Michelin sponsored privateer and Manx Grand Prix veteran Richard Charlton has recently returned from the Isle of Man, following two weeks of somewhat mixed conditions on the island.
After a poor first week in terms of weather, many riders were a little short on practice time, including Richard and his Yamaha YZF-R6, which runs on Michelin Power Cup Evo tyres.
At the start of the second week, Richard managed to get in a first full practice session, hitting a lap speed of 111mph and commenting:
“My tyres performed perfectly, they were very stable on the road and I think the stability on them has even improved on the Power Cup tyres I used previously.”
Disappointed with his first time, Richard went out on the Tuesday and pushed himself up to 113.4mph, aiming to break the 115mph barrier on Wednesday’s race day. However, the weather had other ideas and the start was delayed by several hours, with organisers hoping for a gap in the cloud.
The race finally got the go ahead for 2pm the same day, but conditions were still less than ideal – with standing water and strong winds at various points around the famous 33.73mph mountain course. A seasoned rider at the Manx, Richard knew where he could and could not take risks, and a cautious performance saw him put in a 112mph average for a 28th placed finish.
Conditions on Friday were much better, and Richard was in action in both the Supertwin and Senior races. The Supertwin race ran over the course of four laps, and set his fastest time of 2015 with a 116.4mph lap to finish in 13th place, thanks in part to an excellent job by his pit crew who we running like clockwork.
After pushing hard in the Supertwins, Richard was beginning to suffer from arm pump, but got on his bike for one last outing in the Blue Riband Senior race. Aiming to crack the 115mph barrier, he fell just short reaching 114.7mph to finish in 20th place.
Following the final senior race, Richard said:
“I’d like to say a huge thank you to Michelin. Their help and support has been amazing, and the tyres I raced on this year gave me unparalleled confidence on the circuit – I’d recommend them to anyone.”
Find out more about the new Michelin Power Cup Evo here.
