Post by: admin on December 31, 1969, 06:00:00 PM
- Coverstock: R2S Pearl Reactive
- Weight Block: Inverted Fe³ Technology
- Factory Finish: 1500-grit Polish
- Flare Potential: 5” - 6” (Medium-High)
- Fragrance: Warm Maple Syrup
- RG: 16#-2.53, 15#-2.56, 14#-2.60, 13#-2.59, 12#-2.65
- RG Diff: 16#-.055, 15#-.052, 14#-.050, 13#-.045, 12#-.035
- Recommended Lane Condition: Medium Oil
- Description: The intent of the new Thunder Line release, Victory Road, is to extend the original core technology of the Hy-Road's Fe2 even further—seeing what we can do to make the best even better.
Post by: lil League Coach on December 30, 2010, 07:31:40 PM
Drilling: 5 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3
Please check my specs in my profile
TJ TROUT
PBA EAST REGIONAL MEMBER
Vise Grip Staff "choice of champions"
thomasjtrout@yahoo.com
Keglers Pro Shop - Owner (www.keglersproshop.com)
Post by: GRstorm on January 10, 2011, 07:18:42 PM
Hand: Left
Ball Speed: 16-17mph
Ball Weight: 15lbs
PAP: 5 left 7/16 up
Degrees of Tilt: 17
Layout: 5 x 5 x 2
The Victory Road is one of the most even ball motion balls storm has ever brought out in a long time. I have the pin above my ring finger and cg under my ring finger straight down. It has a smooth reaction down the lane, smoother than I thought it was going to be especially with the R2S cover stock which was a strong cover at the time. The weight block really helps with the transition down lane and it does not over react at all. It is great for when your hyroad, reign, or reign supreme is over reacting you can go to the Victory Road and play the same line or even give it a little more room and is smooth to the pocket. It is going to be a good medium condition and transition ball.
I have a video on facebook and youtube. If you have any questions about the Victory Road email me at grichardson7716@aol.com.
Garrett Richardson
Storm/Vise Inserts Amateur Staff
Al Louie's Pinole/Diablo Valley Pro Shop
www.facebook.com/grstorm
www.stormbowling.com
Post by: ajensen on January 11, 2011, 07:48:28 PM
Dislikes:
(AJ) Andrew Jensen
Roto Grip Staffer
Post by: wldthng047 on January 13, 2011, 03:16:22 PM
Right Handed
Power Stroker (400+ revs)
18-19 MPH
Post by: riggs on January 21, 2011, 07:34:56 PM
VICTORY ROAD review by Storm Staffer Jeff Richgels
Here is the data on the VICTORY ROAD from Storm:
http://stormbowling.com/products/balls/victoryroad
The VICTORY ROAD features the popular and highly successful R2S pearl coverstock – used in balls like the T-ROAD PEARL – over the re-engineered Fe3 weight block, which is the HY-ROAD core inverted. Storm says it was "looking for a versatile piece with a strong motion down lane." The box finish is 1500-grit polish.
The HY-ROAD was a ball that frustrated the heck out of me. When it worked, it was a world beater, such as in the minor events at the 2009 USBC Open Championships where I averaged 245 the last 5 games. But I lost track of how many times it got nothing but 9-counts for me – solid 9, ring 10, etc. Meanwhile, everyone I knew using it seemingly was striking all the time. I drilled three HY-ROADs and tricked up the surface.
I e-mailed Storm tour rep Chris Schlemer for suggestions on drilling my VICTORY ROAD with an eye to something that went long and made a strong move without being "squirty."
Per Schlem's advice, my VICTORY ROAD has the pin about 2 inches above my bridge, with the CG kicked right of my ring finger and a weight hole 4 1/2 inches on a line from my grip center through my CG. The idea is a ball that controls the midlane and makes a strong move on the back-end. He said that is a common drilling on Tour for control.
I ended up with a pin to PAP distance of 5 1/4 inches. The unmarked "mass bias" (it's a symmetrical ball) to PAP is 2 1/2 inches. The pin buffer is 3 3/8 inches.
A picture of my VICTORY ROAD is in my blog here.
http://host.madison.com/sports/recreation/bowling/article_bf33dff0-1ffe-11e0-b5a4-001cc4c002e0.html
I've used the VICTORY ROAD in our Sport league on the PBA Earl Anthony pattern at a center with very hooking synthetics; in a singles tournament on the 2010 USBC Open Championships pattern at the same center; and in our City Tournament team event on the USBC White 1 pattern at a center with middling synthetics.
