Now, if you were going to enter a 5-hour endurance race, a road legal hypersport tyre probably wouldn’t be at the top of your list when thinking about rubber – but you’re not Per Gustavsson!
Per runs Hörberg Brothers Motorcycles in his native Sweden, and age has done little to slow him down around a race circuit over the years.
After purchasing a 2008 Honda Fireblade, Per contacted Bridgestone to ask them if they would be interested in helping him to do something a little bit out of the ordinary – and they said yes!
The bike was painted, stickered-up and fitted with a set of the latest MotoGP derived Battlax S21 tyres – the manufacturers latest sporty road tyre, which is still more than capable of some track day action as the official launch at Yas Marina proved earlier this year.
With the preparation work done, Per and his teammate were ready for the 5-Hour endurance race at their local Ring Knutstorp circuit – a 2.079 kilometre track located in Kågeröd to the south of the country. Built in 1963 the circuit was extended in 1970, and hosted several Formula Three races later that decade. It continues to host Swedish Touring Car Championship events to this day.
Lining up on the grid against various teams all running on full slick tyres, Per was lapping around 4 seconds off his all-time track record, an impressive performance for a road tyre.
With the Battlax S21 offering consistent performance over the 5-hour race Per and his fellow rider pushed on to find themselves leading the race, despite thew other teams running on dedicated race tyres – and by the end of the 5 hours, astonishingly they had won!
After the race Per commented that he wasn’t able to push as hard at full lean as he would on his usual race rubber, but that the tyre was great for track day use.
Even better, because it’s road legal he could ride home after the race…..
You can find out more about the Battlax S21 here.
