It may not be official, but Ben Young already smashed all expectations for the new Bridgestone national tires on Friday, approaching an unofficial lap record in a private test at the Grand Bend Motorplex, using the typical National 11-turn “Technical” layout.
After the official Bridgestone CSBK test was hampered by rain on Thursday, Young and fellow Pro national champion Trevor Dion stayed behind to get in limited extra laps in the dry conditions on Friday, working directly with the Bridgestone staff that stayed the night on Ontario’s west coast.
The extra time proved to be well worth it, as Young overcame less-than-ideal conditions to set a blazing time just less than a quarter-second off the official lap record that Dion established in to begin the 2022 season.
The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider and reigning Canada Cup champion was ecstatic with his first dry runnings aboard the Battlax V02 tires, as he blitzed his own personal best around the Grand Bend circuit despite windy conditions and low temperatures to begin the Canadian fall.
“Everyone is very happy. It’s still only 12°C and really windy, so not ideal conditions, and yet those times were still doable. There’s still quite a bit more pace left in the bike,” Young said. “The front tire especially was awesome, right from the start it was phenomenal. Everyone is happy with the data and really stoked about the times.”
Young managed to put in roughly 40 laps on the day, adjusting his setup in the process as he adapts to the just-announced Bridgestone era of CSBK, though his pace was already better than many expected as he prepares for a full Winter Test in the U.S. next spring.
As for Dion, the reigning Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike champion took a bit more time to get going aboard his LDS Consultants BMW, but managed to find solid pace near the end of the day after making some setup changes.
Dion ultimately wound up near his official race-pace from round one this season, as it continued to be an exceptional day for the Bridgestone representatives who arrived from Japan and the U.S. for the initial Bridgestone CSBK test on Thursday.
The duo unfortunately was not joined by Sam Guerin who couldn’t stay for the unofficial second day of running, though Guerin made clear on Thursday how impressed he was with the support of Bridgestone and his initial impressions of the new tire.
All three riders are expected to head south in 2023 for the planned Pro and Amateur invitational Bridgestone CSBK Winter Test, with details to be confirmed, which will provide a number of riders with the opportunity to test the Bridgestone Battlax tires that will be on-track next season.
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