Just because they’re no longer at the helm in MotoGP, it doesn’t mean that Bridgestone’s latest range of road and race tyres don’t continue to benefit from their many years in the championship.
One such tyre which has MotoGP heritage at it’s very core is the Battlax V01 Racing Slick, specifically in terms of it’s profile, construction and compound.
Fitted to the amazing Kawasaki Ninja H2R as standard, the V01 Slicks have recently been put through their paces by both Michael Rutter and John McAvoy for Performance Bikes magazine on both this bike and the Ducati Panigale 1299S, and in their April 2016 issue John had this to say:
“These Bridgestone V01 slicks spent a day bashing around Almeria circuit and have stood up well to the abuse that both Rutter and myself gave them. There is easily another day on track left in them, which is a good thing, not least because using them is a bit like cheating.
At first, they were almost an anti-climax, reacting much like a regular track day tyre. I would have liked a bit more grip and feel at maximum lean just at the initial tap of throttle. It felt to me as though the rear was a little too quick to let go at this point, but then I would be reminded that everything is relative, and while I was frowning, I would also be out dragging other trackday riders on treaded tyres like they were stood still.
The front tyre feels like it could go on gripping until the earth stopped rotating on its axis. In a decade of testing bikes and tyres for PB, I’ve never braked as late or as hard right up to the apex as I did on these. Impressive!
Overall, the bike’s stability was on the money too. The nature of the Panigale’s power delivery and riding position is such that they can get a bit lively when you start giving them a bit of stick. The bike felt just as light on its wheels, and steered as accurate as it usually does, but with some added stability.
Once I’d got over the initial feeling of not having enough grip at the rear, and realised that in fact I was functioning at a much higher grip level than everyone else around me, I went from feeling a bit underwhelmed to being seriously impressed, especially with the front tyre.”
Although still available in the UK, the Battlax V01 Racing Slick has since been replaced at the top of the Bridgestone race range by the upgraded Battlax V02 Racing Slick, which adopts Bridgestone’s GP Belt Technology and a number of other tweeks to give riders even better performance in a wider range of sizes and compound options.
Pick up the latest issue of Performance Bikes for the full Michael Rutter test special!
You can view the full Bridgestone race tyre range here.