So far, all I have to say about the VICTORY ROAD is OH MY! It does exactly what Schlem said it would do and then some – it gets to the break point consistently and makes an amazingly hard turn. It definitely needs some oil to get to the breakpoint but the reaction is consistent and strong – not crazy flippy.
I used it the most on the light oil (17 mls, 39 feet) USBC White 1 pattern and found myself moving too slowly and not enough, afraid that the VICTORY ROAD would skid too much in the oil as we turned that pattern into a tricky wet-dry condition. The VICTORY ROAD never once 2-10'd where my REIGN would do that. And it got to the spot a lot cleaner than my REIGN SUPREME, which is hybrid R2S and needs more oil for a clean skid than the VICTORY ROAD.
If you're looking for that ball to stand inside on a broken down pattern and send to the right knowing it will turn the corner and return, the VICTORY ROAD is your ball.
It is amazingly strong – much more than the T-ROAD PEARL and somewhat more than the REIGN – and predictable – more so than the HY-ROAD. Plus it is cleaner to the spot than either the REIGN SUPREME or HY-ROAD.
It reminds me of a stronger RAPID FIRE PEARL.
The No. 1 source for bowling news, analysis and opinion is my blog, The 11th Frame, which is here:
http://host.madison.com/sports/recreation/bowling/
Post by: BowlKing300 on January 25, 2011, 03:01:58 AM
Post by: ajensen on January 26, 2011, 06:02:36 PM
(AJ) Andrew Jensen
Roto Grip Staffer
Post by: pepe300 on January 28, 2011, 12:02:22 PM
Post by: Bigmike on February 02, 2011, 10:20:02 AM
Lay Out: 5" from PAP at 75* PAP angle and 35* VAL angle. Dual angle measurement would be 75/5/35. The pin ended up slightly above my ring finger and there is a weight hole 1" down the VAL off my axis point measurement
Surface: I have left it at box finish which is 1500 Reacta-Shine. I have been using Turbo Strike Wipes to remove the dirt but haven't needed to touch up the surface yet.
Purpose: I was trying to replace a Reign that appears to have finally ran it's course. I liked the Reign on any medium to medium dryer pattern where I needed length in the front of the lane or for carry-down situations on house shots when I needed the ball to conserve energy until it got to the breakpoint.
Lane Condition Observations: I have mainly thrown this on our house shot. I tried to make sure to get out on the fresh and also second shift following a good men's handicap league. Our scratch trios league follows a decent mens hadnicap league so this would be what I would be seeing most of the time. On the fresh, the Victory Road had to be closer to the outside of the oil line. Any 1500 React-Shine pearlized ball would have to see friction fairly early for my style of play. On the burn, this ball is more in it's element. Good length and strong response off the spot was the charactheristics I seen. I pulled out the older Reign to see if the motion looked the same and it did.
Final Thoughts: I am seeing this as a possible replacement for someone with a more oil-soaked Reign or T-Road Pearl. I had a T-road pearl and it had good movement down lane which the Victory Road does also. I didn't get a chance to play with the surface prep to see what versaility the ball has. I would imagine if you put this out on any condition short of medium to moderately shorth length or volume, you would be defeating the purpose of what the ball was designed to do.
"Tell me Cup, how does a great ball striker like you shoot an 82? Well I lipped out this putt on 18......"
Mike Craig - Storm Products Pro-Shop staff -Columbus, OH
Post by: Tom Hess on February 03, 2011, 11:02:04 AM
The latest release in Storm's Thunder line is the Victory Road. The Victory Road has an all new Fe3 weight block wrapped around the popular R2S cover.
I drilled my Victory Road with one of my favorite drillings. It has a 5" pin to pap distance with a 4 1/2" pin buffer. This puts the pin just under my ring finger. The cg is 3" from my pap so it required a hole. The hole is just inside my val 2" below my grip midline.
My intent was to be able to use the Victory Road as a step down from my HyRoad. The Victory Road is cleaner through the front of the lane than the HyRoad with a quicker response to friction. When the HyRoad starts to hook early I'm able to stay in the same part of the lane and switch to the Victory Road. The Victory Road goes about 2' longer down lane with a more angular move to the pocket.
