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1.1 seconds covers entire field at second Sepang MotoGP test

Bridgestone’s second Sepang pre-season test concluded today; fine weather allowed teams to test dry weather tyres after extended inclement weather on Tuesday and Wednesday prevented as much slick compound testing as they would have liked. Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner was the fastest rider, setting a 2:00.473 lap on a combination of the hard front and medium rear tyres. Teammate Dani Pedrosa and Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider Andrea Dovizioso were next fastest. Shinji Aoki, manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Department, said he had been “pleased with the performance of the 2012 specification tyres” during the testing sessions.

1st March 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone meets Dorna safety advisor at first MotoGP testing

Bridgestone completed its first round of pre-season MotoGP testing in early February, taking its latest hard and extra-hard front, and medium and hard rear compounds to Sepang, Malaysia. The tyre supplier also took the opportunity to meet with series organiser Dorna’s safety advisor, Loris Capirossi, who was there to “continue the good work Bridgestone and I started at Valencia last November”, in his words. He also scotched media reports of critical comments he was alleged to have made about Bridgestone’s rubber, saying he has “shared a long and positive relationship” with the supplier. “[In] Malaysia we made our plans for the season and most importantly for this time, we discussed the 2012 specification tyres and how the riders’ are responding to them,” he told the media.

23rd February 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone starts 2012 MotoGP testing

Bridgestone has started testing its 2012 MotoGP tyre testing season in Valencia, Spain and Sepang, Malaysia. The company says it has spent the winter completing a programme of intensive development, and the tyre evaluation performed around the world over the next two months will be used to gauge perception among the riders. While six lap records were set on Bridgestone rubber in 2011, feedback from riders suggested that additional safety features needed to be built into new tyres, and Bridgestone Motorsport general manager, Tohru Ubukata says this is where the focus has been.

31st January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Former Bridgestone motorsport boss hired by Ferrari F1

Hirohide Hamashima, formerly manager of Bridgestone’s Motorsport department, has been hired by Ferrari to be the luxury car brand’s Formula One Team tyre development director. Hamashima worked with Bridgestone, which supplied tyres to F1 from 1997, until pulling out at the end of the 2010 season.

13th January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Motorsports successes mark Brembo's Golden Jubilee

Brembo, the designer and manufacturer of brake systems and high performance automotive components, celebrates 50 years in business, confirming its technological supremacy through a string of great successes in competitive motorsports during 2011.

The list of winners using Brembo products is truly staggering. Among these are 12 victories in the Formula One Championship that saw Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull Racing team successfully defending the Drivers' and Constructors' Titles won in 2010. Involved in Formula One since 1975, Brembo is able to boast 205 Grand Prix race wins, making up a total of 17 World Championship Drivers' titles and 21 World Championship Constructors' titles, achieved with the top teams.

10th January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone MotoGP tyres “too hard” – Capirossi

The new safety advisor to MotoGP and series promoter Dorna, Loris Capirosi has told an Italian motorsport magazine that he has made it his priority to improve the safety of tyres supplied to the series by Bridgestone. The 22 year racing veteran – including 10 years as a MotoGP rider – said that he had met with Bridgestone in Valencia, characterising the encounter as “tough”.

9th January 2012/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone debuts 2012 MotoGP tyres

Bridgestone’s 2012 specification tyres were also debuted at the Valencia circuit at the Official MotoGP Test on 8-9 November. The test was conducted mostly with the new-era 1000cc machines including five Claiming Rule Team (CRT) bikes from BQR Inmotec, BQR FTR, TeamLaglisse and the Grellini Team. Every rider’s tyre allocation comprised only the 2012 tyres, marking the first full usage of the 2012 tyres that Bridgestone have been developing for one year. The manufacturer explained that the tyres have been developed to improve warm-up and operating range. The test was the first time that next year’s rider changes take effect and the 1000cc bikes have been on track at the same time.

9th November 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone combats “tricky conditions” at Valencia finale

MotoGP’s final meeting of the season in Valencia was made a difficult affair for riders by inclement weather. Tohru Ubukata, general manager of Bridgestone’s Motorsport Tyre Development Department, said “all weekend the track conditions were neither one thing nor the other. When the track was wet, it wasn’t really fully wet and it dried through the session leaving the teams to chase setup, and when it was dry it was still very greasy. In the race spots of rain fell throughout, which made it very tricky for the riders to gauge the level of grip available, as it was often different from corner to corner, and in such a situation tyre performance is always a compromise.”

9th November 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Wet and dry performance a focus for Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S20

Bridgestone intends to greet the New Year by launching a further addition to its premium Battlax range on January 1, the Battlax Hypersport S20. The sport radial will be released in four front wheel and seven rear wheel sizes and first introduced into the European market, followed by a Japan market launch a month later. Plans are also in place to sell the Battlax Hypersport S20 in the Americas, Asia and Oceania.

7th November 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone to finish MotoGP season in Simoncelli tribute

Bridgestone travels to Valencia for this MotoGP season’s final round, which the tyre supplier says will be run in tribute to Marco Simoncelli, whose death in Malaysia last week devastated those involved in the series. Hiroshi Yamada, manager at Bridgestone’s Motorsport Department said: “It is with heavy hearts that we travel to Valencia this week for the final round of the season, but that we continue racing is in itself a fitting tribute to Marco. He never gave up, so nor shall we.

1st November 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Motorsport expresses “devastation” over Simoncelli

The tragic events at MotoGP’s Malaysian Grand Prix, at which Italian San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli was killed, have left representatives at tyre supplier Bridgestone Motorsport understandably devastated. Taka Horio, general manager at the department, continued: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Marco’s family at this terrible, terrible time, and with his team. Words can do no justice to the emotion we are all feeling.

24th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone previews rearranged home MotoGP

MotoGP travels to Japan on 2 October for round 15 of the championship at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit near Mito and Utsunomiya, a few hours’ drive from the Tokyo headquarters of tyre supplier Bridgestone Corporation. The event is the rearranged Japanese leg of the series, the aftermath of the tsunami making the original 24 April date impossible to keep; the event now takes place one week before an overseas back-to-back pair of races on Australia and Malaysia. The date change puts the race at the same time of year as it was held last season, the first weekend in October, so the weather conditions are expected to be similar – around 25 degrees Celsius ambient. This means that the tyre compound options are unchanged, but with the addition of the third soft compound front slicks, although the rear asymmetric slicks have been modified slightly.

27th September 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Six Dunlop championships in one weekend

Six major motorsport championship titles were won this weekend in cars fitted with Dunlop tyres. In the penultimate round of the American Le Mans Series at Laguna Seca, California, another podium finish for Joey Hand and Dirk Mueller in BMW’s Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) Racing Team Dunlop equipped BMW M3 GT meant the drivers, team and tyre manufacturer achieved their championship ambitions with one race still to run this season.

19th September 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone brings harder wearing front slicks to Aragon MotoGP

In 2010, the Motorland Aragon circuit in the north-east of Spain represented a new challenge for Bridgestone, holding its first premier class motorcycle Grand Prix; this year the tyre supplier, the teams and the riders all have the benefit of last year’s data to call upon. Hiroshi Yamada, manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department explains: “there was a lot of good feedback from everybody in the paddock. I am pleased that we are going back this year as it is an exciting and quite dramatic circuit, and with the benefit of last year’s experience not only is our job easier as we do not need to conduct more scientific analysis of the circuit and its tarmac, but we can also be very confident of our tyre compound choices.”

13th September 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Lorenzo takes San Marino victory to narrow MotoGP championship gap

Jorge Lorenzo resisted pressure from pole-sitter Casey Stoner in the early stages of to take a dominant victory and set a new lap record. Dani Pedrosa chased down Stoner and passed him on lap 23 to finish second, meaning that Stoner’s championship lead over Lorenzo is now down to 35 points leaving the title wide open for the remaining five races of the season.

5th September 2011/by Tyrepress Editors