I don’t know what others say, but the Navigation patterns by Kegel are my favorites. Do you enjoy the heat while bowling? I know when the pattern is too easy, it can make the game quite boring. If you’re into oil patterns that bring up the heat without making you sweat for the game, Kegel Navigation patterns from the sports series are just the thing you need! One of the well-recognized patterns like that is the Autobahn oil pattern. So what’s so special about this pattern? How to bowl on it? Continue to read further to learn more about this oil pattern.
What is the Autobahn oil pattern?
The Kegel Autobahn (2542) runs 42 feet long with 42 feet reverse brush drop. Like any standard bowling oil pattern, you will get 50 uL of oil on each board. However, this pattern may have multiple uL of oil because it is customizable. Your tournament center or local bowling alley may change it the way they want to.
The standard Autobahn pattern you will bowl has 18.7 mL of Total Forward Oil and 7.15 mL of Reverse Oil. So you get a Total Volume Oil of 25.85 mL on this pattern. Normally, the Total Boards Crossed in the Autobahn oil pattern are 517 Boards where Forward Boards Crossed are 374 and Reverse Boards Crossed are 143.
By looking at the pattern sheet, you can tell that Autobahn is extremely flat in the middle, and on the outside, the oil ratio is going to be 2.44:1. So you do have some challenges ahead, not gonna lie. All the customization is done using the bowling lane conditioning machine that applies the conditioner as per the selection. Either the Fire or the Ice conditioner is laid out on the bowling oil pattern.
How to attack the Autobahn oil pattern?
Do you know what pro bowlers do at the Kegel Training Centre? They use the rule of 31 to estimate the breakpoint and assume the start point accordingly. Because the pattern length is 42, your breakpoint is going to be around the (42-31) = 11 board, meaning, your bowling ball will exit the oil part of the pattern on the 11th board and go for the pocket.
Because of Autobahn’s unique conditioner layout, you will face more oil at the end of the pattern than on midlane. This makes the Kegel Autobahn oil pattern more about keeping your angles straighter and controlling the speed through the front part of the lane. Remember, it’s a pretty flat pattern, so straighter is greater— that should be your motto.
Now that I have mentioned that you should keep an eye on your speed, what are you wondering? Should you get it high or set it low? Well, there is no right answer for that. On some lanes, bowlers will benefit from faster speeds while others will experience better navigation without crashing through the breakpoint using less speed. You gotta play on this oil pattern to know what is your outcome.
So answer me this— where do you typically love to play? Inside or outside? If you’re skilled at playing from the outside, chances are you will attempt to go for 10, 9, or even 8 board. So how safe is that? To be honest, that will depend on how much traffic you have on your side (the hand you use to play). As per the general rule of thumb, you should always keep your ball closer to the headpin on longer patterns. So if I were you, I wouldn’t go any farther out than 10 board.
One thing you won’t love about this pattern is that it is far less forgiving on missed targets than any other longer patterns. If you miss your target, you will face consequences, unless, of course, you’re really lucky! With this oil pattern being so flat, you have to stay straighter, especially in the front lane (until/if the lane seems to have opened up), no matter where you set your aim.
Physics works mysteriously! There is actually no magic line that is going to make sure you hit strike every time you roll. So you will have to determine what works for you best. Once you get on that you will realize what you gotta do next. If you can get away with some off-shots, consider yourself truly lucky. Not gonna lie, I did get away a few times but I wouldn’t rely on that too much. Do remember, adjusting ball speed, accuracy, and adapting to lane transition are the keys to your success on the Autobahn bowling oil pattern.
Whether you’re a lefty or a righty, pay attention to your ball speed. Nothing too slow, nothing too fast. A slow shot won’t have enough force to hit the pins after traveling a long 42 feet distance. My advice to non-speed-dominant bowlers will be to throw your ball wide right (for lefty throw it wide left). Oppositely, throwing too fast and hard is not going to knock down all of the pins and your bowling ball might go into the gutter after hitting just a few pins. No one can pick that many spares, can they?
Which bowling ball is best for this pattern?
What do you think you should use to play the Autobahn oil pattern right? I would recommend opting for balls with the minimum surface. Don’t go too high. Bowling balls with a low surface will ensure proper reaction on the lane even when the lane gets tougher.
To repeat your signature shots and keep your chosen bowling ball in play, you should pack a spare ball because picking up the spares are the key to tougher patterns like this one. When I played this pattern, I used the Track Mako bowling ball (sanded to 500) and had tremendous reactions.
After the lane breaks down, try to switch to a ball similar to Brunswick Nirvana (with 1000 surface). The Storm IQ Tour on the Kegel Autobahn oil pattern (finished at 1000 Grit) is also going to play with excellence. Any medium-heavy oil pattern-friendly bowling ball with a symmetrical core will do you solid to get down on this unique oil pattern.
The Roto Grip Idol Helios, Ebonite Game Breaker 3, and Track Heat are also some of the great alternatives that will save you from trouble on this tough oil pattern. Because controlling the ball speed is a necessity, don’t use an overly-strong bowling ball.
Conclusion
That being said, get yourself ready to set a new high score on the Autobahn oil pattern! The good news is that the pattern is conducive to so many bowling styles, you don’t need to worry too much about your bowling skill. Practice and adaption— that’s all you need to get you going. So keep on bowling and enjoy the reward you deserve! See you later, my friends. Good luck!
