BRIDGESTONE V02V SLICK
After deliberating, cogitating and digesting the lap times of the R10-kitted bikes, the top three went on to being treated to a set of V02 slicks as a means of finalising the order, allowing us to exploit the bikes’ true potential. The V02 is Bridgestone’s full-fat racing tyre, developed after years of MotoGP experience and used in World Endurance racing – the only open tyre class in motorcycling. The V02 is also now being recognised as the best all-round slick by real-world punters in the club racing scene.
The Suzuki, Aprilia and Yamaha were stripped of their shredded R10s, before Mick Doohan, sorry, Paul Traylen – Jersey’s finest racer – kindly replaced themwith super-sticky V02s with his own bare hands. After an hour in the warmers, playtime commenced. It was like riding completely different bikes. Grip everywhere: the ability to load the front with staunch commitment, unwavering stability mid-corner, and throttles were opened sooner and harder. We usually expect around a second trimmed from lap times over the R10s, and 2017 was no different. But we weren’t reaching the limit of the tyres – we were now cha allenging the stock limitations of the bikes. The e extra grip made the suspension work har rder, which triggered our decision to twiddle thee GSX-R1000R’s shock and change to Suz zuki’s recommended track settings. Me eanwhile, the RSV4 RF’s dustbin exhaust was kiss sing the tarmac at 120mph, which wasn’t ide al. You can however expect another second of yyour lap time in race-trim.
www.wbridgestone.co.uk for more info