Continental ContiRaceAttack Comp tires
For the track portion of our test, we equipped each bike with a set of Continental's new DOT race tire, the ContiRaceAttack Comp. Positioned as a full-on race tire, the new addition rounds out the company's range of sporting tires. The standard ContiRaceAttack is Continental's high-performance street/track tire, while the Comp version is available in three compounds suitable for racing. We matched soft-compound fronts with medium-compound, 180/55-sized rears.
The Continentals incorporate a 0-degree steel belt construction in both the front and rear tires, and the rear tire offers a continuous compound that differs significantly from other dual-compound tires currently available. Whereas the standard practice is to divide the tire into distinct zones with separate compounds, the Continentals have a single tread with a compound that graduates from hard in the center to soft at the edges with no abrupt transition. This is accomplished by modifying the tread during the vulcanization process via a chemical reaction, and the benefits claimed are better stability and more even wear, especially in the area where a traditional compound break would be positioned.
Grip from the ContiRaceAttack Comp tires was excellent, although not on par with the latest DOT race tires from Pirelli and Dunlop that we've recently sampled-especially in terms of edge grip. The tires did offer neutral steering characteristics along with good drive and braking traction, and wear over the course of the day was as expected for race tires. The Continentals are available in 120 front and 160/60, 180/55 and 190/55 rear sizes, with a choice of two compounds for front tires and three for the rears. Visit www.conti-online.com for more details.