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Pirelli has announced a technical partnership with the three-time downhill world champion Fabien Barel for the development of a new line of Scorpion MTB tyres dedicated to the gravity racing world.
The new Scorpion tyres are at prototype level and have already been tested by Barel. They can now be found on the MTBs of some athletes and teams, who will be racing them in the EWS and World Cup DH circuits – this will put the R&D work carried out by Pirelli technicians together with Barel to the test as early as 2021.
“Pirelli’s involvement in the world of MTB Gravity racing is a great opportunity for everyone,” said Barel. “Pirelli is a global leader in tyre production as well as having enormous sporting palmares. And when it comes to racing, having competences from the best is great for everyone as it brings the sports and performance forward.
“I’m a great believer in Pirelli’s technical skills and their ability to interpret the needs of the mountain bike world in the best possible way. There’s already a solid line of Pirelli MTB tyres on the market, my job is to help complete it with models dedicated to racing, which will hopefully lead to the successes that the company has already achieved in many other sports. Take Formula 1, motocross or Superbike, for example. The clear objective of these new tyres is to reach the top of the podiums.”
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