Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Pirelli tire technicians tested new 16.5-inch front and rear slicks with racers Geoff May, Mark Junge, Tray Batey and Bill St. John during practice for the WERA Grand National Finals Wednesday at Road Atlanta.

“We think we have DOTs we can win with at the factory level,” said Pirelli North America Racing Manager Rich Munson. “(Arclight Suzuki’s) Lee Acree and Craig Connell, I think, proved that this year. Now we want to prove that with our 16.5 slicks. We want to get our feet wet with a couple of teams to optimize the tires for the American tracks and create a database. We know they work in Europe; we’ve been testing there for the past two years.

“Basically, this is a pre-test to get familiar with the 16.5s. We’re testing different compounds and constructions with our riders that have 16.5-inch wheels to get ready for the 2003 AMA and Formula USA seasons. We want to push into AMA Superbike, Formula Xtreme and Formula USA’s new 600cc Superbike class next year. Geoff May will ride on the 16.5s next year.”

Munson also pointed out that Arclight Suzuki’s Dave Stanton won the AFM Championship using 16.5-inch Pirelli slicks on his GSX-R1000 for the second half of the 2002 season.

“I really like them,” said BCM/Project Monza’s Bill St. John of the 16.5-inch Pirelli slicks he tested Wednesday on his Ducati 998 Superbike. “I only did 10 laps, but I really like them. They make the bike steer better and drive out of the corners a lot better. That was a strong point of the 17-inch Pirellis all year, but these are even better.”