The brand with the blue elephant will fit the new Honda CRF450 RALLY of riders Helder Rodrigues, Sam Sunderland and Javier Pizzolito with KAROO™ Extreme prototype tyres in sizes- 90/90-21 front and 140/80-18 rear
Munich (Germany), 13 October 2013 – Metzeler has been chosen by Team HRC Rally, the Honda works motorcycle rally team, as tyre supplier and technical partner to face the toughest raids and rally competitions in the world, among them the 2014 edition of the prestigious Dakar.
The new Honda CRF450 RALLY of the riders Helder Rodrigues, Sam Sunderland and Javier Pizzolito will be fitted with KAROO™ Extreme prototype tyres in sizes- 90/90-21 front and 140/80-18 rear.
The product used in the competitions in which Team HRC Rally will take part, the Metzeler KAROO™ Extreme, is a prototype tyre not available for sale because it is specifically developed for competitions in collaboration with Team HRC Rally and will be used in different competitions, including the challenging Dakar.
With the name KAROO™ Extreme the goal was to emphasize two important aspects behind the development of this product that combines the heritage and experience of the KAROO™ in Enduro on/off use and the "extreme" experience of Metzeler in the international Enduro competitions with the MCE 6 Days Extreme, the 22 times Enduro World Championship winner tyre. This product for rally raid competitions is therefore the natural evolution of Metzeler in Offroad activities.
The rear tyre has been specifically developed to provide a 0 degrees steel belt together with a 4-ply carcass and a new generation of compounds featuring Metzeler’s exclusive mixing process: all these elements combined together are able to ensure excellent durability and resistance for the tyre and to offer top performance throughout the entire race.
The front tyre is available in two different versions to cope with all types of soils, from those hard and rocky to those softer and with sand. Team HRC and its riders will thus be able to choose, with the help of Metzeler technicians present onsite, the best solution depending on the type of stage they have to face.
The 36th edition of the Dakar will take place from 5 to 18 of January 2014 on the varied lands of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.
“In the 2014 Dakar we have our top two brands Metzeler and Motul partnering this exciting Honda HRC team” said Graeme Leach GM for AMP (After Market Products) both products have a huge track record in racing, locally and internationally and would certainly be the ideal choice for any team looking for a major victory. The Dakar has to be the toughest tests for both man and machine and breaking down on this event could be the end for any rider as there are no pit teams immediately on hand. A total breakdown would mean waiting for the sweep vehicles.” So reliable, proven hard core products are crucial in this event, we are proud to be associated with this Honda HRC Team for the 2014.” he went on to say.
