BSB to remain on 16.5 inch Pirellis

The British Superbike Championship will continue using the current 16.5" Pirelli tyre size next season, before joining WSBK on the new 17-inch rubber in 2014.

"Next year BSB riders will have at their disposal the latest tyres which have been developed by Pirelli during the 2012 WSBK season and we will be able to provide them with a customised range of tyres particularly suitable for the British tracks and temperatures," stated Pirelli motorcycle racing director Giorgio Barbier.

"The British Series will switch to 17inch the following season, meaning they will have a lot of different possibilities to buy material, like rims, from WSBK teams. Again they will have new solutions already tested in WSBK during the 2013 season.

"Moreover even if the transition to 17 inch tyres is a turning point, that doesn't mean we want to stop producing 16.5 inch tyres as we will go on supporting our customers around the world for track days but also for Endurance competitions, so for us BSB remains a very important background to develop our solutions at the highest level".

British Superbike director Stuart Higgs explained why the delay is the right thing for BSB.

"Pirelli are a major, valued partner of the British Superbike series and we work with them to ensure that our series has the right balance of competitiveness and cost," he said.

"With regard to the forthcoming 17 inch tyres we all agree that giving a 12 month window will allow the tyres to be fully developed in WSBK whilst our teams can phase in the new wheels and tyres for testing at the end of 2013."

The 2012 British Superbike Championship completes its twelve round series at Brands Hatch on 12-14th October. Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki) currently leads Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) by nine points.