Metzeler Racetec RR and RR COMPK SLIK: the new tires for competitions and amateur use on the track [PHOTO]

Metzeler Racetec RR and RR COMPK SLIK – Metzeler presents two new slick products, the Racetec RR SLICK, for competitions, and the Racetec RR COMPK SLICK, for training and amateur use on the track. Unlike a carved product like the Racetec RR, presented in 2015, both new products, being slick, are NHS (Not for Highway Service), meaning they are not approved for road use, but are intended only for use on the track or in competitions Road Racing where required by regulation.

The key characteristics of the Racetec RR SLICK are the grip, the handling and the driving precision, when pushing to the maximum as in the typical situations of high level competitive activity, the versatility of use understood as high adaptability to different asphalts, temperatures and motorcycles, ease of use, durability and consistency of performance. RR SLICK tires are dedicated to all those riders involved in competitive activity on the track or in road racing, where the rules in the Superbike category allow the use of an NHS tyre, and who require top performance. Precisely thanks to the characteristics in terms of performance and homogeneity, consistency and duration of the same, Racetec RR SLICK tires can be used by professional or semi-professional drivers both for races and possibly during training. instead, the RR COMPK SLICKs have been specifically designed for all those users who, despite not being professional pilots, they love going to the track for track days or they are simply amateur or beginner riders who want to train by grinding out kilometers to best set up their bike but without necessarily seeking absolute performance.

The Racetec RR SLICK was developed with the aim of providing the best performance for both track and road racing use. For this reason, development was carried out mainly on circuits, with calibration and testing carried out both on the circuit and during road races with riders of the caliber of Guy Martin, Ian Hutchinson and Gary Johnson. The RR SLICK rear tires have undergone a major update in terms of size compared to their predecessors, the SLICK, going from size 180/55 to 180/60 and from 190/55 to 200/60 respectively. The choice to use a height ratio of 60 is motivated by the objective of offering maximum grip for the entire radius of curvature, thanks to the enlarged contact surface created by the larger diameter, and also to the enlarged section in the case of the 200 rear tire The front tires have also been redesigned from scratch to ensure balanced behavior in combination with the new rear sizes and to obtain greater grip, the front sizes have a new profile, with a larger external central diameter. THEThe new profile is now sharper, improving agility and creating a wider contact patch, which means more rubber on the ground to increase grip.

In order to allow pilots to easily exploit the performance offered, Racetec RR SLICK tires have been developed to achieve high adaptability to a wide range of motorcycles, without the need to search for the perfect set-up. The development of the compounds was carried out always keeping in mind the versatility and adaptability on asphalts with different friction coefficients was obtained with the use of specific resins that maintain their mechanical resistance (i.e. the ability to maintain their physical properties) even at a higher temperature value of the compounds (overheating of the tyre).