About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone Corporation (BSJ), headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.
News - 2017
Bridgestone Announces 2017 Motorsport Plan
2017/03/06
Tokyo (March 6, 2017)-Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) today announced its 2017 motorsport plan. In 2017, Bridgestone supports numerous teams, drivers, and riders in a variety of events from top-level races to grassroots motorsports.
Among branding and marketing initiatives through various sports events, Bridgestone views motorsports as an important communication platform that is directly linked to its tire business. Participating in motorsports, Bridgestone aims to create higher competitive tires while working together with car and motorcycle manufacturers and other related parties to contribute to the development of the automobile industry and motorsport culture.
Through on-track knowledge and experience during tough and competitive top-level races, Bridgestone is able to enhance its tire development capability.
In Japan, Bridgestone will supply tires to teams competing in the SUPER GT for cars as well as in the All Japan Road Race Championship and the Suzuka 8hours Endurance Race for motorcycles. Bridgestone will also supply tires to teams participating in FIM* Endurance World Championship series (EWC) which is the world's foremost series of endurance motorcycle races held in Europe and Japan. In addition, as the official tire supplier, Bridgestone will continue to provide Firestone brand tires to the IndyCar Series in North America.
Bridgestone also supports various grassroots motorsports, including the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 86/BRZ Race, the ROADSTER Party Race III, and gymkhana races. These are examples of Bridgestone's activities to increase the number of car fans. Through these grassroots motorsports, Bridgestone hopes to deliver enjoyable driving experiences. Moreover, Bridgestone continues to supply tires to cars competing in Nürburgring 24 Hours Endurance Race held in Germany that gathers crowds of more than 200,000 spectators.
Bridgestone will primarily supply POTENZA brand tires for car races and BATTLAX brand tires for motorcycle races in pursuit of collaborative victory with teams, drivers, and riders.
Also in 2017, Bridgestone continuously supports the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (October 8 to 15), a solar car race of teams from around the world competing on a route that spans across Australia. The company provides environmental technologies to support the student engineers taking part in this grueling race, which covers a 3,000 km course stretching from the north to the south of Australia.
To communicate the pleasure of cars and motorcycles to many people through these motorsport activities, Bridgestone will hold events both inside and outside of racing circuits and provide information via the Internet and other sources.
*FIM: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
<Car Races>
1. SUPER GT
- This is an immensely popular top-level race series.
- Tires will be supplied by multiple tire manufacturers, and participation to such competition will enhance Bridgestone's technology.
- Bridgestone will supply tires to nine teams in GT500 class and four teams in GT300 class.
- Bridgestone is committed to contributing to the victory of the teams.
SUPER GT GT500 Class Tires: POTENZA RACING TIRE
| Team | Driver | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| LEXUS TEAM SARD | Heikki KOVALAINEN | DENSO KOBELCO SARD LC500 |
| Kohei HIRATE | ||
| LEXUS TEAM LEMANS WAKO'S | Kazuya OSHIMA | WAKO'S 4CR LC500 |
| Andrea CALDARELLI | ||
| LEXUS TEAM au TOM'S | Kazuki NAKAJIMA | au TOM'S LC500 |
| James ROSSITER | ||
| LEXUS TEAM KeePer TOM'S | Ryo HIRAKAWA | KeePer TOM'S LC500 |
| Nick CASSIDY | ||
| LEXUS TEAM ZENT CERUMO | Yuji TACHIKAWA | ZENT CERUMO LC500 |
| Hiroaki ISHIURA | ||
| TEAM IMPUL | Hironobu YASUDA | CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R |
| Jann MARDENBOROUGH | ||
| KEIHIN REAL RACING | Koudai TSUKAKOSHI | KEIHIN NSX-GT |
| Takashi KOGURE | ||
| TEAM KUNIMITSU | Naoki YAMAMOTO | RAYBRIG NSX-GT |
| Takuya IZAWA | ||
| AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI | Tomoki NOJIRI | ARTA NSX-GT |
| Takashi KOBAYASHI |
SUPER GT GT300 Class Tires: POTENZA RACING TIRE
| Team | Driver | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| apr | Koki SAGA | TOYOTA PRIUS apr GT |
| Rintaro KUBO | ||
| LM corsa | Yuichi NAKAYAMA | JMS P.MU LM corsa RC F GT3 |
| Sho TSUBOI | ||
| AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI | Shinichi TAKAGI | ARTA BMW M6 GT3 |
| Sean WALKINSHAW | ||
| K2 R&D LEON RACING | Haruki KUROSAWA | LEON CVSTOS AMG |
| Naoya GAMO |
2. CIK-FIA World and European Championships, and All Japan Karting OK Championship
- These races are prime venues for cultivating young promising racers.
- In CIK-FIA World Karting Championship and CIK-FIA European Championship, Bridgestone will supply tires exclusively for KZ and KZ2 class races, the top classes, as well as for Academy Trophy class races, which are a venue for cultivating drivers.
- In 2017, we will continue to work toward victory together with the numerous teams and drivers in the OK class of the All Japan Karting Championship, the top class of this competition.
Tires: BRIDGESTONE RACING KART TIRE
| Class | Team | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| CIK-FIA World/European KZ Championships | Bridgestone will supply tires to all teams and drivers as the exclusive tire supplier | |
| CIK-FIA European KZ2 Championship/International KZ2 Super Cup | ||
| CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy | ||
| All Japan Karting OK Championship | TONYKART RACING TEAM JAPAN | Daiki SASAKI |
| Haruyuki TAKAHASHI | ||
| INTREPID JAPAN CORSE | Takumi SATO | |
| TOYOTA YAMAHA RT | Atsushi MIYAKE | |
| Sota OGAWA | ||
| FA-KART RACING TEAM | TBD | |
| TEAM BIRELART | Teppei NATORI | |
And other racers
3. All-Japan Gymkhana Championship
- In All-Japan Gymkhana Championship, Bridgestone will supply POTENZA RE-05D Type A, POTENZA RE-71R, and POTENZA RE-11S tires, hoping to achieve victory together with the drivers in various classes.
Tires: POTENZA RE-05D Type A, POTENZA RE-71R, and POTENZA RE-11S
| Class | Driver | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| PN2 | Tetsuya YAMANO | ABARTH 124 Spider |
| PN3 | Yu | TOYOTA 86 |
| SC | Masaki NISHIHARA | SUBARU Impreza |
| SA4 | Masafumi HISHII | MITSUBISHI Lancer Evolution |
And other racers
4. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 86/BRZ Race
- Bridgestone will supply POTENZA RE-06D tires for the PROFESSIONAL Series and POTENZA RE-71R tires for the CLUBMAN Series.
- This grassroots motorsport has been attracting attention and numerous teams are expected to participate in the 2017 season again. Bridgestone positions this event as part of our initiatives for increasing car lovers by communicating the joy of motorsports to a wider audience.
Tires: POTENZA RE-06D
| Class | Team | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| PROFESSIONAL Series | Ogura Clutch with Revolution | Masahiro SASAKI |
| AUTOBACS G7 86 POTENZA | Takao OONISHI | |
| Netz TOYOTA HYOGO Racing Team | Naoya GAMO | |
| CUSCO Racing | Eiji YAMADA | |
| CG ROBOT RACING TEAM | Takuto IGUCHI | |
| Rintaro KUBO |
Tires: POTENZA RE-71R
| Class | Team | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| CLUBMAN Series | Car Watch with Revolution | Yohei HASHIMOTO |
| CUSCO Racing | Masafumi HISHII | |
| Old Timer Sport | Yuya TEZUKA |
And other racers
5. ROADSTER Party Race Ⅲ
- Bridgestone will supply exclusively tires to all cars in this race sponsored by Mazda Motor Corporation.
- Bridgestone strongly support this race which is an opportunity to experience the driving pleasure of motorsport.
- Bridgestone will also provide tires to the Mazda Women in Motorsport Project, which was launched in 2015, in order to support women drivers' participation in motorsports.
Tires: POTENZA RE-71R、POTENZA Adrenalin RE003
6. IndyCar Series
- The IndyCar Series is one of the premier formula car racing series in North America.
- Bridgestone is the official tire supplier for this event, providing Firestone brand tires for the 25 cars of all 10 teams.
