Tyres.

[MARK246]

16 minutes ago, OveFundinFan said:

What do you mean "by the start of 2021 they should have no problem"......... surely they must have no problem now or they wouldnt be allows in this years SON.

In response to the negative posts about the BSPL's decision 

[Technik]

On 10/15/2020 at 12:38 PM, Wee Eck said:

The GB team used Anlas tyres in the GB vs Denmark test last October at Kings Lynn. They also used Anlas tyres in the Team under 21 final this year. Certainly at KL, it was one tyre per rider.
It was the 2020 tyre that caused the problem, but it wasn’t only used in the GPs - some of the Ekstraliga riders - Anders Thomsen for one - was using them. Judging by the number of flat (Mitas) tyres in the Ekstraliga this year, I suspect riders have been running Mitas tyres at very low pressures to try to match the grip that Anlas was giving.
The soft nature of the Anlas tyre was the reason why the 2020 tyre was removed from homologation.
British speedway have had a contract with Mitas for years which has been both for commercial and consistency reasons. This contract expires at the end of this year. The contract with Anlas follows the same reasoning. Anlas tyres are not in anyway dangerous and, as the pricing will be the same as with Mitas, and all riders will be on the same tyre, what’s the problem?

Mitas have been threatening to withdraw from the speedway market for several years now, whereas Anlas (check them out - they are a huge company) are keen to use speedway to spread brand recognition. I don’t see a problem with what’s happening. 

I thank you for your reply.

However this really fails to answer the question of how much testing has been carried out on British tracks under British regulations.

Testing at Kings Lynn is fine but this is a track that history tells us is kind to the tyres & tyre wear is very minimal, To such a degree that worn tyres from a meeting at KL have been questioned at events after when presented as a used spare. Then there is the U21 team final held under FIM regulations in Denmark.

What are the tyre regulations for Eksraliga racing? I would suspect that only inexperienced riders would run a tyre at such a low pressure that would cause it to deflate. As riders progress they understand that a lower pressure only works in a straight line (Drag racing) but when you need to steer the machine the tyre may flex when sideways & spinning but the foot remains on the track not the sidewall as would be the case with an under inflated unit.

I have not suggested that this tyre maybe dangerous, My doubts are regarding it's ability to last a whole meeting of upto 7 races on British circuits.

I'm sure Anlas are a big company but equally so are Dunlop & Pirelli both used to make speedway tyres with the former being favoured by top riders for many years & the Mitas brand is still part of the Barum brand. For any company to be involved in making a product for speedway is a labour of love as most of the machine cannot be used anywhere other than a speedway track.

[Wee Eck]

12 hours ago, Technik said:

I thank you for your reply.

However this really fails to answer the question of how much testing has been carried out on British tracks under British regulations.

Testing at Kings Lynn is fine but this is a track that history tells us is kind to the tyres & tyre wear is very minimal, To such a degree that worn tyres from a meeting at KL have been questioned at events after when presented as a used spare. Then there is the U21 team final held under FIM regulations in Denmark.

What are the tyre regulations for Eksraliga racing? I would suspect that only inexperienced riders would run a tyre at such a low pressure that would cause it to deflate. As riders progress they understand that a lower pressure only works in a straight line (Drag racing) but when you need to steer the machine the tyre may flex when sideways & spinning but the foot remains on the track not the sidewall as would be the case with an under inflated unit.

I have not suggested that this tyre maybe dangerous, My doubts are regarding it's ability to last a whole meeting of upto 7 races on British circuits.

I'm sure Anlas are a big company but equally so are Dunlop & Pirelli both used to make speedway tyres with the former being favoured by top riders for many years & the Mitas brand is still part of the Barum brand. For any company to be involved in making a product for speedway is a labour of love as most of the machine cannot be used anywhere other than a speedway track.

