Roto Grip RST Hyperdrive Bowling Ball Review

The release of the RST Hyperdrive marks the reintroduction of the RST nameplate into the HP4 line for Roto Grip. The RST line previously had the X-1, X-2, and X-3 releases between 2020 and 2022. Of those three releases, two used hybrid coverstocks, while the other featured a pearl. The RST Hyperdrive brings a solid cover, MicroTrax Solid, into the line. This solid veneer is finished with 2000 Abralon, allowing it to grab the lane quickly. The RST Hyperdrive uses the same Roto Star Tour (RST) core design but incorporates the Amplified Inertia (AI) outer core, resulting in a change to the core dynamics. The RG slightly drops from 2.53″ to 2.52″, while the differential gets a bump up to 0.055″ from 0.053″, and the intermediate differential increases from 0.016″ to 0.017″. The changes to the core and coverstock make the Hyperdrive the biggest hooking ball under the RST banner. We didn’t see this ball as angular as previous RST offerings, which makes sense with the change to a solid coverstock, but the continuation it provides at the back of the lane is very impressive. We liked this ball best when there was a good amount of oil volume in the front of the lane, as this kept it from hooking too early and getting lazy at the pin deck.

Cranker

The RST X-1 has been one of Cranker’s favorite balls since its release, so he was really excited about this ball. He had the best reaction out of our three bowlers on the fresh heavy oil pattern. He was able to shape the ball a bit more than the other two bowlers while seeing it finish very strong through the pin deck. The ball started early, but with the volume of oil in the middle of the