ContiRoadAttack 2 CR: Racing is in our DNA
The American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association known as AHRMA is America’s largest vintage-motorcycle competition club. When the group hosted a two-day race event at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA, part-time vintage racer, Ari Henning couldn’t resist.
His machine for this event was a 1968 Honda CB350 in the sportsman 350 class. According to the time sheets, Henning was flying when compared to the competition. His confidence was so high that after entering the Sportsman 350 class, he also bumped himself up into the Sportsman 500 class on both days. He won all three sprints and did it all on Continental’s ContiRoadAttack 2 CR (CR stands for ‘classic racing’) tires, which are rapidly becoming a popular choice in vintage racing around the world.
Raised at the track and son of a racer, Henning’s passion for motorcycle and racing quickly grew to become his career. When he is not on the track, Henning is executive editor at Motorcyclist Magazine. You will probably recognize him from Motorcyclist Magazine’s YouTube channel, as he is one of the main hosts. As a motorcycling journalist, Henning has had the opportunity to ride in plenty of the world’s finest tracks, but Sonoma remains his top pick. “Sonoma is one of my favorite tracks on the planet” said Henning. When asked about why this was his top track, Henning said, “Sonoma is extremely technical, with lots of elevation change and trail braking, it’s a tough track, which is part of the reason I like it, but you really need your bike to work well.”
Related
The Road Attack 2 CR features:
- A racing compound that ensures better grip and a special carcass design for better feedback in racing events.
- Exceptionally easy handling with ultra high grip and enhanced cornering stability.
- Superb control and optimum feedback at the stability limits.
- 0° steel belted design for enhanced stability and feedback when braking and accelerating out of curves.
- TractionSkin ensures extremely safe and short run-in time.
- The tried and tested MultiGrip technology makes for extended mileage and maximum grip in extreme banking maneuvers.
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“My racebike was actually my father’s before me,” said Henning, “and he always raced on bias-ply tires. When I started racing the bike I realized that my riding style taxes the front tire a lot more, and I was suffering from really bad front-end chatter. I switched to Continental and the chatter went away, and of course my lap times went down! The radial carcass is softer so it really helps the suspension and chassis on these old bikes. The grip is fantastic. I was the first person to try these tires in the US, and now you can look around and see them on lots of bikes in the paddock”. As it turns out, the three top finishes in the Sportsman 350 class were all on RoadAttack II CR.
Henning won AHRMA’s 350 Sportsman and 500 Sportsman championships in 2009 aboard his CB350. Unfortunately now, he only races his vintage bike occasionally. “It’s a lot of work to keep these old bikes running, so I only race once or twice a year for the fun of it. And I always try to make the Sonoma round, simply because I love the track so much”, he said.
Henning is looking forward to another AHRMA’s return to Sonoma soon. The ContiRoadAttack 2 CR proved to be a winning tire. We are sure Henning will be riding them again when he goes racing to have the best chances of winning. “The tires certainly have the performance,” said Henning, “so that means it’s just on me to ride well!”
Until next week!
