“Get your kicks on Route 66!” Yes, I’m gonna talk about the super-popular Route 66 oil pattern. Is a long oil pattern your weakness? Then Kegel route 66 oil pattern from the Challenge series is going to be bad news for you. Like the Mother Road- U.S. Highway 66, the Kegel Route 66 is one of the longest oil patterns. For those who always struggle to do well on a longer pattern, the Kegel Route 66 is going to be very difficult, but not impossible. Enough training and learning some effective methods are going to save you. So without any further delay, let’s try to understand this pattern in-depth.
What is Kegel Route 66 oil pattern?
First thing first, the Route 66 bowling oil pattern is one of the challenging Navigation patterns by Kegel. Fascinatingly, the Kegel Route 66 pattern has three official versions. When you are participating in competitions don’t forget to take a look at the pattern sheet and see which one you are going to face. Don’t worry your gaming tactics won’t vary a lot.
Route 66 V2 (6245), where the pattern length is 45 feet with 50 uL of oil per board. The Total Volume Oil is 23.45 mL (Forward Oil Total is 13.1 mL and Reverse Oil Total is 10.35 mL). The Total Boards Crossed in the Route 66 pattern are 469 Boards, where the Forward Boards Crossed are 262 boards and Reverse Boards Crossed are 207 boards. The oil ratio on the V2 version of Route 66 is 6.25:1.
Then, we have the Route 66 (4345) version that has two subcategories. One with the 40 uL of oil on each board and another with the 50 uL of oil on each board, but both runs 45 feet in length. The Total Volume Oil of the Route 66 (40 uL) is 23.68 mL (Forward Oil Total is 11 mL and Reverse Oil Total is 12.68 mL). The oil ratio on this version is 4:1.
On the other hand, the Total Volume Oil of Route 66 (50 uL) is 23.3 (Forward Oil Total is 10.3 mL and Reverse Oil Total is 13 mL). The oil ratio on this version is 3.67:1. This is the most common version you will find in the bowling centers. However, players seem to enjoy the V2 version more during the tournaments. All the official patterns are laid out using the Kegel tanks.
How to attack the Kegel Route 66 oil pattern?
The Route 66 Kegel Navigation pattern is less challenging than a sports pattern but certainly not nearly as easy as a house shot. If you’re not an expert in sports patterns yet, the Route 66 is a great transitional step to move upward.
First of all, again as I have said many times, we use a formula based on math and science- the ‘Rule of 31’. So pattern length – 31, so we get, 45-31= 14. This is now going to help us determine where we want the ball at the end of the pattern. This is really crucial on a longer pattern because we don’t want the ball any further right than either 13 or 14 board. The reason being is because the pattern is so long, so you literally only have 15 feet of dry boards to allow the ball to respond to the pockets.
Generally speaking, the longer the oil, the more you want your ball closer to the headpin as it comes out of the pattern. That doesn’t mean you are going to lay the ball only on 14. You can go anywhere close to the 18 to 21 boards. So you’re going to be around the 3rd arrow or even left in the 3rd arrow because of the 14 board. Even if you have a drier ball track you’re certainly not going to do any further right than 12 at 45 feet.
The official brochure by Kegel says, “The optimum line is usually one that is closer to the pocket or more towards the inside portion of the lane. The greatest slope of conditioner on the
Route 66 is from the 11th board to the 16th board so players should target along this route. Outside of that slope, the pattern is flat so there will be very little room for error.”
The Route 66 is 3-8 feet longer than a Typical House Shot. Hence, you will see your bowling ball skid a bit more and break the lane slightly harder. A speed dominant low rev player. should go straight up, right outside the second arrow, whereas a rev dominant bowler should play across the second arrow. No matter what your bowling style is, don’t forget to adjust your target, bowling ball, and breakpoint based on your ball’s performance down lane.
The key to success is observing what your ball is doing at the breakpoint. Don’t forget to check how other bowlers are playing on this pattern and scoring strikes. As the lane will burn up pretty soon, you will be able to move inside and bowl a bit more through the middle part of the lane. If possible, try to bounce the ball off the burnt area after a game or so.
Which bowling ball is best for this pattern?
A stronger bowling ball with weaker layouts should be a good point to start for the Route 66 oil pattern. You need a ball that is going to read the transition well down the lane. A nice go-to ball would be Ebonite Mission 2.0 to enjoy the motion in the back lane. Remember, it’s not about how much you’re going to hook but how much you’re going to roll the ball.
If you want, you can also use an upper-mid performance solid bowling ball with a bit of surface (let’s say 1000 to 2000 out of the box) to start. For plenty of backends, you can opt for Motiv Trident Quest, Hammer Raw Psycho, Hammer Black Widow Nasty, or Hammer Backlash.
To make your ball predictable to a greater degree and to get a really definitive read on the Kegel Route 66, you can go for the Hammer No Mercy bowling ball. If possible change the finish to 1000 Grit. For such a strong-medium lane, Ebonite Bash would be an amazing option. When you notice the lane is drying up, switch to Columbia 300 Jazz for an excellent performance.
Conclusion
So these are some general consensus on strategies on how to play the Route 66 bowling oil pattern. If you are planning on bowling on this competitive pattern, the information in this article is a great point to start with. Practice is key. So if you have challenges coming, prepare yourself for the performance of a lifetime. Good luck!