Pirelli partner with Fabien Barel on new Scorpion MTB tyres

Pirelli has announced the technical partnership with the three-time Downhill World Champion Fabien Barel for the development of a new line of Scorpion MTB tyres.

The three-time world champion (as well as a bronze and a silver medal) and seven-time national DH champion, left racing in 2015 and now works on several projects, as a technician and consultant in the world of Gravity, as well as trying his hand at e-enduro races. His experience in gravity disciplines, combined with his riding sensibility and technical expertise of the MTB field, make him the ideal partner for Pirelli, for the development and continuous improvement of its products.

The new Scorpion tyres dedicated to the Gravity Racing world are already at prototype level and have already been tested by Barel himself. Today they can 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 Fabien, to the test as early as 2021.

Barel said: “Pirelli’s involvement in the world of MTB Gravity racing is a great opportunity for everyone. Pirelli is a global leader in tyre production as well as having an 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.”