Tom Hess
Storm Regional Staff
Vise Staff
Etonic Staff
Post by: tommygn on February 04, 2011, 09:40:19 AM
The first Victory road I drilled was a 4 x 4.5 x 1 VAL drilling, extra hole on PAP. This layout was Chris Schlemer’s (PBA national ball rep for Storm) idea, something to give me a different roll through the backend of the lane out at the TOC. I left the ball at box surface (polished with Storm Step 2 to 1500). I started with this ball the first block, with a weak release, and trying to “trap” the pattern by keeping my angles in front of me. Playing 12 board at the arrows, out to about 9-10 at my breakpoint, I started off the block with 248. As the fronts broke down, I chased the pattern in, allowing the Victory Road to just keep rolling through the pins off the deck at about the 9 pin spot. The interesting thing was, when my ball rolls through the pins that way, I normally leave a lot of 6 pins, as well as 8 pins. As long as I got the VR to the pocket, it carried all 10 pins. I found myself using the Victory Road on the fresh, for a couple of games at the most before seeing a lot of lane transition. The Victory Road with this layout gave me what I needed for the fresh. As the week went on, my thumb slug sank into the ball just enough that I had a hard time using it, and still getting a good feel.
When I got back from the TOC, the Victory Road I ordered before I went to the TOC was waiting for me. For this ball, I went with my favorite layout, pin over ring and cg on the gripline (5 x 5.5). The comparison ball is a Reign with the same layout, same cover stock (R2S), and surface prep. The Victory Road allows me to move in to the heavier part of the pattern because of the overall shape of reaction in the backend. The ball has more continuation than the Reign. This makes for an excellent complement to the Reign, as the Reign gives me a hook-roll type look through the pins, when most reactive pearls are a little too angular for me. The flare pattern of the Victory Road and the Reign is different also. The Reign has tighter flare rings to start, and then widen as the weight block goes through its transition. The higher volume core uses more “power” later on the lane. The Victory Road’s flare has more of an even pattern, meaning the oil lines are spaced similar distances apart, through the core transition of the ball. The slight decrease in Rg and slight increase in differential is what allows the Victory Road to have stronger recovery in the backend of the lane. The interesting thing about the Victory Road is that even though it uses more energy in the backend than the Reign, it is usable, readable ball reaction. The pearl cover stocks that are coming out of Utah right now are in my opinion the best on the market.
The Victory Road really brings to mind what the old Blue Thunder offered to the bowling world, a ball that will allow its user to open up the lane. If you find yourself needing “usable” skid-snap type ball reaction, drill up a Victory Road today!
Tommy Gollick
Storm Regional/Pro Shop staff
Red Crown Pro Shop Harrisburg, PA
stormbowling.com
Post by: Rotoguy300 on February 04, 2011, 10:23:11 PM
Layout- Pin under ring finger, CG swung out at 45 degree angle with a 1”x2.5” hole down.
I was surprised by just how angular this ball was, even with the pin down layout and ginormous crater I stuck in it. The ball was SUPER clean through the front and SUPER DUPER strong off the spot. This ball is at its best when you’re looking for that sort of super long, super angular reaction (for example in a longer format when the heads are burnt up) or you are someone who is rotationally challenged and looking to create big boy angle. I also must say that this is the best smelling ball EVER. It literally makes me hungry to smell it and, in my shop, I’ve yet to have a customer come in and smell I who didn’t find a gaping smile upon their face afterwards. This ball has earned the moniker “The Breakfast Ball” in my home center, now if I can only convince them to bring out a bacon scented solid…..
Post by: MoonsLefty on February 05, 2011, 12:34:12 PM
So far I am seeing a great reaction from this ball. Normally, with my higher ball speed, balls that push tend to push too far, but that isn't the case with this ball. I do see great length in the heads, but it reads the mid lane great as well. I am not getting any over/ under reaction. I am able to move left and play straighter, and I can also move right and hook it.
The 5" pin to PAP gives a strong flip on the backend, but since the ball reads the mids really well, it isn't uncontrolable. So far I am very impressed
Rob Haverstock
Storm/Roto Grip Pro Shop Staff
Post by: StormN3rik on February 09, 2011, 09:19:48 AM
Erik Ramos
PBA Storm Regional Staff
Post by: jimwoosh on February 18, 2011, 12:02:11 AM
Post by: jimwoosh on February 18, 2011, 12:02:28 AM
Post by: cmsubowler on February 21, 2011, 05:15:07 PM
Hello all and thanks for reading. Hope you find this review helpful. We are reviewing the Victory Road with a drill pattern of 70 x 4 x 40 and comparing it to the Reign Supreme with the same layout and surface. You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbb4o9113fw
What you will notice in the video listed above is a much longer skid prior to making a down lane move. This ball holds onto a lot of energy and releases it all at once producing some fairly extreme angles. For purposes of the video we left the surface the same and worked with it but I have had extremely good luck taking the surface down with a 4000 abralon pad to help smooth out the transition at the break point. Compared to the Reign Supreme, it is 2 to 3 boards stronger downlane and at least 1 to 2 feet later down lane as well. This produces a very extreme angle to the pocket increasing carry percentage on the lighter hits. The line is similiar as you will see from the video but the motion is much more abrupt. Some very good hitting power and great entry angles make this ball a great replacement for the Hy Road. What the Hy Road may have lacked in entry angle, you certainly gain that with this ball. Excellent addition at a steal of a price.
Post by: 300thirsty on February 24, 2011, 08:43:17 AM
Post by: rob_mil26 on February 25, 2011, 03:44:01 PM
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
- Henny Youngman
Post by: Trudell on March 02, 2011, 06:31:11 PM
Storm Victory Road review by staffer Billy Trudell
Storms newest thunder line release is the Victory Road. The intent of the victory road was to offer bowlers and versatile bowling ball that has a strong move down lane. With the continued success of the Hyroad ball which had the FE-2 weight block which offered an RG of 2.57 and a differential of 0.046, they decided to use that weight block as the base for what weight block they were going to put in the victory road. After inverting the FE-2, they created the FE-3 core which lowered the RG of the ball to 2.56 allowing the ball to rev up slightly earlier than the Hyroad but have a much higher differential of 0.052 which helps create a strong continuous down lane motion off the spot. The weight block was wrapped in the highly successful R2S pearl coverstock found on popular balls such as the Fast, 2Fast, and T road pearl. The surface was then finished with a 1500 grit polished preparation.
With all of these components bowlers are supposed to expect a high performance ball that is clean through the front without too much skid because the ball will read and rev up strong in the mid lane and give a strong back end reaction without sacrificing any control of the pocket or burning up due to energy conservation through the front part of the lane. A traditional pearl bowling ball tends to have the skid flip reaction that on fresher patterns can be hard to control. The victory road is a very controllable reacting pearl bowling ball.
My victory road came with a 3.5 inch pin to CG. My intent for this ball was to go with a reliable bowling ball that can get down the lane and around the corner when I have to play a very deep inside line. I usually find that I have to move extremely deep and play over the gutter in some cases on longer oil patterns or flatter oil patterns when they break down. Patterns such as Deadmans curve, and the pba shark get a lot of play in the middle part of the lane. Usually on the fresh I can use pretty strong bowling balls and carry fairly well. Now as the pattern breaks down I tend to have trouble creating angle in the back and carrying ten pins due to my low axis tilt. The victory road was answer to my problems. This year the US open was a 42 foot flat oil pattern. I had my problems on the fresh but the burn was a whole other animal. Deep inside angles were best with a ball the got around the corner. My victory road gave me my best block by playing over the gutter cap out to about 13 at the break point and the ball got back around the corner strong and usually carried great with very little corner pins when it hit the pocket.
The lay out that I used was a 4inch pin with the cg swung until I had about ¾ ounce of side weight. My intent was to have the ball flare up strong in the mid lane and then have a strong motion off the break point. I then threw a ¾ inch hole 2 inches below my PAP on my VAL. The pins location is right next to my ring finger as well. I was able to throw it on lanes that were already broken down because they were left over from the previous night and had not been oiled yet. The lane surface is AMF hpl. First few shots I threw the ball read pretty early and hooked a lot down lane and I missed the pocket left. So after moving in to 30 with my feet tarting 18 at the arrows out to 8 at the break point I saw the reaction I was hoping for. The ball found the head oil it wanted reved up strong just past the arrows got to the break point and had a hard arcing turn in the back that crushed the rack every time. I left a few solid nines due to playing such an open angle. I decided to move a few boards in more with both feet and target to kind of tighten up the angle and found that I still had the pocket with exceptional carry and entry angle. No matter how deep I went even over the gutter the ball still created great angle and carried well. A little while later the mechanic came by and oiled the lane with the fresh 41 foot house shot. Here with the out of box finish the ball reacted really great still how ever I figured right now would be a good time to try hand scuffing the ball with a used 2000 pad. The results I got were that the ball was able to pick up a little sooner than it was before and it seemed to bite a little harder at the break point as well with no signs of roll out. Seems to me that this ball is going to be very friendly to surface adjustments which is always a plus for me.
My Specs
Hand-right
Rev rate-300
Speed- 16mph
PAP- 5 ¼ inch right by ½ inch up.
Storm PBA regional staff
Drilling Tech Next Level Proshop
Post by: TamerBowling on March 02, 2011, 08:25:09 PM
USBC Certified Level I
Post by: superlefty800 on March 08, 2011, 10:14:56 AM
Chris Johnson
Storm Amateur Staffer
Post by: rotomike on March 29, 2011, 07:43:06 PM
Mmmmmm... Syrup
There were a couple of things that caught my attention with the Storm Victory Road. Before I even threw the ball I was attracted to the color ...a great shade of purple. Secondly was the scent. The warm maple syrup scent immediately became one of my favorites since storm started scenting balls.
Then I took it out on the lanes... I drilled it pin 5 1/2" to my pap above the fingers cg in palm no weight hole.
The Victory Road is exceptionally clean through the fronts and true to the description in the printed material it was ABRUPT! in the backend. I found I could use it the best when the heads had broken down on drier lanes conditions and I was forced deep. Feed it to the spot and watch it wheel home!
As a big fan of the whole Thunder series the Victory Road did not disappoint. For players with weaker hands this ball will give you the recovery you are looking for. For boomers the Victory Road is the perfect get to the left gutter and go to town ball.
Mike Sinek
Roto Grip / Storm Staff Manager
Kingdom member for life
Post by: StormRoto on March 30, 2011, 10:37:30 PM
Post by: rotostlgrip on April 08, 2011, 09:25:31 AM
Victory Road
Layout -Pin over the bridge
Finish – OOB
First impression of the victory road, smoooooth. I was surprised how smooth this ball was. Super clean through the fronts and nice smooth move from the break point. I’ve been bowling with this ball for over 2 months now, and I have shot numerous 750s, 770s and 780s. The reaction is so consistent that I never have to switch balls during league.
Layout - pin under bridge, with low hole
Finish - OOB
I use this ball when I need an even more consistent roll. Typcially when I’m experiencing over/under with the pin up victory road. The surface is still its out of box condition so I get that clean motion through the front part of the lane. Once it gets out of the pattern, It’s even smoother than the pin up victory road.
Pro Shop Review:
If you have bowled for the past 2 years or so, I’m sure you have heard the words “hy-road” before. This ball was just an absolute phenomenon. Once everyone saw this ball in my pro shop, I was immediately asked, “Is it good like the hy-road?” Damn right it is…
Edgar Atienza
Roto Grip Staffer
Manager of Best Bowling Pro Shops - Plaza Lanes, St. Charles, MO
edgar@bestbowlingproshops.com
Post by: caseyccg on April 12, 2011, 08:21:34 PM
The Victory Road is the longest and most angular ball Storm has produced since the TRoad Pearl. On a modified house pattern the Victory Road easily cleared the front part of the lane and made a dramatic angular motion at the breakpoint. On the fresh shot, the Victory Road stored too much energy and was hard to control. Once I broke the shot down a little with some other stronger equipment the VR was the best option. The Victory Road barely registers burnt heads and maintains it strength through the carry down to produce a very violent reaction at pocket. Pin carry rarely suffers with this ball even on the roughest surfaces. The Victory Road excels on bad surfaces and torn up patterns. It would be a great fit to create angle on a tough pattern once the track is broken down. The Victory Road is a must have for those who need a ball to create angle on low volumes and broken down patterns.
Post by: bosco_13jr on April 23, 2011, 10:44:37 AM
My favorite ball of all time had to be the t-road pearl and I was very upset when it cracked after years of use, how ever I could not be more happier when the victory road was released it is my new replacement for the t-road, and it gives me a even better read on today’s lane conditions I have one that is a exact copy of my old t-road 4in pin and when I get into trouble that ball comes out and gets me out of trouble very quickly!
Thomas Bosquez
Storm Southern Regional Staffer
PBA Member
Post by: UF bowling on June 14, 2011, 09:57:54 AM
I have a Victory Road. This ball is fairly new to me, and I love it. If I could describe this bowling ball in one word, it would be perfect. This bowling ball is great on oil, and great on dry lanes. This is the bowling ball that I would call my “comfort zone.” I like to be able to use one ball for different lanes, and this ball is great for that. I also really enjoy the smell!!
Kaitlyn Hanshaw
Post by: Mike Dias on June 26, 2011, 11:07:32 AM
Mike Dias
Coach's Corner
www.denverbowling.com
Post by: MLBOWLER on August 04, 2011, 01:12:39 PM
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Post by: Mike Dias on March 22, 2012, 06:00:43 PM
Post by: UF bowling on May 19, 2012, 10:41:17 AM
Steve Calabrese