Bridgestone : Announces 2019 Motorsport Plan

Tokyo (February 28, 2019) -- Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone) today announced its 2019 motorsport plan. Bridgestone supports various domestic and overseas motorsports, ranging from top-level professional series to grassroots amateur races, primarily by supplying Bridgestone POTENZA tires for car races and Bridgestone BATTLAX tires for motorcycle races.

The 2019 plan aims to build off a successful 2018 calendar in which teams using Bridgestone tires won championships in both the GT500 class and the GT300 class of SUPER GT car races for the first time in five years. Furthermore, in just its second year supporting the event, Bridgestone supplied tires to the teams that won the 2018 Endurance World Championship (EWC), which is the world's foremost series of endurance motorcycle races organized by Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM).

In 2019, Bridgestone will supply tires to the All Japan Road Race Championship and the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race motorcycle races, as well as to the NTT IndyCar® Series in North America through. Through its Firestone brand, Bridgestone is entering its 20th consecutive season as the sole tire supplier, a partnership was recently extended through 2025. By designing and developing high-performing race tires for these top-level series, Bridgestone is continuously advancing its tire technology and expertise.

This year's plan also includes support for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 86/BRZ Race, the ROADSTER Party Race III, the All-Japan Gymkhana Championship, and racing kart, all of which are held in Japan. In addition, Bridgestone supplies tires to a team competing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours Endurance Race, a grassroots motorsports event held in Germany that gathers crowds of more than 200,000 spectators. By supplying tires to these motorsports, Bridgestone hopes to deliver enjoyable driving experiences.

In 2019, Bridgestone will continue working together with automobile manufacturers and other parties to contribute to the development of motorsports and to societies that encourage enjoyable driving and riding.

1. SUPER GT

・This is the most popular top-level race series in Japan. Tires will be supplied by both Japanese and overseas tire manufacturers, and participation in these competitions will help enhance Bridgestone's tire development technologies.
・In 2018, teams that used Bridgestone tires won championships in both the GT500 class and the GT300 class. In 2019, Bridgestone will supply tires to nine teams in the GT500 class and five teams in the GT300 class.

SUPER GT GT500 Class Tires: POTENZA RACING TIRE

Team	Driver	Vehicle
LEXUS TEAM LEMANS WAKO'S	Kazuya OSHIMA	WAKO'S 4CR LC500
	Kenta YAMASHITA
LEXUS TEAM au TOM'S	Kazuki NAKAJIMA	au TOM'S LC500
	Yuhi SEKIGUCHI
LEXUS TEAM KeePer TOM'S	Ryo HIRAKAWA	KeePer TOM'S LC500
	Nick Cassidy
LEXUS TEAM ZENT CERUMO	Yuji TACHIKAWA	ZENT CERUMO LC500
	Hiroaki ISHIURA
LEXUS TEAM SARD	Heikki Kovalainen	DENSO KOBELCO SARD LC500
	Yuichi NAKAYAMA
TEAM IMPUL	Daiki SASAKI	CALSONIC IMPUL GT-R
	James Rossiter
TEAM KUNIMITSU	Naoki YAMAMOTO	RAYBRIG NSX-GT
	Jenson Button
ARTA	Tomoki NOJIRI	ARTA NSX-GT
	Takuya IZAWA
KEIHIN REAL RACING	Kodai TSUKAKOSHI	KEIHIN NSX-GT
	Bertrand Baguette

SUPER GT GT300 Class Tires: POTENZA RACING TIRE

Team	Driver	Vehicle
apr	Koki SAGA	TOYOTA GR SPORT PRIUS PHV apr GT
	Yuki NAKAYAMA
SAITAMA TOYOPET Green Brave	Shigekazu WAKISAKA	SAITAMA TOYOPET GB MarkX MC
	Hiroki YOSHIDA
ARTA	Shinichi TAKAGI	ARTA NSX GT3
	Nirei FUKUZUMI
K2 R&D LEON RACING	Haruki KUROSAWA	LEON PYRAMID AMG
	Naoya GAMOU
K-tunes Racing	Morio NITTA	K-tunes RC F GT3
	Sena SAKAGUCHI

2.CIK-FIA World and European Championships and All Japan Karting OK Championship

・These races are prime venues for cultivating promising young racers.
・In 2019, Bridgestone will supply tires exclusively for KZ class and KZ2 class races, as well as for Academy Trophy class races, in the CIK-FIA World and European Championships.
・Bridgestone also will support numerous teams and drivers in the OK class of the All Japan Karting Championship.

Tires: BRIDGESTONE RACING KART TIRE

Class	Team	Driver
CIK-FIA World and European Championships KZ class, KZ2 class, and Academy Trophy class	Bridgestone will supply tires to all teams and drivers as the exclusive tire supplier.
All Japan Karting OK Championship	TONYKART RACING TEAM JAPAN	Daiki SASAKI
		Haruyuki TAKAHASHI
		Gento MIYASHITA
	INTREPID JAPAN CORSE	Koki MIZUNO
		Ryoto SATO
	FA-KART RACING TEAM	Takuma ITO

And other drivers

3.All-Japan Gymkhana Championship

・In the All-Japan Gymkhana Championship, Bridgestone will supply POTENZA RE-12D TYPE A and POTENZA RE-11S tires.
・In 2018, drivers using Bridgestone tires won championships in three classes.

Tires: POTENZA RE-12D TYPE A and POTENZA RE-11S

Class	Driver	Vehicle
PN2	Tetsuya YAMANO	ABARTH 124 Spider
PN3	Yu	TOYOTA 86
SC	Masaki NISHIHARA	SUBARU Impreza
SA4	Masafumi HISHII	MITSUBISHI Lancer Evolution

And other drivers

4.TOYOTA GAZOO Racing 86/BRZ Race

・Both professional and amateur drivers compete in this race. Through the supply of tires, Bridgestone aims to communicate the fun of motorsports to as many people as possible.
・Bridgestone will supply POTENZA RE-07D tires for the PROFESSIONAL Series, which is open to both professional and amateur drivers, and POTENZA RE-12D tires for the CLUBMAN Series, which is open to only amateur drivers.

Tires: POTENZA RE-07D

Class	Team	Driver
PROFESSIONAL Series	Ogura Clutch with Revolution	Masahiro SASAKI
	CG ROBOT RACING TEAM	Takuto IGUCHI
		Rintaro KUBO
	Netz TOYOTA HYOGO Racing Team	Naoya GAMOU
	ARTA with G-7AUTOSERVICE	Takao ONISHI
	Mansaku Motor	Takashi INOUE
	T by Two CABANA Racing	Yuui TSUTSUMI

And other drivers

Tires: POTENZA RE-12D

Class	Team	Driver
CLUBMAN Series	Car Watch with Revolution	Yohei HASHIMOTO
	CG ROBOT RACING TEAM	Miku IKEJIMA

And other drivers

5.ROADSTER Party Race III

・As the sole tire provider in 2019, Bridgestone will supply POTENZA Adrenalin RE003 to this race, which is an opportunity to experience the pleasure of driving in motorsports.

6.NTT IndyCar® Series

・The NTT IndyCar® Series is the premier open-wheel racing series in North America.
・Through its Firestone brand, Bridgestone will be the sole tire supplier for the NTT IndyCar® Series through 2025. This year will be the 20th consecutive season that Firestone Firehawk race tires will be the only tires used in the series.