Tires: FIRESTONE FIREHAWK RACING TIRE
| Team | Driver |
|---|---|
| A.J. FOYT ENTERPRISES | Conor DALY |
| Carlos MUNOZ | |
| ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT | Marco ANDRETTI |
| Ryan HUNTER-REAY | |
| Takuma SATO | |
| ANDRETTI HERTA AUTOSPORT w/CURB-AGAJANIAN | Alexander ROSSI |
| CHIP GANASSI RACING | Max CHILTON |
| Scott DIXON | |
| Tony KANAAN | |
| Charlie KIMBALL | |
| DALE COYNE RACING | Sebastien BOURDAIS |
| Ed JONES | |
| DREYER & REINBOLD KINGDOM RACING | Sage KARAM |
| ED CARPENTER RACING | Ed CARPENTER |
| JR HILDEBRAND | |
| Spencer PIGOT | |
| RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING | Graham RAHAL |
| Oriol SERVIA | |
| SCHMIDT PETERSON MOTORSPORTS | Mikhail ALESHIN |
| James HINCHCLIFFE | |
| TEAM PENSKE | Helio CASTRONEVES |
| Juan Pablo MONTOYA | |
| Josef NEWGARDEN | |
| Simon PAGENAUD | |
| Will POWER |
7. Nürburgring 24 Hours Endurance Race
- Bridgestone will supply tires to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing participating in this top-level grassroots motorsport.
- The Nürburgring 24 Hours Endurance Race will be held from May 25 to 28.
Tires: POTENZA RACING TIRE
| Class | Team | Driver | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP3T(planned) | TOYOTA GAZOO Racing | Takuto IGUCHI | LEXUS RC |
| Takamitsu MATSUI | |||
| Naoya GAMO | |||
| TBD |
<Motorcycle Races>
1. FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC)
- Bridgestone supplies tires to two teams participating in this series.
- The FIM Endurance World Championship is the only motorcycle road race world championship that multiple tire manufacturers supply tires. The 2016-2017 season kicked off in September 2016 and will consist of a total of five races, the last of which will be the Suzuka 8hours Endurance Race.
Tires: RACING BATTLAX TIRE
| Class | Team | Driver | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| EWC | F.C.C. TSR Honda | Damian CUDLIN | HONDA |
| Alan TECHER | |||
| Gregg BLACK | |||
| YART Yamaha Official EWC Team | Max NEUKIRCHNER | YAMAHA | |
| Broc PARKES | |||
| Kohta NOZANE | |||
| Marvin FRITZ |
The riders who will compete in the Suzuka 8hours Endurance Race have yet to be decided for both teams.
2. FIM EWC, Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race
- The teams Bridgestone supported have won this race for 11 consecutive years leading up to 2016.
- In the 2017 season, Bridgestone will supply tires to the top-level teams with the aim of celebrating victory together with the teams and riders at the Suzuka Circuit in summer.
Tires: RACING BATTLAX TIRE
| Class | Team | Rider | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| EWC | YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM | TBD | YAMAHA |
| YART Yamaha Official EWC Team | TBD | YAMAHA | |
| Kawasaki Team GREEN | TBD | KAWASAKI | |
| Yoshimura Suzuki MOTUL Racing | Takuya TSUDA, TBD | SUZUKI | |
| F.C.C. TSR Honda | TBD | HONDA | |
| MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO | Takumi TAKAHASHI,TBD | HONDA | |
| Honda Team Asia | TBD | HONDA | |
| ATS | Takahiro NAKATSUHARA,TBD | HONDA | |
| Honda Dream Racing | Tatsuya YAMAGUCHI, TBD | HONDA | |
| Honda Suzuka Racing Team | Takashi YASUDA | HONDA | |
| Yudai KAMEI | |||
| Daijiro HIURA | |||
| Sakurai Honda | TBD | HONDA | |
| BMW Motorrad 39 | Daisaku SAKAI, TBD | BMW | |
| TEAM SUGAI RACING JAPAN | Yoshiyuki SUGAI, TBD | APRILIA |
And other racers
3. MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship
- In 2016, riders using Bridgestone tires were named the series champions in two classes (JSB1000 and J-GP3). In particular, the rider that won in the top JSB1000 class delivered an exceptionally impressive performance, winning all races and standing alone at the winners' podium of each race as they claimed the title of champion for the seventh consecutive year.
- Bridgestone has continued to support the ST600 class races by supplying RACING BATTLAX R10 (NHS) tires exclusively to all teams and drivers since 2015.
- We will also continue to supply tires to the JSB1000, J-GP2, and J-GP3 classes with the hopes of sharing victory with the teams and riders.
Tires: RACING BATTLAX TIRE
| Class | Team | Rider | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| JSB1000 | YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM | Katsuyuki NAKASUGA | YAMAHA |
| Kohta NOZANE | |||
| YAMALUBE RACING TEAM | Takuya FUJITA | YAMAHA | |
| Yoshimura Suzuki MOTUL Racing | Takuya TSUDA | SUZUKI | |
| Sodo HAMAHARA | |||
| MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO | Takumi TAKAHASHI | HONDA | |
| F.C.C.TSR Honda | Alan TECHER | HONDA | |
| Honda Dream Racing / TOHO Racing | Tatsuya YAMAGUCHI | HONDA | |
| Honda Suzuka Racing Team | Daijiro HIURA | HONDA | |
| Takashi YASUDA | |||
| ATS | Takahiro NAKATSUHARA | HONDA | |
| Kawasaki Team GREEN | Kazuma WATANABE | KAWASAKI | |
| Katsuya MATSUZAKI | |||
| Akira YANAGAWA | |||
| Team Motorrad 39 | Daisaku SAKAI | BMW | |
| TEAM SUGAI RACING JAPAN | Yoshiyuki SUGAI | APRILIA | |
| GP2 | Team TARO PLUSONE | Taro SEKIGUCHI | HONDA |
| MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO | Ryo MIZUNO | HONDA | |
| Team Kotake RSC | Kosuke SAKUMOTO | HONDA | |
| Ryosuke IWATO | |||
| Marumae PLUSONE | Masaki TOKUDOME | HONDA | |
| S-PULSE DREAM RACING TEAM | Hideyuki OGATA | SUZUKI | |
| GP3 | TBD | ||
| ST600 | Bridgestone will supply tires to all teams and drivers as the exclusive tire supplier | ||
And other racers
4. MFJ All Japan Motocross Championship
- In the 2016 season, riders using Bridgestone tires were named the series champions in the IA1 class, which is the pinnacle of competition in Japan, as well as in the Ladies' Class.
- For the 2017 season, Bridgestone will supply tires to three classes (IA1, IA2, and Ladies' Class) with the hopes of sharing victory with the teams and riders.
Tires: BATTLECROSS X10/X20/X30/X40 and other motocross racing tires
| Class | Team | Rider | Vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| IA1 | Team HRC | Akira NARITA | HONDA |
| TEAM 887 with Honda Dream Ota | Dike BABA | HONDA | |
| T.E.SPORT SHOWA | Gota OTSUKA | HONDA | |
| Kawasaki Team GREEN | Hiroaki ARAI | KAWASAKI | |
| Team SUZUKI | Yohei KOJIMA | SUZUKI | |
| Kouichi FUKAYA | |||
| Team SSC | Tatsuki INAGAKI | SUZUKI | |
| SRF Kanto & Hideaki Dojo | Masaaki SUZUKI | SUZUKI | |
| YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM | Yu HIRATA | YAMAHA | |
| YSP Hamakitaohashi Racing | Masanori ITO | YAMAHA | |
| KTM Uzushio Racing Fukuyama | Yuui HOSHINO | KTM | |
| IA2 | T.E.SPORT KYB | Yoshiki TAKANAWA | HONDA |
| TEAM KOHSAKA | Ukyo MICHIWAKI | HONDA | |
| TEAM M：FACTORY | Kota TORIYABE | YAMAHA | |
| Hyoga KASAHARA | |||
| LX | T.E.SPORT SHOWA | Juri HATAO | HONDA |
| T.E.SPORT | Manaka KAWAI | HONDA |
