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Briton Achieves First 125cc MotoGP Win on Dunlop Tyres

In his 50th Grand Prix, Bradley Smith shot to his first ever victory by a 13-second margin at the Gran Premio bwin.com de España on the 3rd May. This is the first time Britain has provided a winner in the category since Chas Mortimer won in Spain in 1973.

36 years down the line, Smith brought a win home for the UK, racing on his Birmingham-manufactured Dunlop tyres. Smith got away brilliantly, taking the holeshot and immediately building up a good lead at the front. By the midway point in the race the 18 year-old from Oxford had gained an 18 second advantage, riding a lonely race and eventually crossing the line 13 seconds ahead of the chasing pack for his maiden GP triumph.

Dunlop, which designs, develops and produces all of its racing tyres at its Fort Dunlop plant, was pleased with the victory: “It was great to see a British rider on British tyres win this race, especially as it is the first time a UK rider has seen a win in 36 years. Congratulations to Bradley Smith for winning with such finesse and passing the chequered flag 13 seconds ahead of the competition. When the Brit’s do it, they do it well!” said Pat Walsh, sales manager Motorcycle Race for Dunlop.

6th May 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone E-reporter Navarro to Commentate for 2009 F1 Season

Bridgestone has announced that Guillaume Navarro, winner of the 2008 Bridgestone e-reporter competition, will serve as a commentator at the be commentating on the FIA Formula One World Championship for RMC Sport radio (Radio Monte Carlo) for the full 2009 season. At the opening round of this year’s Formula One Season, held in Australia between 27-29 March, Navarro will officially be behind the microphone for the first time as part of the commentary team for RMC Sport Radio, France’s leading sport radio station.

26th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Launches New Hyper Sports Street Bike Tyre

One week before the final pre-season MotoGP test in Jerez, LCR Honda rider Randy de Puniet and Pramac Racing’s Niccolo Canepa flew to the southern Spanish circuit of Almeria to support the media launch of Bridgestone’s Battlax BT-003. The tyre is designed to provide outstanding street and track day performance for all sports motorcycles from 250cc upwards, giving riders of all abilities the chance to experience the grip performance of Bridgestone’s MotoGP multi-layer compound technology. A range of 2009-specification street bikes from MotoGP manufacturers Ducati, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha were fitted with the BT-003RS tyres and used during the five days, alongside machines from BMW, Triumph and KTM.

26th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

BT-016 Selected as Sole OE for Triumph’s Best Selling Bike

Bridgestone’s Battlax BT-016 tyre has been chosen as original equipment (OE) for Triumph’s best seller -the Street Triple. As of this month Bridgestone reports that it has 100 per cent share of OE on the model which, like the BT-016 tyre itself, has been recognised for revolutionising its class.

This latest announcement tops what has been a successful year for the BT-016. The tyre, which successfully transferred Bridgestone’s five-layer compound technology, usually used to produce hand-made MotoGP tyres, onto the production line for the first time, has received plaudits from riders and racers alike.

18th March 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Silverstone Releases New Track Layout Plans

Silverstone Circuits Ltd has unveiled provisional plans for a number of modifications to the track and spectator viewing areas at its Northamptonshire base. The most significant addition to the circuit will be a new section of track running from the approach at Abbey corner to an ‘Arrowhead’ at the inside of Becketts. The Arrowhead will then join up with the existing National Straight. Additional sections of track will also be laid at Chapel and Club in anticipation of the MotoGP World Championship rounds between 2010 and 2014 (following the signing of an agreement with Dorna to take the series to Silverstone).

18th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Spending Their Way Out of Recession

Editorial/Comment

Spend or save, that is the question. Watching newly inaugurated US President Barack Obama fight to push his trillion-dollar public spending plans through congress, exemplifies the divide between the two opposing schools of thought on how to deal with the current financial crisis. Conservative politicians holding opposition office (both here and in the US) appear to advocate lowering taxes and argue against the high levels of borrowing Gordon Brown and Obama are embarking on. But in practice the majority of both left and right governments around the world are doing similar things to Brown and Obama and advocating economic stimulus plans – albeit to a greater or lesser extent. But how do tyre businesses get out of slump? Can this market spend its way out of recession?

18th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Won’t Colour MotoGP Compounds

Though its different compounds in Formula One were coloured last season to generate interest among spectators, Bridgestone told motorsport news sources that it has no plans to incorporate a similar scheme into its tyres for the new MotoGP season, of which it is the sole tyre supplier.

While the move to slicks in F1 in 2009 will make it as hard for the company to continue its colouration as it would to colour motorcycle tyres, it has been suggested that the company will colour the sidewall of its softer compound tyre green, where last year’s F1 tyre had a white stripe in the softer compound’s tread pattern. The same cannot be said for its plans in MotoGP: “Presently there is no plan to differentiate tyres in MotoGP as is done in Formula One,” a Bridgestone spokesman told crash.net.

