Jerez de la Frontera April 5th, 2005 Spanish Grand Prix Preview More grip and better controllability: Bridgestone riders ready to race As the 2005 motorcycle Grand Prix season kicks off this weekend in Jerez, Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone presents itself as a proud technical sponsor of three excellent MotoGP teams, Ducati Corse Team (riders Loris Capirossi and Carlos Checa), Team Suzuki MotoGP (riders Kenny Roberts and John Hopkins), and Kawasaki Racing Team (riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann). With this powerful and exciting line-up, Bridgestone continues its relentless pursuit of a world championship title. After a busy pre-season which saw the Bridgestone teams travel as far as Malaysia, Australia and Qatar for extensive tyre testing, the championship starts in the very heart of motorcycle passion in Southern Europe. Previously known for the exquisite produce of its more than 100 sherry wineries, Jerez has turned into the mecca of racing enthusiasts when the 4.423 kilometre circuit was first opened in 1986. The track consists of five right and eight left hand turns and a longest straight of 600 metres, but its main feature are the packed grandstands and green hills that host up to 150,000 ecstatic fans, who celebrate their racing heroes during the days, and party the nights away in the main Avenida of Jerez or in the nearby seaside town of Puerto de Santa Maria. The fiesta at last year’s race was somewhat disturbed by torrential rain on race day. To the consolation of all freezing Spanish fans under umbrellas and plastic sheets, local hero Sete Gibernau won the race thanks to his determination in front of his home crowd, and to his extraordinary riding skills in the wet. Due to the difficult and unpredictable weather conditions on that weekend, the true confirmation of the qualities of the Bridgestone tyres was postponed until the recent, official MotoGP test in March this year, which saw Bridgestone riders from different teams and manufacturers conquering remarkable positions on all three days. Suzuki-star John Hopkins surprised his competitors with a best time on day one; on the rain-interrupted second day, Kawasaki rider Shinya Nakano moved to the top of the list, heroicly ignoring some wet patches around the track. On the third and final day, John Hopkins left his mark again with third position, closely followed by Ducati’s hero Loris Capirossi in fifth place. The lap times confirmed Bridgestone’s rapid development, with both Hopkins (1.40,418 minutes) and Capirossi (1.40,559) riding well inside of Valentino Rossi’s unofficial track record of 1.40,818 from last year’s Grand Prix qualifying. Modified constructions and new compounds lead to a remarkable increase in overall performance, handling and braking stability as much as corner grip, traction and endurance. To make sure of sufficient choice for all six riders under all possible conditions, approximately 700 tyres have been shipped to Spain from the factory in Tokyo. Hiroshi Yamada – Motorcycle Racing Manager Bridgestone Motorsport “Since last year’s final Grand Prix, the development of our MotoGP tyres has progressed at a rapid pace as we looked into the shape, construction, and compounds of both front and rear tyres. In the off-season test sessions in February and March, it seemed that the MotoGP motorcycles have mainly increased in terms of corner speed. We have seen lap times cut by 0.8 to 1 seconds compared to last year, which means increased stress on the sides of the tyres. To match this, we have improved mainly the grip level and controllability of our tyres, and we are confident that we’ve been moving in the right direction for the start of this season. We know our competitors have also made progress during the pre-season testing period, but we are ready to face the real challenge, and look forward to the first race this weekend with excitement. With a total of 17 races this season – one more than last year – we hope to achieve good results from the start, and to continue our challenge up the steep hill towards our goal, a MotoGP championship!”