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/

brett_dubbin wrote on 2/3/2011 2:50 PM:

perhaps perhaps, i have to see if my shop has any hy-roads in stock, if he doesnt i was kinda mulling it around to drill a reign supreme.... i havent had any luck any of the 3 reigns ive had but i never tried a supreme. im not sure what layou to put on it, idk if a versatile layout would Egive it enough read in the early games, 40x4.25x40 ? perhaps, i was thinking of putting a similar drill to that Ron my tropical heat hybrid im gonna be getting in a couple weeks but im not sure how itd do on a supreme, thanks for the feedback btw, more is always appreciated.

 

hmmm, just saw this prodigy posted, real close on span, but do you think the layout with the earlier stronger core and stronger cover will give me the early game read i need?

 

 http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b46/JoeydfromNB/Bowling%20Balls%20for%20Sale/2011-01-23_19-43-26_623.jpg

 

Just Keeping it Real!

 

Edited by brett_dubbin on 2/3/2011 at 3:24 PM