16th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Launches Online Biker’s Club

Get your motor running…Bridgestone is launching a new online meeting place for bikers and enthusiast alike. The ‘Biker’s Club’ site, which can be found at http://www.bridgestonebikersclub.co.uk/index.php, is free to join and use. Furthermore, Bridgestone says the site offers members special offers and unique benefits, plus advice from some of the top experts in their field. A given example of the many things members can expect to find, adds the tyre major, is behind the scenes insights into MotoGP and even interviews with some of the riders.

5th February 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Signs MotoGP Supply Deal

Bridgestone has confirmed that it has signed the final contract with Dorna to become the official tyre supplier for the MotoGP class in the FIM MotoGP World Championship for a three-year period commencing with the 2009 season. This follows a tender process which took place in 2008. The agreement covers the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons where all MotoGP competitors will use Bridgestone tyres exclusively.

In 2007 Ducati rider Casey Stoner was the first competitor to win the title using Bridgestone tyres, whilst Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi won last season’s title on the Japanese manufacturer’s rubber. CEO of Dorna Carmelo Ezpeleta, said, “Bridgestone is a company with a fantastic reputation and they make an outstanding contribution to motorsport. We strongly believe that this new agreement is very positive as it will simultaneously reduce costs and increase competition in MotoGP.”

26th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

2009 Bridgestone e-reporter Open for Entries

Now entering its sixth year, the Bridgestone e-reporter competition provides a seldom-encountered opportunity for aspiring young journalists to showcase their talent and launch a career in their chosen profession. The competition is, as in previous years, open to European students aged between 18 and 30 who are in full-time education. The overall winner of the 2009 competition, chosen for his or her journalistic skills and ability to represent the Bridgestone brand, will be awarded with a laptop, plus further work experience.

13th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Reports Steadily Increasing Motorcycle Tyre Sales

For many years, Bridgestone has dedicated a major research and development programme to the production of motorcycle tyres. Today, the company’s range meets the needs of very different customer sectors, from top-class professional racers to sports enthusiasts, long-distance tourists and everyday commuters. And this R&D is paying dividends; Bridgestone reports a steady increase in the sale of its motorcycle and scooter tyres. In particular, significant gains have been made in the sport/touring radial segment, where Bridgestone Europe (BSEU) has a current market share of more than 30 per cent.

12th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Uses Autosport Show to Publicise 2008 Victories

Dunlop Tyres has brought together a selection of winning motorsport machinery at the Autosport International Show, which opened at the NEC in Birmingham to Trade visitors today. The show continues through the weekend, opening to the public on Saturday.

The Birmingham-based manufacturer is displaying the Le Mans Endurance Championship winning Ferrari F430 GT2 on their stand at the NEC from 8th to 11th January. The Ferrari clinched the international championship running on development Dunlop tyres for the second year in succession.

8th January 2009/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Holds Last MotoGP Tests Until February

The final MotoGP tests of 2008 took place at the end of last week. Eight teams took part in a two-day test at Circuito de Jerez in Southern Spain, while two tested at Australia’s Philip Island Circuit over three days. Reigning world champion Valentino Rossi ended the Jerez test the fastest rider, setting a time of 1.39.429 on the second day, edging out Dani Pedrosa’s first day fastest time of 1.39.525.

The test took place over 26-27 November and fourteen riders took to the track over the course of the two days. On the final day, Pedrosa was second fastest to Rossi, whilst the third to sixth fastest riders, Jorge Lorenzo, Toni Elias, Alex De Angelis and Nicky Hayden, were separated by just 0.06s, illustrating the very close level of competition, even for those riders who have changed teams from the 2008 season.

1st December 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Burgess: MotoGP Control Tyre Rule a “Big Mistake”

The deliberations surrounding MotoGP’s decision to switch to a Bridgestone control tyre in 2009 have continued to grow, with prominent voices speaking up for both sides of the argument. Valentino Rossi’s crew chief, Jerry Burgess, told the Italian magazine, Motosprint, that there was no need for the introduction of a new rule and that teams should be able to make up their own minds.

However Tony Carter, the MotoGP presenter on Eurosport, writes in his online article on 11 November, “As a race fan, all I want to see is rider against rider, machine against machine. I like the idea of a proper scrap where lesser factors like which type of a particular niche rubber compound by any of three or four manufacturers don’t come into it.” The issue is currently the subject of Tyrepress.com’s Question of the Month, provoking similar levels of debate among tyre industry readers.

12th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone “Really Very Satisfied” with New Tyre

Bridgestone says that it is pleased with the results of testing on the company’s new MotoGP offering, which was tested in Valencia after the conclusion of the 2008 season. The tyres will adorn all rides in the 2009 championship, following the decision to switch to a single control tyre.

“I am really very satisfied with the first trials of our new specification slick tyres which we were able to carry out in the dry conditions on Monday,” Tohru Ubukata, Bridgestone motorsport manager, race tyre development told motorsport journalists. “We have used the foundation of our 2008 tyres for these new specs but made some important alterations to ensure that the tyres have a wide operating window and can work well for all teams and riders. We have reduced the overall grip level of the tyres in order to accomplish this and the feedback from the riders has been encouraging. The track conditions on Monday were excellent and the lap times were also very competitive as a result. The most important thing for us is to know that our tyres are durable because this will be one of the most fundamental things for us next season.”

31st October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors