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MotoGP to start 2012’s second half in USA

The second half of the 2012 MotoGP begins with the US Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend – the first of two consecutive US rounds. Tyre supplier Bridgestone is anticipating the section known as the Corkscrew, providing rubber to deal with the quick changes of direction and elevation required to complete the stretch successfully. Bridgestone will supply front tyres to provide increased front-end stability, high levels of edge grip for the more demanding sections, and good warm-up performance for a circuit that has one of the lowest average speeds in MotoGP. With seven left-hand turns and only four right-hand turns, the asymmetric rear slicks feature slightly harder rubber on the left shoulder for greater durability, though overall Bridgestone will supply rubber compounds for its rear tyres at the soft end of the spectrum.

24th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Lorenzo wins at Mugello on Bridgestone hard tyres

Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo dominated the Italian Grand Prix ahead of Honda’s Dani Pedrosa and Yamaha Tech 3’s Andrea Dovizioso. Bridgestone’s special construction rear slick tyre, provided in order to give riders another option for dealing with Mugello’s abrasiveness and high track temperatures of around 49°C, was only used by Casey Stoner, who finished eighth; the rest of the top ten all used the hard slicks on both front and rear.

16th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone supply special tyres “for safety” at Mugello

Bridgestone will bring harder compound rear tyres with a special construction to the Italian Grand Prix in order to guard against the excessively high temperatures generated by the Mugello track. The Japanese manufacturer says the decision to bring four of the specially constructed rear tyres in addition to the regular allocation of ten rear slick tyres had been made “in the interest of ensuring maximum rider safety”. The specially developed tyres have been in use for many years at circuits such as the Sachsenring and Phillip Island. The more conventional hard compound rear slick tyre will both be available at Mugello, while the medium rear slick tyre will be supplied in just the regular construction.

12th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Pedrosa takes third win at Sachsenring in MotoGP

Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa won the German Grand Prix to secure his third consecutive triumph at Sachsenring, having used Bridgestone’s hardest compound MotoGP tyres to combat the heavy abrasion of the circuit. Shinji Aoki – manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department said that the company had “advised some riders to use the harder rear slick” following analysis completed during the warm-up session, and while all but one rider fitted the extra hard front slicks for greater cornering stability and durability, the field was split on rear tyre choice, with all CRT riders using the softer medium compound.

9th July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone to investigate MotoGP rear tyre destruction

The general manager of Bridgestone Motorsport’s Tyre Development Department, Shinichi Yamashita has promised to investigate personally the reason why chunks of rubber fell off riders Valentino Rossi’s and Ben Spies’ medium compound slick rear tyres at round seven of MotoGP 2012. Hiroshi Yamada – manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department, also apologised on behalf of the company: “I am sorry that some riders experienced tyre problems during the race. We are now investigating the issue and will report back to teams with our findings at the next race.” The Dutch TT, held at Assen, on Saturday 30 June 2012 was won by Casey Stoner, who capped an impressive weekend for the Repsol Honda team to take his third win of the season ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa in warm, dry weather.

2nd July 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Lorenzo secures Silverstone victory on durable Bridgestone compounds

Round Six of the 2012 MotoGP Championship saw Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo win the British Grand Prix for his third consecutive MotoGP victory. Tyre supplier Bridgestone pronounced itself pleased that the compounds it supplied in its rear slicks allowed riders to perform in milder conditions than may have been anticipated. With rain just about staying clear, track temperatures that were cool for June at 22-28°C were the major concern, but the availability of medium-soft rear slicks, selected by all but Ducati’s Valentino Rossi, allowed the field to combat this coolness. The front soft and medium compound tyres split the riders, including front-runners Lorenzo – on the more durable medium – and Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner, who selected the soft, which warms up faster. Bridgestone said that the compounds both “worked well” and the close racing between the front-runners was indicative of both tyres’ quality.

18th June 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone in Britain for Silverstone MotoGP race

Bridgestone will bring its soft and medium front slicks and medium-soft, medium (asymmetric) rear slicks to Britain as it looks to provide the high-speed stability and warm-up performance necessary for good tyre performance at Silverstone. The manufacturer and sole tyre supplier to the series says Silverstone’s speed and susceptibility to cold weather make it one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar in terms of tyre development. With rain a distinct possibility, the brand’s wet tyre soft (main) and hard (alternative) compounds may also come into play.

