Bridgestone and MotoGP will go together like peas and carrots for another three years, as the premier racing class has extended the Japanese tire company’s exclusive tire agreement through the 2014 season. Today’s announcement also means that Bridgestone will be the single-tire supplier going into the new 1,000cc format starting next year. Supplying tires to MotoGP since 2002, as of today Bridgestone-clad riders have won 4 World Championship Titles, 70 Grand Prix victories, and 197 podiums in the premier class.
“I am encouraged that we can continue what has been a very successful relationship with the premier class of motorcycle road racing over the past nine years. I would like to thank the riders, the FIM, Dorna, the MSMA and IRTA for their support of us, in particular over the last two years as Official Tire Supplier,” said Mikio Masunaga, Vice President and Senior Officer Member of the Board Responsible for Motorsport.
“MotoGP is a key global platform for Bridgestone both in carrying our brand and messages to an international audience and in enabling us to develop and prove our products and technical expertise on the world stage. I believe our involvement in MotoGP will enable us to continually improve the safety and performance of our consumer tires.”
For some fans the continuation of the single-tire supplier situation in MotoGP will be received with displeasure, but as the MotoGP grid hovers around 17 riders (assuming a replacement can be found for Álvaro Bautista in time for the Qatar GP), the prospect of dividing-up the class further by multiple tire manufacturers seems improbable, and would likely to make for worse, not better, racing that favors one manufacturer over another.
Source: Bridgestone
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