Even though it was the end of September it was my first time on track with my trusty ABS Fireblade. Quite how this shocking situation has arisen, I’m not sure.
It was also a first opportunity to try out my recently fitted Dunlop Sportmax tyres. They’ve been mega on the road – stable, and really well matched to the suspension settings with plenty of grip but I was keen to see how they’d shape up on track. I was also pretty keen to get rid of the road-only chicken strips...
The Snetterton 300 is a new layout to me. I went along to BSB as a spectator but that only gave me some idea of what the changes were like.
The new bits are pretty technical, very flat, camber-less and incredibly smooth and grippy. The long, curving approach to the braking area for the final corner is horrible and for me, ruins the whole circuit because it feels like it’s been designed by someone who only drives cars, not bikes.
I spent the morning learning the lines and cocking about with tyre pressures. I’d spoken to Dunlop’s technical boffins about pressures and they’d told me I could go as low as 17psi (cold) in the rear, depending on ambient and track temp. Now, I don’t know about you, but 17psi constitutes a flat tyre in my book. That’s the sort of pressure Dougie Lampkin might run. Apparently it’s something to do with the very clever Ntec carcass construction. The kind man from Dunlop did try to explain but I found myself drifting off to sleep.
From Dunlop:
Racers are always happy with the best. And that’s the competition D211 GP, a race tyre that has won consistently at every level of world motorsport - club, national and international – since its launch. Now, the secrets of this all-conquering tyre’s extraordinary success are being made available to the committed road rider.
The new road-going Sportmax GP Racer D211 tyre’s Multi-Tread compound delivers superb grip, precise feedback and slow wear rates for longer life, and the revolutionary NTEC system provides pressure tuning options that will satisfy the most hard-core track day fanatic as well as the pure sports rider, without compromising mileage.
Key benefits
* NTEC system allows riders to lower tyre pressures for ultimate grip in track day conditions
* Multi-Tread (MT) compound guarantees rapid warm-up, high stability under braking and totally focused feedback over a high mileage in all conditions
* Belt-to-carcass angles are engineered to stabilise sidewalls for smooth, responsive transitions between maximum lean angles
* Nylon breaker belts and continuously-wound aramid-fiber tread belt eliminate circumferential growth for cooler running and predictable performance under heavy use
| Racers are always happy with the best. And that’s the competition D211 GP, a race tyre that has won consistently at every level of world motorsport - club, national and international – since its launch. Now, the secrets of this all-conquering tyre’s extraordinary success are being made available to the committed road rider. The new road-going Sportmax GP Racer D211 tyre’s Multi-Tread compound delivers superb grip, precise feedback and slow wear rates for longer life, and the revolutionary NTEC system provides pressure tuning options that will satisfy the most hard-core track day fanatic as well as the pure sports rider, without compromising mileage. | Enlarge picture |
Key benefits
- NTEC system allows riders to lower tyre pressures for ultimate grip in track day conditions
- Multi-Tread (MT) compound guarantees rapid warm-up, high stability under braking and totally focused feedback over a high mileage in all conditions
- Belt-to-carcass angles are engineered to stabilise sidewalls for smooth, responsive transitions between maximum lean angles
- Nylon breaker belts and continuously-wound aramid-fiber tread belt eliminate circumferential growth for cooler running and predictable performance under heavy use
Even though it was the end of September it was my first time on track with my trusty ABS Fireblade. Quite how this shocking situation has arisen, I’m not sure.
It was also a first opportunity to try out my recently fitted Dunlop Sportmax tyres. They’ve been mega on the road – stable, and really well matched to the suspension settings with plenty of grip but I was keen to see how they’d shape up on track. I was also pretty keen to get rid of the road-only chicken strips...
The Snetterton 300 is a new layout to me. I went along to BSB as a spectator but that only gave me some idea of what the changes were like.
The new bits are pretty technical, very flat, camber-less and incredibly smooth and grippy. The long, curving approach to the braking area for the final corner is horrible and for me, ruins the whole circuit because it feels like it’s been designed by someone who only drives cars, not bikes.
I spent the morning learning the lines and cocking about with tyre pressures. I’d spoken to Dunlop’s technical boffins about pressures and they’d told me I could go as low as 17psi (cold) in the rear, depending on ambient and track temp. Now, I don’t know about you, but 17psi constitutes a flat tyre in my book. That’s the sort of pressure Dougie Lampkin might run. Apparently it’s something to do with the very clever Ntec carcass construction. The kind man from Dunlop did try to explain but I found myself drifting off to sleep.
From Dunlop:
Racers are always happy with the best. And that’s the competition D211 GP, a race tyre that has won consistently at every level of world motorsport - club, national and international – since its launch. Now, the secrets of this all-conquering tyre’s extraordinary success are being made available to the committed road rider.
The new road-going Sportmax GP Racer D211 tyre’s Multi-Tread compound delivers superb grip, precise feedback and slow wear rates for longer life, and the revolutionary NTEC system provides pressure tuning options that will satisfy the most hard-core track day fanatic as well as the pure sports rider, without compromising mileage.
Key benefits
* NTEC system allows riders to lower tyre pressures for ultimate grip in track day conditions
* Multi-Tread (MT) compound guarantees rapid warm-up, high stability under braking and totally focused feedback over a high mileage in all conditions
* Belt-to-carcass angles are engineered to stabilise sidewalls for smooth, responsive transitions between maximum lean angles
* Nylon breaker belts and continuously-wound aramid-fiber tread belt eliminate circumferential growth for cooler running and predictable performance under heavy use
| Racers are always happy with the best. And that’s the competition D211 GP, a race tyre that has won consistently at every level of world motorsport - club, national and international – since its launch. Now, the secrets of this all-conquering tyre’s extraordinary success are being made available to the committed road rider. The new road-going Sportmax GP Racer D211 tyre’s Multi-Tread compound delivers superb grip, precise feedback and slow wear rates for longer life, and the revolutionary NTEC system provides pressure tuning options that will satisfy the most hard-core track day fanatic as well as the pure sports rider, without compromising mileage. | Enlarge picture |
Key benefits
- NTEC system allows riders to lower tyre pressures for ultimate grip in track day conditions
- Multi-Tread (MT) compound guarantees rapid warm-up, high stability under braking and totally focused feedback over a high mileage in all conditions
- Belt-to-carcass angles are engineered to stabilise sidewalls for smooth, responsive transitions between maximum lean angles
- Nylon breaker belts and continuously-wound aramid-fiber tread belt eliminate circumferential growth for cooler running and predictable performance under heavy use