12th June 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

OE key to Bridgestone’s high performance portfolio

Competition in the high performance tyre market is growing as second line and budget brands bring aggressive performance patterns and larger diameter sizes to market. Established premium tyre makers, who previously had the market all to themselves, now share the performance segment with an abundance of lower-priced products. How can a premium tyre maker maintain its market share in such an environment?

8th June 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Wet French MotoGP a “challenge” for Bridgestone’s Azuma

Bridgestone’s wet tyres were employed at the rain-lashed Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans for last Sunday’s French MotoGP and an exciting wet race ensued. With two wet tyre compounds available, the softer was preferred by riders due to their greater warm-up performance and initial grip on a very cool track, where temperatures struggled to surpass 25°C. Masao Azuma, chief engineer, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department explained how the weekend panned out according to the tyre supplier:

25th May 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Lorenzo claims Le Mans MotoGP victory on Bridgestone wets

Jorge Lorenzo dominated the field on his Yamaha Factory Racing M1 in a wet French MotoGP to claim his second win of the season, ten seconds ahead of Ducati’s Valentino Rossi, moving him to the top of the Championship standings ahead of third-placed Casey Stoner. All the riders chose to use Bridgestone’s soft wet tyres on front and rear on a cool, sodden track, increasing warm-up performance and initial grip. Bridgestone said the reduced standing water as the race went on resulted in very little degradation, since the majority of riders setting their personal best times in the latter stages of the race.

21st May 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone provides asymmetric MotoGP tyre for Le Mans

Bridgestone is at Le Mans this weekend for the fourth round of the 2012 season, where it will provide an asymmetric rear tyre to deal with the demands of the circuit’s emphasis on right-hand turns. Hiroshi Yamada, manager at Bridgestone’s Motorsport Department, said: “Le Mans is a special place to visit with the large crowds and history of the venue combining to create a unique atmosphere and over the years the French GP has provided some very challenging races due to the poor weather conditions encountered at this time of year.

15th May 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Stoner first as Jerez offers MotoGP “every track condition”

Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner scored his first MotoGP victory at Jerez after fending off Factory Yamaha Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo in a closely contested Spanish GP. Masao Azuma, chief engineer at tyre supplier Bridgestone’s Motorsport Tyre Development Department, said: “I am happy with how both our wet and slick tyres performed at Jerez in what were very challenging operating conditions.”

30th April 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

MotoGP adds Bridgestone wet tyre for soggy Spanish Saturday

Avintia Blusens’ rider Iván Silva put in a hot lap on slick tyres during a damp first practice session at Jerez to finish Friday on top of the timesheets. Conditions were neither fully wet nor dry during the first practice session and only eight riders chose to go out. Sporadic rain continued falling throughout the morning session and continued right until the start of FP2. The earlier downpour resulted in enough standing water on the circuit to necessitate wet tyres in FP2.

27th April 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Battlax S20: Applying race technology to the road

While the world of MotoGP may seem a far cry from the realm of the everyday motorcyclist, Bridgestone believes lessons learned in the heat of competition enable it to deliver customers unrivalled safety and performance. Therefore, when asked why it invests so much time and money in MotoGP, the tyre maker finds the answer comes easy – although its MotoGP participation works as a very effective marketing and product promotion tool, by far the greatest benefit it brings is technology transfer.

4th April 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

MotoGP pre-season testing ends as Stoner sets pace

MotoGP’s pre-season testing has concluded at Jerez with a late dash by Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner confirming the Australian’s place at the top of the 21-rider lap-time table. Jerez was the first time all twenty-one riders campaigning the upcoming MotoGP season shared the same circuit, and the reigning champion’s 1:38.780 ensured he was the fastest man at each of the IRTA pre-season tests. Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo, the 2010 champion, achieved a best time of 1:38.953, showing potential and promising some exciting duels throughout the upcoming season. Shinji Aoki, manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department, said that the company will “leave Spain having achieved all our technical objectives.”

26th March 2012/by Tyrepress Editors