Daytona Dunlop Tire Test

[DUNLOP-RTS]

I am traveling back from Daytona where we had the Dunlop tire test.

 

As many of you know Daytona was repaved this year. Last week the first cars were allowed to drive on the new racing surface.

 

This weekend, for the first time, Superbikes were allowed to ride on the track.

 

The new surface on the banking, tri-oval and straightaways is BILLIARD SMOOTH. You cannot feel the seams in the pavement when you touch it with you hand. I am serious, We stopped on the back straight and knelt down on the pavement and felt it. If you were blind-folded, you could not feel the seam, ITS THAT SMOOTH.

 

The track has lots of grip now. LOTS

 

Riders can hold on the throttle from NASCAR turn #4 to the start finish without tire spin.

 

This is going to make for even better racing.

 

Check you calenders and get your tickets for the March Daytona 200, its going to be a good race.

[Cobie Fair]

Wow, sounds like they did an impressive job, and also really let the track cure for a while.

 

CF

[pete]

So what your saying is the grip is better than Mid-Ohio in the wet?

[DUNLOP-RTS]

So what your saying is the grip is better than Mid-Ohio in the wet?

 

LOL

 

Everything grips better than Mid Ohio in the wet.

[pete]

So what your saying is the grip is better than Mid-Ohio in the wet?

 

LOL

 

Everything grips better than Mid Ohio in the wet.

 

Actually, we were on the Classic Course at LVMS back in November, and it rained a bit - probably for the first time in a while. It was by far the slickest I've ever ridden in the wet. Thanks to the BMW I was able to come back in to the pit to tell course control what I thought of the traction.

[Cobie Fair]

One point on wet riding (there are a few, maybe we ought to do a whole thread on that), is find the traction limit with the rear tire. not the front. Seems like a pretty basic idea, but we do see it violated pretty often.

[Hotfoot]

One point on wet riding (there are a few, maybe we ought to do a whole thread on that), is find the traction limit with the rear tire. not the front. Seems like a pretty basic idea, but we do see it violated pretty often.

 

So... you mean, panic and grab the front brake is not the best traction test? Darn, that's going to be hard to remember in the rain.

[Cobie Fair]

One point on wet riding (there are a few, maybe we ought to do a whole thread on that), is find the traction limit with the rear tire. not the front. Seems like a pretty basic idea, but we do see it violated pretty often.

 

So... you mean, panic and grab the front brake is not the best traction test? Darn, that's going to be hard to remember in the rain.

 

That, but I was also just thinking of the riders that just keep upping entry pace, or continue to add lean angle (and they don't do those 2 in small pieces either!).

 

CF

[mcromo]

One point on wet riding (there are a few, maybe we ought to do a whole thread on that), is find the traction limit with the rear tire. not the front. Seems like a pretty basic idea, but we do see it violated pretty often.

 

Do you mean the rear sides as compared to the centre contact patch ?

[Cobie Fair]

One point on wet riding (there are a few, maybe we ought to do a whole thread on that), is find the traction limit with the rear tire. not the front. Seems like a pretty basic idea, but we do see it violated pretty often.

 

Do you mean the rear sides as compared to the centre contact patch ?

 

Just referring to riding technique mostly. Often with wet days we see more crashes. As I mentioned, there are a few pieces to this: One is simply, differeent turns can have different levels of traction, even different parts of the same turn can be more polished. Another piece of this is upping the entry speed, and making too large a jump. 2-3 mph is a large jump. Up the pace 1 mph, or the smallest degree that you can sense. Then bring on a little more power (again, small percentages).

 

This will give you lots of warning before you get an unrecoverable slide, you'll get small ones first.

 

Make sense?

 

CF