The use of control tyres in motorsport is nothing new. Neither is it peculiar to motorcycle racing. Pirelli are the sole tyre supplier in F1 as well as the World Rally Championship. And in bike racing, British and World Superbikes have used Pirelli (or Metzler; same thing) tyres for as long as most of us can remember. And it?s not just Superbikes; all the MotoGP teams have to use Michelin tyres and they?ll continue to until at least 2023. But are control tyres in motorsport really a good thing" There are two schools of thought?

Nips

First of all, let?s nip one thing in the bud. All you cynics out there that think these control tyre deals are just another way for Dorna, IRTA, the FIM and MSVR to line their pockets, you should be ashamed of yourselves. These are organisations run by people that are passionate about motorsport, they?re not making these decisions just to get rich (although that is an added bonus). No, despite the multimillion pound tyre contracts that get signed year in, year out, it?s not about money.
So what is it about" Well the powers that be will tell you it?s about making motorsports a level playing field. If everyone?s on the same tyres, nobody?s at an advantage or a disadvantage. And that makes sense. In fact it?s difficult to disagree with that on the face of it. Particularly in high level motorsport where some teams might enjoy preferential treatment from the tyre manufacturer; they might get special development tyres that aren?...