Bridgestone Racing Battlax V03 Review – Track Tested

Visor down.

“Focus, focus, focus,” I say to myself.

Out of pit lane, half way between turns 1 and 2, I merge onto the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand. At full throttle, turn 3 rushes toward me quicker than it did in yesterday’s sessions with the Bridgestone Battlax RS12 and stock Honda CBR1000RR SP. It’s time to experience what Bridgestone calls its “halo product” in the Racing Battlax V03 spooned onto a YART liter-bike.

Bridgestone’s addition of the V03 to its racing line of tires sees this new rubber sitting at the top of the heap when it comes to its slick tires. Rather than replacing the popular V02 right away, the V03 will sit alongside it, building on what made that tire an excellent option for racers and track day enthusiasts. There is a good chance that the 10-year-old V02 will eventually be phased out, just as we saw happen with the V01, as the V03 gains sizing options. The V03 features an all-new construction with new compounds providing more grip and a new profile shape (compared to the V02), leading to more stability overall. In testing, Bridgestone claims a 1.9% faster lap time compared to the V02 with its Sprint V03.

Bridgestone — like many companies — has always used its racing program as a rolling laboratory, and we’re told the new compounds are a direct result of the achievements the brand has made in world endurance racing. For the V03, Bridgestone opted for a new molecular approach of the fine carbon particles in the compound which is said to improve the bite — or how the tire conforms to the road surface — and therefore enhance grip. The V03 also uses a single compound design over its product range, unlike other multi-compound constructions. Likewise, the larger crown of the front tire increases the contact patch by 5% while the larger diameter of the rear adds a 6% larger contact patch. Both aid in providing better traction and longevity.

Turn 3 and every one after it went off without a hitch as my confidence and speed built through the day. The tire offers incredible grip, and over the day’s five sessions, we had the chance to sample the tires in a way that we rarely do. Not only did we spend our time on new and worn Soft/Medium fronts and Medium rears while also sampling the Sprint compound rear, we had the chance to do a back-to-back comparison with the V02 — more on that in a bit.

Acceleration performance, braking stability, and cornering stability of the V03 is incredible — even when being ham-fisted on liter bikes. It was great to spend our first day around the Chang International Circuit on the RS12 as we got acquainted with the track because the V03 truly cranks the level to 11 and beyond with the Sprint compound. As a guy who spends more time in the dirt than on a racetrack, the confidence with the increase in speed and traction — over the day before and as the day progressed — had me pushing my own limits further over every session.

Having the chance to sample the V02 back-to-back with the V03 was interesting. I was concerned my limited track time would leave me with little to say, but the change in the tire profile was more noticeable than I expected. While the V03 feels planted and predictable at every part of the corner, the V02 front’s more triangular profile gave it a quicker turn-in that some faster riders described as being on the brink of flighty. This could be conveyed as a benefit for some depending on a number of factors including bike setup, track layout, etc. That said, the V03 never felt slow to steer by any means despite the larger contact patches and larger diameter rear. It just felt more planted which allowed me to really push the tire into the apex on the brakes as hard as I dared while the stability at lean and transition to throttle remained predictable throughout the corner.

After a few sessions on the V03s, I didn’t notice any appreciable drop-off in performance as we got toward our final sessions with the tires — and we were sharing bikes across groups from all over the world of riders at varying levels. Just when I felt I couldn’t possibly have asked for more grip, it was time to test the Sprint compound rear with the Soft/Medium front. On the grippy track with perfect weather aside from some wind, the Sprint allowed me to accelerate in a way that I didn’t really know I was capable of, and never showed signs of spinning regardless of what I did with the throttle or TC setting. I overheard a few faster riders discussing that the Sprint had so much grip it felt like it was nearly pushing the front. Just when I thought I was reaching the end of my own limits, the Sprint gave me the confidence to slingshot myself out of every corner that much harder, to the point where my Arai Corsair-X was continuously coming in contact with my nose as the speeds rose.

This test in Buriram was an eye-opening experience that reinvigorated an already existent love for spending time on the track. When you take the step up to using slicks from DOT rubber, no matter how good it is, you’re able to enjoy your track time at an entirely different level. Yes, it requires more work and planning, but the juice is worth the squeeze, as they say. With Bridgestone’s latest Racing Battlax tire, they’ve upped the ante in performance and delivered a product that gave this mere mortal the confidence to push beyond his limits. As discussed with the other members of the global media in attendance, the V03 is going to be an excellent option for racers and track day enthusiasts alike.