Six Bridgestone-shod MotoGP riders took an active role in launching Bridgestone’s latest sporty road tyre, the Battlax BT-016, at the Circuito de Jerez last week after performing demonstration laps with the new tyre in front of some 130 attending journalists from all over the world.
Fresh from his Qatar GP win, Ducati’s Casey Stoner and his team-mate Marco Melandri both attended the week-long event on Wednesday, Kawasaki’s Anthony West joined Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi on Thursday, while Honda Gresini’s Alex de Angelis and Alice Team rider Toni Elias attended on Friday, all in all representing one-third of the grid from Qatar just over one week ago.
Each of the riders got a first-hand taste of the BT-016 under the guidance of former GP rider Jeremy McWilliams, who was working for Bridgestone during the week to set up the bikes at the track, and all seemed impressed with the agility and handling of the new Hypersport tyre, which uses tyre technology derived from MotoGP.
The BT-016 is an advanced Hypersport tyre designed to maximise the performance of sport bikes on the road. Bridgestone has combined MotoGP construction technology with its latest multi-compound technology to produce a tyre that gives high-level grip performance in braking, cornering and acceleration. This allows riders to enjoy improved handling, stability and grip – as well as longer life and lower noise.
Kenji Shoda, Bridgestone Europe, Director Consumer Products“It has been a privilege to welcome six MotoGP riders to our Battlax BT-016 international media launch event in Jerez, a very important occasion for Bridgestone Corporation and Bridgestone Europe. This new tyre sees us transfer tyre technology from MotoGP into road bike tyres and we are thrilled to have been able to showcase that cross-over by having some of the best riders in the world in Jerez. I would personally like to thank Casey, Marco, Loris, Anthony, Toni and Alex, and their respective teams, for their taking time out of their busy schedules to support us.
