Our Motorsport Heritage
Forty Years Of Bridgestone Racing Tyres
Introduction
Bridgestone has been at the fore-front of innovation and development in motor sport since making its racing debut at the first Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka in 1963. Motor sport is now a crucial arena for expressing Bridgestone's corporate identity on a global level. The tyres supplied by Bridgestone for that first race were ordinary motor car tyres but within three years Bridgestone had developed a racing tyre and began its bold climb towards the summit of motor sport.
The 1970s
The 1970's was an era of rapid economic growth for Japan and the domestic motor racing scene grew just as spectacularly. Bridgestone soon provided tyres in many categories, using motor racing to promote sales of products.Participation in a string of series commenced in the 1970s including Le Mans 24 Hrs Endurance race, Daytona 24 Hrs, F2000, F3, Australian Touring cars and karting.
The 1980s
Europe became the next target for brand development, with Bridgestone entering the F2 series, the category below F1, in 1981 and incredibly monopolised the front row of the grid in the very first race. Bridgestone's first victory came in the next race and a magnificent maiden season was capped when a driver running on Bridgestone tyres won the title. This European success was a major contribution in POTENZA becoming Japan's top brand of high-performance passenger car tyre.
The Early 1990s
AMG Mercedes-Benz recognised the superiority of Bridgestone racing tyres when choosing the company as its partner for the German Touring Car Championship (DTM). In 1992, the second year of competition, Bridgestone supplied winning tyres. The AMG Mercedes-Benz team went on to claim two titles in a row in 1994 and 1995. AMG then decided Bridgestone tyres were ideal for its passenger cars and when Bridgestone began competing in F1, this trust was the basis for its selection by the McLaren Mercedes-Benz team. In the United States, meanwhile, the 1988 merger with Firestone had provided an opportunity to compete again in the Indycar Series. In 1995, Bridgestone was behind Firestone's comeback to Indycar racing after a 21-year absence. Soon the victories were piling up and today Bridgestone is the one-make tyre supplier to one of the top series in American motor sports. Bridgestone's activities in motorbike racing also began in the early 1980's with the All Japan Championship.
The Late 1990s
In 1995 then-Bridgestone President Yoichiro Kaizaki gave the go-ahead for the company's drive into F1. Bridgestone originally planned to begin competing in 1998 but development advanced so smoothly the schedule was brought forward to 1997. Four teams were supplied in the first year with Prost driver Olivier Panis scoring Bridgestone's first points with fifth in the first race.
Panis finished third in the second race and for the first time ever an F1 driver was wearing a red Bridgestone cap as he celebrated on the podium. The top teams were alerted to Bridgestone's abilities and in the second year McLaren-Mercedes and Benetton joined Bridgestone's existing partners.
The Bridgestone-McLaren combination quickly gained F1 supremacy with the Drivers' and Constructors' titles won in 1998. When Goodyear pulled out in 1999, Bridgestone became the sole supplier. It lasted two years until the return of Michelin when the tyre development battle was resumed.
The New Millennium
Bridgestone's Formula One domination continued with Ferrari who won six successive Constructors' titles between 1999-2004 and five Drivers' titles in succession with Michael Schumacher. The German had begun his career in karts on Bridgestone tyres - perhaps destiny was at work.
In 2007 Bridgestone became the sole supplier to all eleven teams competing in Formula One following Michelin’s departure from competition. Ferrari continued to thrive on Bridgestone’s tyres and to produce excellent results with the Italian squad claiming its 15th Constructor’s title, and Kimi Raikkonen claiming his first drivers’ world championship using the Japanese rubber. It was not until 2008 that Bridgestone commenced its three year tenure as the Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship, and the company celebrated its 200th race participation, since 1997, at the European GP in Valencia.
Advances however were also being made in Bridgestone’s two-wheeled exploits, with the company leaping to the pinnacle of two-wheel racing, MotoGP, in 2002. Kanemoto Racing and Proton Team KR were Bridgestone’s first MotoGP partners, with Proton Team KR rider Jeremy McWilliams claiming the first pole position using Bridgestone tyres at the season finale in Australia.
Five years on, in 2007, Bridgestone was able to celebrate the first MotoGP World Championship won on its rubber, with Casey Stoner and the Ducati team. A second world championship followed swiftly in 2008, with Valentino Rossi using his Bridgestone-shod Fiat Yamaha to claim his sixth motorcycling premier title. Bridgestone has been the Exclusive Tyre Supplier to the FIM MotoGP World Championship for the last four years, from 2009 to 2012.
Bridgestone has also continued to supply highly competitive yet safe tyres to a range of other four wheeled series. Bridgestone is sole supplier to the IndyCar Series and Formula Nippon, to name a few.
