Bridgestone is to end its role as official tyre supplier to MotoGP after the 2015 season.
The Japanese manufacturer has agreed a one-year extension to its current tyre supply contract with series promoters Dorna to supply tyres for the 2015 season, but after that will withdraw from the role.
Bridgestone entered the MotoGP World Championship at the dawn of the modern four-stroke era in 2002, with the objective of establishing itself as the world leader in tyre development.
The Japanese company achieved a pole position in its maiden year, a first podium in 2003 and a first race victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2004. It then enjoyed multiple victories in the 2005 and 2006 seasons, culminating in a first MotoGP™ championship title with Ducati’s Casey Stoner in 2007. A second MotoGP championship followed in 2008 with Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, resulting in Bridgestone receiving the honour of being named the first ever Official Tyre Supplier to the series in 2009, thus achieving its objective of distinguishing itself as the world’s premier motorcycle tyre manufacturer.
Bridgestone believes its “long and successful involvement in MotoGP, supported by significant investment, has given Bridgestone an edge over the competition through the transition of race-proven technologies from the circuit to the road”. It added: “Motorcycle riders around the globe will benefit from Bridgestone’s long and successful involvement in MotoGP for many years to come.”
Bridgestone says it will continue to do its best to promote motorsport as part of its portfolio of activities.
Senior Vice President Chief Marketing Officer Shu Ishibashi said: “Since 2002 Bridgestone has invested large amounts of resources into MotoGP, to help us achieve the goal of becoming the world’s foremost tyre manufacturer. The increase in our brand awareness since joining the series has also been an excellent outcome for us, and we are proud that we have been involved in a series that continues to grow in popularity year on year. While Bridgestone will withdraw from the MotoGP championship after 2015, we are considering other opportunities to maintain our position of as a key player for motorsports fans all around the world.”