I dont read other forums to be quite honest but it was brought to my attention that people have brought up Pirelli contingency. Funny thing is that it brought up by non pirelli racers sponsored by other brands. Not a big problem but what I di have a problem with is people spreading wrong information.
Just wanted to say a few things.
Pirelli will continue with contingency for 2011 in CSBK. Yes we have reduced a little but all classes except CBR125 are included. The program is for privateer Pro's and top three in the XR, AM Superbike and AM Sportbike. We are about the only control tire series that I know of including AMA that pays anything at all and for sure the only one that rewards privateer Pros no matter where they finish.
Also, please understand that one of the reasons why the contingency numbers are not higher is that we would have to raise prices for everybody to reward a few. Not a good plan. I beleive that all riders should have access to "A" product for the best price possible. Same thing goes for regional racing where tire choice is open. Pirelli dominates regional racing and has paid out a lot over the past years. We supply "A" product for very good prices. In fact out tires are about $100.00 less per set comapred to the next closest brand. We could offer better payout than our competitors if we raise the prices but most customers have asked for lower pricing.
Most regional racing grids have dropped dramatically and many races do not pay contingency due to a lack of riders so the brands get away with posting huge amounts as prices that they rarely payout. Pirelli has always paid out lots because we usually win. Our plan now is to try and keep the cost as low as possible.
We won every main four cylinder class last weekend at Shannonville using our new spec tires. I think the Pirelli racers were very happy with both the performance and the durability. Jodi Christie won both Pro 600 and Pro Superbike on the same set of DOTs. They look like he could win a couple more races on the same set!
Give the Pirelli's a try before you jump on a forum to spout off about how you could get rich if only you could win on brand X!
Working with Johnny Rea this weekend in Monza. Just qualified third in Superpole and have two very hard races tomorrow. Wish him luck and see you next weekend!