Metzeler tires were leading protagonists at the International Six Days Enduro in Argentina and in 2023 enduro, road racing and supermoto activities
This is a press release from Metzeler…
Munich (Germany), November 13, 2023 – Positive results for the Metzeler brand at the FIM International Six Days Enduro – ISDE, the enduro competition for nations, which this year took place in San Juan, Argentina. This event will be remembered as the toughest and most exciting in recent years. The British Team, led by the Metzeler-equipped riders, Nathan Watson and the reigning Junior class champion Jed Etchells, took the final third place in the Trophy.
In the individual rankings Metzeler riders performed exemplary: Josep Garcia (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) was the fastest rider of the Six Days, both in the Overall classification and in the E1 class and Andrea Verona (Gas Gas Factory Racing) finished this long and difficult event taking the top step in the E2 class.
There was no shortage of strong emotions even in the Junior class in which the Swedish national team, with the Metzeler-equipped riders, Albin Norrbin (Fantic Racing), Max Ahlin and Axel Semb, remained in command from the first to the fifth day of competition. Everything gave hope for the best until Saturday when during the motocross heat, after an excellent start, Albin Norrbin’s official Fantic stopped due to a mechanical problem, forcing the Swedish rider to push the bike to the finish line helped by teammates, finishing in third place.
The results obtained in the ISDE are added to those already achieved during the season in the enduro discipline, in particular in the FIM EnduroGP World Championship where Metzeler won seven world titles triumphing in all classes. Steve Holcombe became EnduroGP Champion and took the Enduro 2 title. Metzeler’s third world title came with Josep Garcia in Enduro 1, while Brad Freeman took home the laurels in Enduro 3. Added to these the titles of Jed Etchells in the Junior and Kevin Cristino in the Youth category plus that of Jane Daniels who was crowned champion of the Woman class for the fourth time.
The tires with which Metzeler has dominated the enduro racing fields for many years are the MCE 6 Days Extreme. Although they were designed for professional riders, these tires are also perfect for amateurs who want to equip their motorcycle with high-performance tires that give good traction, versatility and have strong wear resistance.
The Metzeler brand has also played an important role in road racing activities, especially in the most iconic road motorcycle race, the Isle of Man TT. In 2023, Metzeler was chosen as the Official Tire with a sponsorship contract for the Tourist Trophy races for the five-year period 2023-2027. This season Metzeler was chosen by many top riders, including multiple Senior TT winner John McGuinness and 2019 winner Dean Harrison, James Hillier, Josh Brookes, Jamie Coward, Michael Rutter, Nathan Harrison, to name just a few, achieving podiums in nine occasions.
The Racetec RR tires used by the riders were developed thanks to the experience in Road Racing competitions, chosen by Metzeler as a privileged testing and development bench for its road products because, taking place on roads which are open to the public during the year, they present all the situations that any motorcyclist may have to face on a daily basis.
Satisfaction for Metzeler also came from Supermoto. In the FIM Supermoto World and European Championship, for which Metzeler is the sole tire supplier from this year, 63 riders from 14 countries participated in the S1GP class, with a 25% increase in participants compared to last season 2022 and a constant presence of 30/35 riders at each Grand Prix. 20 teams took part in the Supermoto of Nations, which saw the French team triumph, including 5 Juniors, for a total of 15 Nations, including the USA and Australia.
The Racetec SM tires used by supermoto riders were specifically developed for supermotards. The compounds have a high silica content to offer rapid heating and, at the same time, excellent abrasion resistance. The tread design has central grooves perpendicular to the direction of rolling to ensure greater mechanical grip on off-road sections of the track, while the grooves in the mid-bend area have been designed for effective and rapid self-cleaning. These tires are also available to all amateurs of the discipline.
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