News - 2024

• Bridgestone is engaging in sustainable global motorsport activities to help further promote and develop motorsport culture.
• Through a wide range of motorsport activities, Bridgestone will advance and refine its technology, sustainability, and brand power by challenging for the excellence with a "Passion to Turn the World."
• Bridgestone is aiming to empower each and all to achieve their best and to become as essential to the future of mobility through sustainable global motorsport activities.

Tokyo (March 7, 2024) - Bridgestone Corporation today announced its 2024 motorsport plan. In 2024, the company will continue to support various domestic and overseas motorsports, ranging from top-level professional race series to grassroots amateur races to further develop motorsport culture. The company's support will primarily come through supplying Bridgestone POTENZA tires and Firestone FIREHAWK tires for car races, as well as Bridgestone BATTLAX tires for motorcycle races.

Bridgestone reinforced its sustainable global motorsport activities in 2023 by celebrating its 60th anniversary of motorsport activities and taking a renewed step toward "the global journey for excellence." The company will continuously evolve these activities in 2024, connecting motorsport activities to its "origin" as a tire manufacturer and recommitting to "challenge for excellence." Placing sustainability at the core, the company will reinforce its sustainable global motorsport activities based on the message of "Passion to Turn the World," which expresses its commitment to evolving its activities. Using racing as a "mobile laboratory," Bridgestone will refine its technologies in extreme conditions through the evolution of ENLITEN^® - its base technology for product design and its "new premium in the EV era." Through its motorsport efforts, Bridgestone will connect ENLITEN innovation to the development of replacement tires in its next stage under the concept "From Circuit to Street."

Moreover, the company will accelerate sustainability throughout the value chain, where it "produces," "uses," and "renews" tires to raw material. Through this evolution, Bridgestone will demonstrate its challenge and pursuit of excellence, as well as its passion to race with many partners who love motorsport and will evolve its brand into "sustainable premium" brand.

In top-level professional race series, Bridgestone is supplying tires for SUPER GT car races and All Japan Road Race Championship motorcycle races in Japan. Overseas, Bridgestone's Firestone brand is serving as the exclusive tire supplier for the NTT INDYCAR^® SERIES^*1 in North America for the 25th consecutive season. Other overseas races supplied with Bridgestone tires include the Endurance World Championship (EWC), the world's foremost series of endurance motorcycle races by Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Also, the company supplies tires for the MFJ All Japan Motocross Championship.

Additionally, Bridgestone is supplying tires for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing GR86/BRZ Cup, the All-Japan Gymkhana Championship, Mazda's grassroots motorsport races, and the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Rally Challenge - a grassroots motorsports rally for beginners the company is supporting for the first time this year. Also beginning in 2024, Bridgestone will be the official tire supplier of Super Taikyu Series, a Japanese endurance race that will be branded as "Empowered by BRIDGESTONE." Through its involvement in various racing series across the globe, Bridgestone will continue to advance and refine its technologies and brand power by pursuing the limits of maximum tire performance under extreme conditions as it seeks to support safety of all drivers and riders from professional to amateur, and to empower each and all to achieve their best.

Meanwhile, as part of its sustainable motorsport activities, Bridgestone will continue its title sponsorship and support of the Bridgestone FIA ecoRally Cup,^*2 an international competition in which non-professional drivers compete with a focus on electricity efficiency using zero-emissions vehicles. Bridgestone will utilize this opportunity to promote the value of its ENLITEN technology. Through these activities, the company will also seek to contribute to the international development of motorsport while supporting realization of a carbon neutral mobility society.

Furthermore, Bridgestone will continue to evolve the Bridgestone eMotorsport Institute, which offers eMotorsport lessons by professional racing drivers, and the POTENZA Circuit Challenge, an open-participation event that offers beginners the opportunity to take their first drive around the circuit. These initiatives will be used as a platform to expand the fanbase for motorsport.

Bridgestone is aiming to empower each and all to achieve their best and to become as essential to the future of mobility through sustainable global motorsport activities. The company strives to achieve its corporate commitment for "Emotion: Committed to inspiring excitement and spreading joy to the world of mobility" described in its "Bridgestone E8 commitment."^*3 It also seeks to enjoy motorsport, earn emotion and empathy, and promote co-creation for sustainable future together with many partners.

1. Bridgestone has an agreement to act as the exclusive tire supplier for the NTT INDYCAR^® SERIES until 2025.
   https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2019/firestone-extends-exclusive-tire-supplier-partnership-with-ntt-i
2. FIA PARTNERS WITH BRIDGESTONE ON ECORALLY CUP INITIATIVE
   https://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/news/pdf/2023031002.pdf
3. The Bridgestone Group established its corporate commitment, the "Bridgestone E8 Commitment," to help it realize its vision: "Toward 2050, Bridgestone continues to provide social value and customer value as a sustainable solutions company." This commitment will serve as the Group's axis to drive management while earning the trust of future generations. The "Bridgestone E8 Commitment" consists of eight Bridgestone-like values starting with the letter "E" (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, and Empowerment) that the Group will commit to creating through Bridgestone-like purposes and processes, together with employees, society, partners, and customers to help realize a sustainable society.
   https://www.bridgestone.com/corporate/news/pdf/2022030101.pdf

<Car Races>

1. NTT INDYCAR^® SERIES

• The NTT INDYCAR^® SERIES is the premier open-wheel racing series in North America.
• Through its Firestone brand, Bridgestone will be the sole tire supplier for the NTT INDYCAR^® SERIES through 2025. This year will be the 25th consecutive season that Firestone Firehawk race tires will be the only tires used in the series.

Tires: FIRESTONE FIREHAWK RACING TIRE

2. INDY NXT by Firestone

• INDY NXT by Firestone is the developmental series of NTT INDYCAR^® SERIES.
• Bridgestone supported this category with Firestone brand tire from 1991 to 2013 and is now the sole tire supplier again from 2023 to 2025.

Tires: FIRESTONE FIREHAWK RACE TIRE

3. Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC)

• Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) is exhibition racing series of completely autonomous driving cars held in North America and Europe.
• Bridgestone has exclusively supplied Bridgestone brand tires since 2021.
• 9 teams from 5 countries, representing 17 universities and over 259 engineering students are participating in the Indy Autonomous Challenge to compete to find who has programmed the most advanced AI driver.

<Motorcycle Races>

1. FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC)

• The FIM EWC is the only motorcycle road race world championship with multiple tire suppliers.
• In 2023, it was the third consecutive year and the fourth time that a Bridgestone tire-equipped team has won the championship. Bridgestone will continue to supply three teams with tires in this season.

Tires: RACING BATTLAX TIRE