The opening round of the FIM Moto2 and Moto3 World Championships, the Thai Grand Prix, will take place on February 28-March 1 at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, with Pirelli beginning its third year as exclusive single-tire supplier for both categories. Although the compound specifications are the same as those used in the previous two editions of this Grand Prix, the Moto2 class will feature new rear tires this year.
For 2026, Moto2 riders will have the same soft SC1 and medium SC2 for the front, but the soft SC0 and medium SC1 on the rear will be different from those used over the past two years. The former E0125 development specification is now the 2026 SC0, which uses the same compound but a revised carcass compared to the previous standard soft.
The 2026 SCO will be familiar to riders, having been used in 11 Grands Prix in 2025 – including Silverstone, Aragón, Assen, Brno, Balaton, Barcelona, Mandalika and Portimão – where it was nearly universally chosen.
The new medium SC1 was previously the D0286 development specification and has now been promoted to a standard range option. For 2026, regulations mandate a minimum rear tire pressure of 1.65 bar (24psi).
While Moto2 will see these changes at the rear, Moto3 continues with familiar compounds, providing teams and riders with continuity and predictability. Moto3 will have two front and as many rear slick solutions, both soft SC1 and medium SC2. The rear will have to comply with a minimum pressure of 1.50 bar (22psi).
“Pirelli begins its third season as exclusive tire supplier for the Moto2 and Moto3 World Championships, on the one hand focusing on an already strong and consolidated tire range and on the other hand confirming its strategy of continuous product development,” said Giorgio Barbier, motorcycle racing director at Pirelli.
“The goal remains the same as always: to further optimize performance on the track through solutions capable of guaranteeing more and more consistency, predictability and versatility. This is exactly the work we carried out last year with the Moto2 rear tires in E0125 and D0286 specification, which were upgraded from development tires this year to the new standard soft SC0 and medium SC1 tires, respectively.
“A distinctive element of Pirelli’s involvement in these championships is the direct transfer of the technologies used in the race to the tires destined for the market: the Diablo Superbike solutions used for racing are in fact identical to those marketed, thus making the link between racing activities and road products direct.
“As far as the allocation for this Grand Prix is concerned, the standard configuration adopted in the last two seasons is confirmed: the soft SC0 rear solutions for Moto2 and SC1 for Moto3, mainly in combination with the soft SC1 front for both classes, will probably represent the reference choice for this year’s races as well because the Buriram circuit lends itself well to the use of soft solutions capable of offering greater levels of grip with the usually high asphalt temperatures that are found at this time of year in Thailand.”
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