engagement in competitions which has always been in the very DNA of Pirelli.

The link between competitions and production series models is important, not least for the dimensions available. Let us see what these are.

The Moto2™ bikes are fitted at the front with 125/70 tyres using SC1 and SC2 compounds, and at the rear with 200/65 tyres using SC0 and SC1 compounds. The DIABLO Rain solution, using a single wet-weather compound, will be available with dimensions of 120/70 at the front and 200/60 at the rear. The Moto3™ bikes are fitted with 100/70 tyres at the front and 120/70 at the rear, available with SC1 and SC2 compounds. The DIABLO Rain wet-weather tyre has a rear dimension of 125/70. The wheel rims are all 17”.

This year there is a novelty for the MotoGP™, Moto2™ and Moto3™ World Championship: the first leg will not be held in Qatar as has been the tradition, but in Thailand, at the Buriram International Circuit. There are 22 programmed Grand Prix, distributed over 18 different countries; they will be racing again in Brno, in the Czech Republic and, as a final novelty, Hungary will be joining the Circus, with its new racetrack at Balaton Park.

Europe remains at the heart of the Championship, with a good 14 legs (including England), but the competitions will also take place in Thailand, Argentina, USA, Qatar, Japan, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia, reinforcing the international spirit of the MotoGP™ World Championship . It will be concluded, as is traditional, at Valencia, in Spain.