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Ubukata “Very Confident” in Bridgestone’s New MotoGP Tyre Specs

Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development manager Tohru Ubukata has declared himself “very confident” in the new MotoGP rear medium compound tyre supplied by the series’ tyre provider for testing at Sepang, Malaysia. The manufacturer also tried out a developmental specification hard front slick over the two day testing period – the results of which will go towards determining the future direction of Bridgestone’s tyre technology, according to the company.

26th February 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone MotoGP Testing Underway

Bridgestone began testing for the 2010 MotoGP on 4-5 February, making three compounds (hard and extra hard at the front, medium and hard at the rear) available to riders at Sepang, Malaysia. The manufacturer reported its satisfaction with the way the tyres handled the sort of conditions it expected in South-East Asia; scorching track temperatures and rain. New bikes, new teams and new riders made for an interesting day, compounded by the fact that the top four riders on each day recorded laptimes quicker than the existing circuit lap record. Whilst the bikes were new, the available Bridgestone tyres were exactly the same specifications as used during the Malaysian Grand Prix last year. Bridgestone believes this fact assisted teams with their setup work, since the tyres provided “a known entity”.

5th February 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Silverstone Arena GP Circuit Development “Well Underway”

Work on the new Arena Grand Prix circuit and improved spectator viewing facilities is well underway at Silverstone. The Northamptonshire circuit’s managing director Richard Phillips has confirmed that work on the new circuit – which will host MotoGP and World Superbike motorcycle racing in 2010 – is on schedule and due for completion in early March. He also confirmed that discussions are on-going with Formula One Management regarding the possibility of staging the 2010 British Grand Prix on the new circuit.

28th January 2010/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone’s Yasukawa: MotoGP “a Very Important Platform”

The 2009 MotoGP season was the first for Bridgestone as the series’ Official Tyre Supplier. Looking back on the season in a question and answer session, Bridgestone Motorsport director Hiroshi Yasukawa explained the importance of MotoGP to other areas of the company’s business, why Bridgestone misses tyre-based competition in the sport, and the new challenges that come with being exclusive supplier. Rather than supporting seven teams and a total of thirteen riders as was the case at the end of last year, Bridgestone supplied tyres and provided support to every team and rider on the grid. In total there were five race-winners, including the first MotoGP win for Andrea Dovizioso and the first on Bridgestone tyres for Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa, and eleven different riders finished on the podium. The World Championship was won by Valentino Rossi and the Fiat Yamaha Team at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the penultimate round of the season.

25th November 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone “Happy” with MotoGP Tyre Performance following Rossi Sepang Lap Record

In addition to sealing the MotoGP Riders Championship with his third place at the weekend, Valentino Rossi managed an outright lap record in qualifying on Saturday, suggesting to Bridgestone manager of the Motorcycle Tyre Development Department, Tohru Ubukata that tyre performance had been good: “Yes, in general I am happy with the performance of both our available compounds this weekend, but Valentino’s lap was very impressive indeed. The track temperature at the end of the session was 52 degrees Celsius, yet Valentino set his fastest lap on the softer front tyre and the softer rear tyre which shows that even in the high heat they had a suitable level of durability and good overall performance.

27th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Rossi Crowned MotoGP Champion Despite Stoner Dominance in Sepang

Following scorching weather at the weekend, the Malaysian MotoGP was delayed following rainstorms best described as tropical, leading to every rider starting on Bridgestone’s wet tyres. With the track wet throughout the race, making it the only Grand Prix this season to be run in its entirety in wet conditions, Casey Stoner delivered a dominant performance from fourth on the grid to take the lead on the first lap. A masterful display saw the Ducati Team rider take his fourth win of the season. Valentino Rossi and Fiat Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo also set a very fast pace as they cut through the field making good use of their wet tyres in the slippery conditions. After closing on Dani Pedrosa in the latter stages of the race, Rossi finished on the final step of the podium to claim the 2009 World Championship title.

26th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

MotoGP Travels to Sepang for Penultimate Season Meeting

Unlike in previous years, MotoGP will go into the Malaysia Grand Prix without prior knowledge of the destination of this year’s Championship Title. While the eventual winner will almost certainly be Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, every rider will see the meeting as a chance to make an impression on the circuit at Sepang, which has the longest lap of any MotoGP circuit at 5.548km and is characterised by two long straights preceded by slow corners. Good grip on corner exit is crucial to maximise speed along each straight, and with the temperature generally the highest of any race on the calendar (often up to 50 degrees Celsius) focus, concentration and rubber will all be tested to the limit, making the Grand Prix a challenging one for tyre supplier Bridgestone too.

21st October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dutch Student Wins 2009 Bridgestone Journalism Contest

Dutch student Tim Biesbrouck has been selected overall winner of the 2009 Bridgestone e-reporter contest. Biesbrouck, aged 21, was one of eleven finalists this year. He was given the opportunity to show the world, and Bridgestone, his reportage skills at the Hungarian Grand Prix in late July, and his “natural flair for journalism” sufficiently impressed the media and motorsport representatives making up this year’s judging panel.

6th October 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Favours Hard Slicks for San Marino MotoGP

Hot, humid conditions in San Marino on the first day of its Grand Prix have produced a favourable reaction to the hard compound Bridgestone slicks amongst the field. Whilst both options were used during the free practice session to get a feeling for the available grip and balance from each, it was on the harder slicks that the best times were recorded.

4th September 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

British GP Gives Dovizioso His First Bridgestone Win

What have been described as ‘incredibly challenging’ conditions at Donington Park did not prevent Repsol Honda’s Andrea Dovizioso from winning his first race on Bridgestone tyres. Although the race was declared wet before the start only the Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner and Nicky Hayden chose to start on Bridgestone’s wet tyres; Dovizioso opted for Bridgestone’s soft front and rear slicks and chased Fiat Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi closely in the opening laps. After the latter fell, Dovizioso made the best use of his soft compound rubber on the slippery tarmac to extend what by lap 23 was a 13.5second lead.

27th July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Previews MotoGP’s UK Round 10

Donnington Park will host the tenth round of the MotoGP championship this weekend, with Bridgestone supplying riders with Soft and Medium slick compounds for front and rear. The manufacturer believes that last year’s predictably unpredictable weather will carry over to this year’s race, having a major impact on its outcome, even though the British round is held one month later this year as a result of a change-around in the MotoGP calendar.

Due to the cooler British climes and the smooth and flowing nature of the Donington Park circuit, Bridgestone has selected the softest tyre compound options for this weekend: the soft and the medium compound slicks. The soft compound wets will also be available, as used in Le Mans and Mugello. Donington is a medium-slow circuit with a low-grip surface that traditionally has been a tricky one for Bridgestone, despite the result of the wet but slowly drying 2007 race, when Casey Stoner and the Ducati Team brought Bridgestone’s first victory at Donington, and Rizla Suzuki’s Chris Vermeulen finished third.

22nd July 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

MotoGP Update – Rossi on Pole for Dutch GP

Fiat Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi has secured pole for the Dutch Grand Prix on Assen’s qualifying TT circuit. His qualifying performance is Rossi’s best of the year, coming in the seventh meeting. Using a medium compound front Bridgestone slick and a soft compound rear he finished 0.085 seconds ahead of Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and 0.368 seconds clear of teammate Jorge Lorenzo, both of whom also used medium compound front and soft compound rear Bridgestone slicks, making it the closest MotoGP qualifying session since Bridgestone became the series’ Official Tyre Supplier. At one point towards the end of the session, the top five were split by only 0.100 seconds, and a frantic final few minutes changed the order of the front two rows.

Bridgestone says that it has come to be expected this season that most riders set their fastest qualifying times using the harder option front tyre and the softer rear slick. This combination, says the supplier, gives the advantage of improved front stability, especially under braking, and added rear traction which is important for drive out of turn five and the last chicane in particular. Rossi’s pole lap was 0.7 seconds faster than the fastest race lap set around Assen on a MotoGP machine, a 1m 36.738 recorded by Ducati Team’s Casey Stoner on Bridgestone tyres last year.

26th June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Win MotoGP Tickets and Prizes with National

Motorcycle Grand Prix fans take note – National Tyres and Autocare is giving visitors to its national.co.uk website the opportunity to win. Up for grabs are tickets to the paddock at Donnington on July 25 and 26 plus limited edition autographed prints of some of the biggest names in MotoGP.

National is running the free prize draw in conjunction with Bridgestone who donated the motorcycle prizes. For a chance to win tickets, visit the website before July 6, 2009. The autographed print draw will be separately held on August 28. No purchase is necessary in order to enter, assures National.

22nd June 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

MotoGP Competition “Tight” with Single Tyre Supplier

Previewing the fourth round of this year’s MotoGP championship, which takes place at Le Mans at the weekend, Hiroshi Yamada predicts that competition will continue to be fierce following the presence of three different riders at the top of the leaderboard after each of the first three Grand Prix weekends: “We’ve now had three races of this new season with Bridgestone supporting all riders and teams as the series’ Official Tyre Supplier, and in this time I am very pleased to have seen three championship leaders. Casey is only 11 points behind Valentino and Jorge and Dani are tied on points for third position, so we could see another change at the French Grand Prix.

“Valentino will want to win to keep himself on-track for his 100th victory in Mugello and Casey will want to make amends for last year’s race, but Jorge and Dani are also fast at Le Mans, Colin Edwards has performed well there in the past and after his excellent fourth position in Jerez, Randy de Puniet will carry a lot of confidence into his home grand prix so I think competition at the front will be tight. We had full wet race in 2007 and last year rain fell in the middle of the race, so I hope this year we will have another exciting battle but with dry conditions!”

12th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Announces 2009 e-reporter Finalists

The eleven finalists who will hone their journalistic skills in the battle to become this year’s Bridgestone e-reporter have been named. This year’s list features aspiring sports reporters from nine European countries, including two UK candidates. The first e-reporter to be given the chance to demonstrate his talents is Spain’s Ferran Lopez Margall, who will cover the opening GP2 event for the season at the Spanish Grand Prix on May 8 to 10.

Eight finalists are attending a Formula One race weekend to follow the GP2 Series this season, while three others will get the opportunity to witness the two-wheeled action of MotoGP. All finalists will report on the Bridgestone-supported championships for Bridgestone’s bridgestone.eu/e-reporter website and interview riders or drivers to fine-tune their journalistic skills. The first UK e-reporter to go trackside is Stephanie Black, who heads to Silverstone on the weekend of June 19 to 21. The second Blighty based candidate, Kate Goodacre, will report on the GP2 proceedings in Germany between July 10 and 12.

7th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors