BATTLAX
Track Day
Bridgestone holds regular track days in Japan for end users of its motorcycle tires. The history of these events goes back all the way to the early 1990s, the heyday of the All Japan Road Race Championship.
The beginning of the 1990s was a golden age for road racing. The number of bikes sold and the biking population were both rising steadily, and huge numbers of customers enjoyed participating in track days, so much so that it was difficult even to find track slots in which to ride. Bridgestone started offering track day events so as to provide a space for its end users to ride, initially on race-prepared machinery only. These precious practice opportunities were used by riders to polish their skills.
Today, after dramatic improvements in bike performance, the restrictions on participation have been relaxed so that riders on street bikes can also enjoy track days. Riders are divided into classes based on their skill levels, so that participants can practice at their own level of ability.
Due the decline in the number of people involved in road racing in Japan, these events are now held three times a year (twice at Tsukuba and once at Suzuka), but Bridgestone has continued to offer them to users as a place for them to practice and to receive tuition.
One major feature of these events is that well-known and highly skilled riders, as well as active racing riders, offer instruction to attendees in how to ride safely and enjoyably. Many riders have worked on their riding technique at these BATTLAX track days.
In 2013 Bridgestone began offering lessons to beginners with no prior circuit experience so as to allow them to enjoy sports riding and to experience for themselves the high performance of BATTLAX tires. After they have acquired skills during the riding lessons, Bridgestone offers a plan that allows riders to step up to track days, providing opportunities for more riders to enjoy circuit riding.
