There is No more competitive or highly focused sportbike track test in the world than MasterBike. In addition to all the incredibly rapid hardware from the top Japanese and European factories, the rider roster is stacked with racer ringers. Complicating things this year were wet and windy conditions at Circuito Albacete in southeastern Spain. And as if carrying the weight of the (Cycle) World competing in MasterBike wasn't pressure enough, I was representing Old Glory as the lone American.rnCompetition is fierce, among both manufacturers and magazines. Thirteen test riders from 11 countries are pitted against each other, all searching for the best times possible so they can make it to the final, where the six fastest riders hot-lap the single quickest bikes from each of the three categories-Supersport, Supertwin and Superbike-for the coveted top prize of MasterBike. Machines entered this year included those from two new manufacturers: KTM and BMW. Would Albacete favor tractable Twins or better suit rev-happy 600 Supersports? In either case, they still would have to match performance against the all-new Kawasaki ZX-10R and Honda CBR1000RR, plus all the other liter-class players, including last year's winner, the MV Agusta F4 1000 312 R.rnOrganized by Spain's Motociclismo magazine, the four-day happening began as factory mechanics fitted their bikes with the Dunlop D209 "control" tires, and then did their best to sort suspension settings. Who knew these tires would cause such an unexpected outcome, at least for one manufacturer.
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