The Metzeler Racetec RR is the latest treaded track day tyre from the German road race brand, and recently journalists from the UK were invited to go and test it out in Almeria.
With a Spanish track at their disposal for the day, and a large fleet of the latest BMW S1000 RR on standby, things were looking good for the launch. That is, until the clouds appeared….
The new Racetec RR uses a tried and tested “Cap & Base” construction, with a harder central compound, and softer shoulders. It has been developed in the world of road racing, an area in which Metzeler has a rich heritage. The use of a stiff ply material, combined with a zero degree belt have allowed them to user a new, softer compound which offers more grip, without compromising on the tyre’s durability.
The K1 compound is designed for hot temperatures and abrasive surfaces, the K2 for colder conditions, and the K3 for pure road use. Unlike it’s predecessor, the original Racetec, all three compound version of the tyre are now road legal.
Now that’s all fine, and the new Metzeler has already demonstrated it’s potential with Gary Johnson using the tyre to claim to 2014 Supersport TT victory before it’s commercial launch. However, it’s not designed for use in the wet….
With the rain continuing to fall throughout the day, the stacks of new Racetec RR tyres remained untouched. Luckily, they had brought plenty of the Sportec M7 RR, their latest sport tyre released in 2014, which riders praised following the day at Almeria for it’s super fast warm-up times, and fantastic wet weather grip, which allowed ex-GP racer Jurgen Fuchs to get his knee down on practically every corner, a huge stream of spray kicking up from his rear wheel as he went.
The new Racetec RR will be available in the following sizes in three compounds:
Front:
- 120/70 ZR 17 M/C (58W) TL K1
- 120/70 ZR 17 M/C (58W) TL K2
- 120/70 ZR 17 M/C (58W) TL K3
Rear:
- 160/60 ZR 17 M/C (69W) TL K2
- 160/60 ZR 17 M/C (69W) TL K3
- 180/55 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL K2
- 180/55 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL K3
- 180/60 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL K1
- 180/60 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL K2
- 190/50 ZR 17 M/C (73W) TL K3
- 190/55 ZR 17 M/C (75W) TL K3
- 200/55 ZR 17 M/C (78W) TL K1
- 200/55 ZR 17 M/C (78W) TL K2
As always, you can find all the latest rubber at Cambrian Tyres! We’ll have all the latest opinions on the latest rubber, as soon as it gets tested!