Tires: FIRESTONE FIREHAWK RACING TIRE

Team	Driver
A.J. FOYT ENTERPRISES	Tony KANAAN
	Matheus LEIST
ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT	Ryan HUNTER-REAY
	Conor DALY
	Alexander ROSSI
	Zach VEACH
ANDRETTI HERTA AUTOSPORT w/CURB-AGAJANIAN	Marco ANDRETTI
ARROW SCHMIDT PETERSON MOTORSPORTS	James HINCHCLIFFE
	Marcus ERICSSON
CARLIN	Max CHILTON
	Charlie KIMBALL
	RC ENERSON
CHIP GANASSI RACING	Scott DIXON
	Felix ROSENQVIST
DALE COYNE RACING	Santino FERRUCCI
DALE COYNE RACING with VASSER-SULLIVAN	Sebastien BOURDAIS
DRAGONSPEED	Ben HANLEY
ED CARPENTER RACING	Ed CARPENTER
	Ed JONES
	Spencer PIGOT
HARDING STEINBRENNER RACING	Colton HERTA
JUNCOS RACING	Kyle KAISER
McLAREN	Fernando ALONSO
MEYER SHANK RACING w/ARROW SPM	Jack HARVEY
RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING	Jordan KING
	Graham RAHAL
	Takuma SATO
TEAM PENSKE	Helio CASTRONEVES
	Josef NEWGARDEN
	Simon PAGENAUD
	Will POWER

And other drivers

7.Nürburgring 24 Hours Endurance Race

・The Nürburgring 24 Hours Endurance Race is one of the biggest grassroots motorsport events and is open to amateur drivers. The 2019 race will be the 47th iteration of this event.
・Bridgestone will once again supply tires to the LEXUS LC of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing team, which will be participating in this event for its 13th year in 2019.

Tires: POTENZA RACING TIRE

Class	Team	Driver	Vehicle
SP-PRO(Planned)	TOYOTA GAZOO Racing	Takeshi TSUCHIYA	LEXUS LC
		Naoya GAMOU
		Takamitsu MATSUI
		Yuichi NAKAYAMA

1.FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC)

・The FIM EWC is the only motorcycle road race world championship with multiple tire suppliers.
・In the 2017-2018 season, Bridgestone's second year of supporting this event, vehicles equipped with Bridgestone tires claimed the championship.
・Bridgestone will continue to supply two teams with tires in this season.

Tires: RACING BATTLAX TIRE

Class	Team	Rider	Vehicle
EWC	F.C.C. TSR Honda France	Josh HOOK	HONDA
		Freddy FORAY
		Mike DI MEGLIO
	YART Yamalube Yamaha Team	Broc PARKES	YAMAHA
		Marvin FRITZ
		Niccolo CANEPA

2.FIM EWC, Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race

・In 2018, a team using Bridgestone tires won this race for the 13th consecutive year.
・In the 2019 season, Bridgestone will supply tires to various teams with the aim of celebrating victory together.

Tires: RACING BATTLAX TIRE

Class	Team	Rider	Vehicle
EWC	YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM	TBD	YAMAHA
	YART Yamalube Yamaha Team	Broc PARKES	YAMAHA
		Marvin FRITZ
		Niccolo CANEPA
	Team HRC	TBD	HONDA
	F.C.C. TSR Honda France	Josh HOOK	HONDA
		Freddy FORAY
		Mike DI MEGLIO
	MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Honda	TBD	HONDA
	au Teluru MotoUP Racing Team	Kosuke AKIYOSHI	HONDA
		Tetsuta Nagashima
	Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA	Zaqwan ZAIDI,TBD	HONDA
	Honda Dream RT SAKURAI HONDA	Sodo HAMAHARA,TBD	HONDA
	Team ATJ	Taro SEKIGUCHI,TBD	HONDA
	Honda Suzuka Racing Team	Yudai KAMEI	HONDA
		Daijiro HIURA,TBD
	Kawasaki Team GREEN(Team name TBD)	TBD	KAWASAKI
	Yoshimura Suzuki MOTUL Racing	TBD	SUZUKI
	S-PULSE DREAM RACING TEAM	TBD	SUZUKI
	TEAM SUGAI RACING JAPAN	Yoshiyuki SUGAI	APRILIA
		Daniele VEGHINI
		Isami HIGASHIMURA

And other teams

3.MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship

・In 2018, riders using Bridgestone tires won series championships in two classes (JSB1000 and J-GP2). In 2019, Bridgestone will supply tires to numerous riders across 18 teams competing in the JSB1000 class, four teams in the J-GP2 class, and two teams in the J-GP3 class.
・In addition, Bridgestone will continue to support ST600 class races by supplying BATTLAX RACING R11 (NHS) tires exclusively to all teams and drivers in 2019.

