Image: Keith Muir.

The open tyre policy of the Yamaha Motor Finance Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) presented by Motul Pirelli could see Daniel Falzon use a mixture of tyre combinations throughout the 2017 season.

The Caterpillar-backed JD Racing Yamaha privateer Falzon, 22, upstaged the factories on Friday to secure his first-career YMI Superbike pole position at Phillip Island.

It’s understood Falzon – recognised as a longtime Dunlop rider – opted to run Pirelli front and rear on his YZF-R1 and will lean that way for this morning’s opening 12-lap affair. However, he isn’t ruling out a return to Dunlop if they prove the more competitive option over race distance.

Not committed to a sole tyre manufacturer entering the season, Falzon’s family-operated team has tested both Pirelli and Dunlop tyres in the lead-up to round one and they’re not dismissing the option of running a mixture if a certain track lends itself to it.

“We figured this year, it’s all about us,” Falzon told CycleOnline.com.au. “We noticed last year that different tracks suited different tyres. If we’re going to go to a round and the Pirelli’s better and I am comfortable on that tyre, then I’m going to go with it. Vice-versa with the Dunlop.

“In testing at Phillip Island we tried both tyres and I was fast on the Dunlops, but I felt more comfortable on the Pirellis. We set some fast times on both, nevertheless, and they’re both great tyres. It’s a matter of what I feel more comfortable on and that’s what we’re going with this weekend.”

It’s a fascinating storyline that has been the talk of pit-lane this weekend as the ASBK season opens alongside the Yamaha Finance round of the Motul Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK), which utilises Pirelli control tyres.

“It’s one luxury we should be allowed to have as a privateer – there’s many things we don’t get to have with our smaller budget,” the former multiple Supersport champion added. “So yeah, that’s what we are going to be doing this season.

“There are official test days prior to most rounds this year, whether it’s with ASBK, Yamaha or on our own. We’ll make that decision before each round. Hopefully we’ll be sticking with the same tyre from the start of the weekend to the end, but we may well choose to swap or even mix tyres. That’s up to us.”