When carrying out what is almost certainly the biggest and most comprehensive sportsbike test anywhere on this planet, it’s incredibly important that we keep things just about as fair as can be. So just like many top-tier racing championships around the world, we opted for a control tyre, in order to have every single bike on equal rubber. This year, we’ve stepped things up a notch and teamed up with MotoGP tyre supplier Michelin – and it wasn’t just any old rubber that we were going to be abusing. Oh no, it was their newly developed Power 5, which has just hit the market after many years and millions of euros in development.
So what makes the Power 5 so special? Well, it’s the fact the tyre is not only made to take on trackday-spec knee-skids, but also to look after you through thousands of miles of road riding. Oh, and let’s not forget its trump card, which is to give some serious performance in the dodgiest of wet conditions as well… think of them as the very sportiest and fastest touring tyres. Michelin have done this by packing the Power 5s with a whole heap of tech, starting with the compound, which integrates both silica and carbon black for a big old lump of grip when you need it the very most.