On the topic of deflating tyres, I can only comment on what I have seen in the Premier Sports tv coverage and it was my guess that under inflation was the cause. I remember Sayfutdinov having a least one flat tyre, so it wasn’t restricted to juniors or inexperienced riders. 
As far as testing is concerned, I seem to recall reading that Greg Hancock has done plenty of testing in California at the track at Perris. I don’t have details of its size, but looking at videos it seems a decent size - not as big as the Polish tracks - or the NSS - but larger than Poole. Maybe Peterborough sized? He won’t have been changing tyres after each practice, and I’d expect he’d run them close to destruction.

Speedway seems to be part of a brand awareness campaign promoting the name rather than a specific tyre. At the moment, if you were offered a choice of Anlas, Pirelli or Dunlop (to use your examples) tyres for your motorbike, you might prefer the brand you’ve heard of, which would be one of the second two. What Anlas want is for you to be confident about buying their brand. The last thing they’ll want is a perception that Anlas tyres don’t last or aren’t safe, so they’ll be carrying out plenty of testing. Although new to speedway, they’ve been making tyres for over 50 years so should know how to make good tyres. 

[phillwhitewasmad]

Anlas tyres were used by all riders at the scunthorpe v Leicester challenge and during the under 19 final at the same track. We have used them widely this season on the 250s for practice and ameature meetings found them very hard wearing and giving a consistent ride. Found the best pressure is around 10 psi. We have not used the front one yet but having felt it,it is more pliable in the hand in comparison to the mitas . The rear tyre we found is a bit more difficult to seat.

 

[Technik]

I am aware of Greg Hancock testing the tyre & his reports.( just for your records the circuit at Perris California is a small oval less than 300M.)

Mr Hancock reported that the tyre was good for one race on each side but was reserved in his comments about it's life span after that.

Now I have no doubt that Anlas make a good product & yes they are as you say a company of long standing with a good reputation that is not in question. What I am questioning is the amount of testing that has been carried out on British tracks under British regulations? to date I have one meeting at Kings Lynn where some riders used the tyre & two events at Scunthorpe. Now I really don't think that anyone can claim these tests over 3 events at 2 tracks to be extensive.

The BSPA has a history of jumping into these things before they have been properley tested lets remember the fiasco of the positive cut out that was only used in British speedway where all riders had to use this new product that was wholely untested. We had riders getting shocked whilst racing & the unreliability when it was supposed to work. It was quickly withdrawn & riders had to go back to the old system. All at the riders expense.

My view is to let any new product be used in the first instance by the FIM & in the Polish & Swedish leagues first, These are the big brothers & have the finances to carry out any testing  whilst we can bring the product in as an option mid-season if reports from these places are in favour. This would allow time for an extensive test & collection of data. It would be easy to establish if the product was advantagous as more riders would be using it as their preferred option.

[SPEEDY69]

10 hours ago, Wee Eck said:

On the topic of deflating tyres, I can only comment on what I have seen in the Premier Sports tv coverage and it was my guess that under inflation was the cause. I remember Sayfutdinov having a least one flat tyre, so it wasn’t restricted to juniors or inexperienced riders. 
As far as testing is concerned, I seem to recall reading that Greg Hancock has done plenty of testing in California at the track at Perris. I don’t have details of its size, but looking at videos it seems a decent size - not as big as the Polish tracks - or the NSS - but larger than Poole. Maybe Peterborough sized? He won’t have been changing tyres after each practice, and I’d expect he’d run them close to destruction.

Speedway seems to be part of a brand awareness campaign promoting the name rather than a specific tyre. At the moment, if you were offered a choice of Anlas, Pirelli or Dunlop (to use your examples) tyres for your motorbike, you might prefer the brand you’ve heard of, which would be one of the second two. What Anlas want is for you to be confident about buying their brand. The last thing they’ll want is a perception that Anlas tyres don’t last or aren’t safe, so they’ll be carrying out plenty of testing. Although new to speedway, they’ve been making tyres for over 50 years so should know how to make good tyres. 

Not much margin for under inflation when many only use about 5 psi in the first place!