And other racers
<Race schedule>
[Car races]
SUPER GT
- Apr. 9 Rd.1 Okayama International Circuit
- May 4 Rd.2 Fuji Speedway
- May 21 Rd.3 Autopolis
- Jul. 23 Rd.4 Sportsland SUGO
- Aug. 6 Rd.5 Fuji Speedway
- Aug. 27 Rd.6 Suzuka Circuit
- Oct. 23 Rd.7 Chang International Circuit (Thailand)
- Nov. 12 Rd.8 Twin Ring Motegi
All Japan Karting Championship
- Apr. 23 Rd.1-2 Sportsland Sugo East Course
- Jun. 6 Rd.3-4 Honjyo Circuit
- Aug. 20 Rd.5-6 Festika Circuit Mizunami
- Sep. 24 Rd.7-8 Twin Ring Motegi North Short Course
- Oct. 22 National SL Kart Meeting Championship Festika Circuit Mizunami
- Oct. 29 Rd.9-10 Suzuka Circuit International South Course
All Japan Gymkhana Championship
- Mar. 26 Rd.1 Twin Ring Motegi South Course
- Apr. 23 Rd.2 Ebisu Circuit West Course
- May 21 Rd.3 Meihan Sportsland C Course
- Jun. 18 Rd.4 Auto Sportsland Sunagawa Gymkhana Course
- Jul. 16 Rd.5 Mikawa Sportsland
- Aug. 20 Rd.6 Sportsland TAMADA
- Sep. 10 Rd.7 Speedpark Koinoura
- Oct. 1 Rd.8 Suzuka Circuit International South Course
- Nov. 5 JAF Cup All Japan Gymkhana Bihoku Circuit
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 86/BRZ Race
- Apr. 2 Rd.1 Twin Ring Motegi
- May 7 Rd.2 Autopolis
- Jun. 4 Rd.3 Fuji Speedway
- Jul. 2 Rd.4 Okayama International Circuit
- Jul. 30 Rd.5 Tokachi Speedway
- Sep. 2 Rd.6 Fuji Speedway
- Oct. 1 Rd.7 Sportsland SUGO
- Oct. 22 Rd.8 Suzuka Circuit
- TBD Rd.9 Fuji Speedway
IndyCar Series
- Mar. 12 St. Petersburg
- Apr. 9 Long Beach
- Apr. 23 Barber Motorsports Park
- Apr. 29 Phoenix International Raceway
- May 13 Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- May 28 Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Indy 500)
- Jun. 3-4 The Raceway at Belle Isle Park
- Jun. 10 Texas Motor Speedway
- Jun. 25 Road America
- Jul. 9 Iowa Speedway
- Jul. 16 Toronto
- Jul. 30 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
- Aug. 20 Pocono Raceway
- Aug. 26 Gateway Motorsports Park
- Sep. 3 Watkins Glen International
- Sep. 17 Sonoma Raceway
[Motorcycle races]
FIM Endurance World Championship
- Apr. 16 Rd.2 24 Heures Motos (Le Mans, FRA)
- May 20 Rd.3 Oschersleben 8 Hours (GER)
- Jun. 24 Rd.4 8 Hours of Slovakia Ring (SLO)
- Jul. 30 Rd.5 Suzuka 8 Hours (JPN)
MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship
- Apr. 9 Rd.1 Tsukuba Circuit
- Apr. 23 Rd.2 Suzuka Circuit
- May. 14 Rd.3 Sportsland SUGO
- Jun. 11 Rd.4 Twin Ring Motegi
- Jun. 25 Rd.5 Autopolis
- Aug. 20 Rd.6 Twin Ring Motegi
- Sep. 10 Rd.7 Auropolis
- Oct. 1 Rd.8 Okayama International Circuit
- Nov. 5 Rd.9 Suzuka Circuit
*Only JGP2/JGP3/ST600 classes in Rd.1. Only JSB1000 class in Rd.2, 6, and 7.
MFJ All Japan Motocorss Championship
- Apr. 9 Rd.1 HSR Kyushu
- Apr. 23 Rd.2 Offroad Village
- May 21 Rd.3 Sera Green Park Korakuen
- Jun. 4 Rd.4 Sportsland SUGO
- Jul. 16 Rd.5 Fujisawa Sports Land
- Aug. 27 Rd.6 Sportsland SUGO
- Sep. 10 Rd.7 Meihan Sports Land
- Oct. 8 Rd.8 Offroad Village
- Oct. 22 Rd.9 Sportsland SUGO
