Hiroshi Yamada Reviews Bridgestone’s MotoGP Season So Far After five gruelling race events in six weekends, MotoGP is enjoying something of a luxurious break before the racing season continues in the Czech Republic next week. With only six races to go of the 2006 championship, Bridgestone Motorsport’s Motorcycle Racing Manager Hiroshi Yamada takes time to reflect on the first eleven races of the year, reviewing the highs and lows of Bridgestone’s most competitive season at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing in only its fifth year of MotoGP participation. Mr. Yamada, how would you summarise Bridgestone’s 2006 MotoGP season so far? “It has been a contrasting season for Bridgestone so far with some excellent results in the initial race weekends followed by some tough races recently in the hectic June and July period. We scored our first race win of the season with Loris Capirossi and Ducati in the opening race at Jerez, which was also our first ever race win on European soil. We have also seen some strong podium finishes from Loris elsewhere in Qatar, Le Mans and Mugello, as well as one from Shinya Nakano and Kawasaki in Assen. Suzuki has also been tantalisingly close to the podium with three pole positions, two fourth-placed finishes from John Hopkins in China and Spain and a near-miss from Chris Vermeulen, who was running in a podium position until the final laps of the last race at Laguna Seca. We have also seen Bridgestone-shod bikes take five pole positions with four different riders and we have seen at least one front row start for a Bridgestone-shod bike in ten out of the eleven races so far.” What were the initial aims and targets at the start of this 2006 season? “We set ourselves quite ambitious targets at the beginning of the season, but quite realistic targets based on the results we achieved in 2005. We scored two wins in 2005 and two in 2004, so we want to double that in 2006. Likewise we scored eight podiums last year, so we want to break into double figures this season with top three results from each of our teams. It is only Bridgestone’s fifth year of participation in MotoGP, so our rivals are able to draw from a far more extensive database of tyre information. We must work on a step-by-step basis, building up our operations and competitiveness year-by-year as our own database expands.” Did you expect the first race win of the year to come so early in the season? “I personally did not dream of starting the season in such a successful way, but during the pre-event test at Jerez it was clear that Bridgestone runners held a distinct advantage at that track at that time. In similar conditions this advantage prevailed for race week with an all-Bridgestone front row (the two Ducatis of Loris and Sete Gibernau in first and second with Shinya Nakano’s Kawasaki third). The subsequent victory really proved that our off-season winter tyre development was correct, but the Jerez win certainly did not mean the end of development work. We can never rest because our rivals are always chasing the same target the top step of the podium.” Why has it been so difficult to repeat that Jerez win? “We came close to repeating that win and were able to challenge the frontrunners at numerous races, including Qatar, Le Mans and Mugello where Loris finished on the podium, and more recently at Laguna Seca where a technical problem prevented Chris Vermeulen from battling for a victory. However, our rivals have also worked hard. All the Honda riders have performed consistently well during the season and Valentino is always a threat, which has made it a fascinating and closely-run championship this year. We have to stay on top of our game in every respect of tyre performance, so too do our teams and riders with the bike. The entire package has to work in unison at all times – that means bike, rider and tyre.”