After being the tyre of choice in two previous touring world records, the Bridgestone T32 may well have been the tyre partner in the ultimate world record. Thierry Sarasyn, the man who rode 13 countries in one day, just did (a lot) better. He visited 15 countries in 22 hours.
“After the Italian Valerio Boni’s record in 2021, riding the 13 countries on the Bridgestone equipped MV Agusta Turismo Veloce was the second officially registered Touring record,” he says. “But there were rumors, especially online, about motorcyclists who had done 14 countries in one day, and there’s even a video of a ride of 15 countries in 24 hours and 3 minutes. None of those attempts had been registered with a tracking device or were done in less than 24 hours. After the thirteen countries in one day, however, I swore I would never take on such an adventure again.”
Never say never
Opinions can change, though. “With the experience I gained last year, i saw an opportunity to set thing straight once and for all. A ride through 15 countries, registered by an official tracking system as well as respecting traffic rules and enough rest along the way.”
That meant doing 400 km extra and facing the bad weather that had hit large parts of South East Europe. “I was excited to be able to partner up with Bridgestone again this year”, says Sarasyn. “The T32 is a very versatile tyre with excellent wet performance. I took into account that there might be some rain along the road and… I was right. Between Hungary and Austria, crossing 5 countries, there was heavy rain. That made visibility harder, but I never had problems with grip on the wet roads. The T32 kept me safe. After Austria, it was smooth sailing under excellent conditions. I respected the speed limits in every country and even in Germany where you are allowed to go flat out, I didn’t go fast at all. Because the bikes consumes more and you have to stop for fuel more often. Legal speeds were the best option for many reasons.”
Quicker than expected
At 7:59 p.m. Sarasyn rode across the border into the Netherlands, just under 22 hours after starting in Poland. “Faster than I had ever dared to hope, especially since they closed a tunnel on the Austrian border. I was stuck there for over an hour”, the Belgian states.
“With the experience of 2022, I was able to avoid the bottlenecks I found on my route back then. Moreover, this year I rode the Kawasaki Versys 1000 and had larger fuel autonomy and better comfort. To state that I could have ridden much further would be stretching the truth, but I was less tired than last year. With over 400 km extra on the counter, two more countries visited and almost three hours more in the saddle…this was enough for me. I am over the moon that I was able to accomplish this feat. It hardly seems feasible to safely visit more countries in one day. This is a record that may be here for quite some time to come. ”
Ultimate tyre
This record and the previous ones, have been achieved by different riders on different bikes, using different itineraries. The only thing that hasn’t changed in three consecutive years of world touring records, is the tyre. The tyre of choice was the same in all three successful attempts. With three world records to its name, it’s safe to say the Bridgestone T32 is the ultimate touring tyre.
Click here for more information about the T32 tyre.
