Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II Tire Review From Laguna Seca

Being the spec World Superbike racing tire for the last 15 years has its advantages. Case in point, Pirelli’s Diablo Rosso Corsa II tire. Introduced this year, the Corsa II is the successor to the Italian rubber company’s popular Rosso Corsa—OE fitment on bikes including the Ducati 959 Panigale.

To showcase how these new Italian shoes perform, Pirelli hosted a trackday following this past weekend’s World Superbike races at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. And we were one of the lucky ones to get an invite. We rode the DRC IIs on a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R and ZX-10R with favorable results on a foggy-turned-nice summer day.

As always, evolution is the name of the game for Pirelli and its Diablo shoes. It sports a taller and more pointy profile that boosts a motorcycle’s ability to change directions quickly. It’s not drastically different from the previous version, yet the updated is readily apparent on both 600cc and 1,000cc class Ninjas.

Simply look where you want to go and the bike complies naturally, without fuss. Yet even with its honed maneuverability, the tires still retain a pleasing level of stability, even on a powerful liter-class bike like the 175-hp ZX-10R.

Since it’s a street tire, the sidewall has a bit of flex as compared to a more track-specific option like the Diablo Supercorsa SP. But to be fair, we ran the tires at a lower pressure than we’d typically run on the street (31/26 psi front/rear, as measured cold, before riding). This helps mask some of the bumps around Laguna’s 2.23-mile surface. Yet the tire isn’t so squishy to make it feel odd at an elevated track pace. Considering their favorable flex characteristics we look forward to logging street miles on beat-up SoCal pavement.

Compound-wise, these road tires now benefit from a unique strategy that gives riders the best of both worlds, over a variety of surfaces and weather conditions. For the first time, the front hoop employs dual-compound zones with a softer edge rubber sandwiched between a more durable and longer-lasting material. The rear, on the other hand, uses three compounds spread among five sections of the tire.

Multi-compound zones are nothing new; what really sets it apart from the competition are the chemical blend of the compound zones with silica-rich center (think sand—used to create extra friction on cold, wet surfaces) and full carbon black (think race tires) on the shoulders. Furthermore the edges are devoid of tread grooves and afford a full contact patch at lean. Nifty-looking logos are stamped on the shoulders and serve as bragging rights as they wear down during fast rides with deep lean angles. Lastly, the tread grooves have been reconfigured for better performance in the dry and wet. Again, we’ll have to save comments on the latter, until well, we ride them in the wet…

What we can tell you is the tires grip hard and fast. No need for tire warmers with these black donuts. We’re especially impressed with the sheer amount of traction the tires offered against the sheer might of a literbike during full-throttle acceleration. Faster riders will notice some squirm when accelerating off a turn at lean, but it’s controlled and not excessive. Road feel is toward the high end of the spectrum, and you can push these tires almost as hard as you can with Pirelli’s fabulous and class-leading Diablo Supercorsa SP trackday rubber. Not bad.

After a brisk couple of sessions around Laguna Seca on Pirelli’s latest and greatest sport tire option we have nothing but praise for the Italian brand’s rubber. Sharper than before with added grip, these tires retain a pleasing degree of “Pirelli flex.” Of course track riding is only half of the story and we plan to have a follow-up evaluation upon logging a few hundred road miles.