Tires: RACING BATTLAX TIRE

Class	Team	Rider	Vehicle
JSB1000	YAMAHA FACTORY RACING TEAM	Katsuyuki NAKASUGA	YAMAHA
		Kohta NOZANE
	YAMALUBE RACING TEAM	Keisuke MAEDA	YAMAHA
	Team HRC	Takumi TAKAHASHI	HONDA
	Honda Dream RT SAKURAI HONDA	Sodo HAMAHARA	HONDA
	Honda Suzuka Racing Team	Yudai KAMEI	HONDA
	Team ATJ	Taro SEKIGUCHI	HONDA
	au Teluru MotoUP Racing Team	Taiga HADA	HONDA
		Kosuke AKIYOSHI
	MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Honda	Ryo MIZUNO	HONDA
	Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA	Zaqwan ZAIDI	HONDA
	Kawasaki Team GREEN	Kazuma WATANABE	KAWASAKI
		Ryosuke IWATO
	will raise racing RS-ITOH	Akira YANAGAWA	KAWASAKI
	Yoshimura Suzuki MOTUL Racing	Yukio KAGAYAMA	SUZUKI
		Kazuki WATANABE
	S-PULSE DREAM RACING IAI	Hideyuki OGATA	SUZUKI
	TEAM SUGAI RACING JAPAN	Yoshiyuki SUGAI	APRILIA
J-GP2	MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO.	Teppei NAGOE	HP6-q
	Team Kotake RSC	Kosuke SAKUMOTO	MORIWAKI
	SDG Mistresa RT HARC-PRO.	Ikuhiro ENOKIDO	HP6-q
	MARUMAE MTR	Masaki TOKUDOME	HP6
J-GP3	CLUB Y's	Sho HASEGAWA	HONDA
	Team Plusone	Yuto FUKUSHIMA	HONDA
ST600	Bridgestone will supply tires to all teams and riders as the exclusive tire supplier.

And other riders

4. MFJ All Japan Motocross Championship

・For the 2019 season, Bridgestone will supply tires to three classes (IA1, IA2, and Ladies'Class).

Tires: BATTLECROSS X10/X20/X30/X40 and other tires for motocross races

Class	Team	Rider	Vehicle
IA1	Team HRC	Akira NARITA	HONDA
		Kei YAMAMOTO
	Bells Racing/MORIWAKI/SoCal MXTF	Yohei KOJIMA	HONDA
	T.E.SPORT SHOWA	Gota OTSUKA	HONDA
	T.E.SPORT KYB	Kazunori ONO
	Team TARGET	Takumu YOKOSAWA	HONDA
	Kawasaki Team GREEN	Hiroaki ARAI	KAWASAKI
	RACING TEAM TAKA	Yuui HOSHINO	YAMAHA
IA2	YAMALUBE RACING TEAM with TEAM M-FACTORY	Kota TORIYABE	YAMAHA
	Y's RACING	Urara SASAKI	YAMAHA
	Bells Racing with MORIWAKI	Kainosuke OSHIRO	HONDA
	TEAM KOHSAKA	Ukyo MICHIWAKI	HONDA
	GOSHI RACING	Ryo ISHIURA	HONDA
Ladies' Class	T.E.SPORT SHOWA	Manaka KAWAI	HONDA
	T.E.SPORT	Iroha ONO

And other riders

About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.