MOTOAMERICA SUPERSPORT CHAMPION GARRETT GERLOFF
P178
INTERVIEW
Dunlop had introduced their
new 180/60-17 KR451 rear tire
at the previous Utah round. The
new tire was designed to fit the
5.5-inch rim used in supers-
port, and suited Gerloff's style
much better than the 200-sec-
tion tire used up to that point.
"With the 200, we weren't
using the whole tire," Gerloff
says. "The tire was rolled over
on the rim, which made the
contact patch smaller. On the
180, it fit the rim much better
so I could use all the tire and
carry much corner speed. I
could just rip through the cor-
ner and I had more feel when
I did it. Every time I would be
on the gas mid-corner with the
200 tire, it would either have
grip or it would snap on me.
There wasn't a lot in between.
With the 180 tire, it was a lot
more consistent and had a lot
more feel. I could play with the
throttle, play with the rear, and
it wouldn't just snap on me right
away."
Beach used the new tire to
claim race one at Utah and a
new track record before his little
race-two indiscretion (which,
it must be said, displayed
Beach's sportsmanship by wait-
ing for Gerloff to rejoin the track
ahead of him), but that was
as good as it got for the easy-
going Kentuckian. From Laguna
Seca onwards, Gerloff was in a
different league. This is where
the mind power comes back into
play—knowing you're already the
best, and you're about to get
even better.
"Laguna had been my worst
track every year the last four
years," Gerloff says. "But this
year, I was just like, 'This is going
to be my weekend. I'm going
to win this race.' I was just so
pumped up.
"As soon as we got the bike
out of the truck, everything was
different. We had to make some
adjustments to get the bike
there, but once we did I felt like I
could do anything on that bike. I
(Above) Gerloff and team technician
Keaton Hendrickson both stepped
up their games in 2017. (Top)
Garrett has just taken the Laguna
Seca race win, and it's about to get
a whole lot better.
