Bridgestone’s Moto GP riders for 2004 include (from left): Shinya Nakano, Alexander Hofmann, Makoto Tamada, John Hopkins and Kenny Roberts, Jr.

ridgestone is looking for a winning performance and a chance for the company’s first Moto GP championship with riders Shinya Nakano and Alex Hofmann of the Kawasaki Racing Team, Makoto Tamada of Camel Honda and John Hopkins and Kenny Roberts, Jr. of Team Suzuki MotoGP signed for the 2004 season. Entering into the company’s third year of competition in the pinnacle of two-wheel racing, Bridgestone is confident that this will be their best opportunity for strong finishes at the podium.
     Already in the first race of the season, the Suzuki team charged from the middle of the pack and ended with the 10th and 11th fastest times and Honda rider Makoto Tamada completed an all-Bridgestone fourth row. Hopkins and Roberts were equally competitive. A lot of excitement is building with the largest contingent of racers aboard Bridgestones ever to participate in Moto GP.
     And this is just the beginning for Bridgestone to be on track for another winning season at the retail level. Moto GP serves as a valuable platform for tire development with testing performed throughout the year. The recently introduced Battlax BT-014 was designed, developed and compounded to be a tire especially suited to the needs of the aggressive street rider. Everything Bridgestone learned in its first two years of Moto GP competition was filtered straight into the new BT-014. In key performance areas—handling, dry and wet grip, stability, cornering, shock absorption, reduced shimmy and improved contact feel—the BT-014 has raised the bar for high-performance tires.
     The new ultra-high-performance radials are now available as a replacement tire for serious sport bike riders. Developed and manufactured using the most advanced MotoGP technology, the BT-014 is superior in virtually every aspect of its design and construction. The profiles have been optimized to deliver uniform contact pressure at all lean angles, the tread patterns have been refined to improve shock absorption and reduce road noise, and both front and rear tires use dual-directional diagonal grooves to control deformation and enhance straight-line stability.
     Bridgestone also worked with Honda in creating a specific model BT-014 tire to be a perfect fit for the new CBR1000RR sport bikes, one of the most touted and talked about sport bikes on the market. A new compound gives the CBR1000RR quick handling capability while reducing chattering in the corners and increasing stability, especially under hard braking. No wonder Honda picked this exciting new tire (sized 120/70ZR17 “G” – Parts Unlimited #0303-0007, and 190/50ZR17 “G” Parts Unlimited #0304-0007) for the CBR1000RR. Both the replacement BT-014s and the tires that are original equipment on the CBR1000RR are available from Parts Unlimited! If you’re looking for an ultra-high-performance street radial that can respond with finesse, you’ve just found it. Bridgestone’s BT-014 is here, it’s real and it’s in the warehouse right now. Looking for an ultra-high performance radial? Call your Parts rep and ask for the newest Bridgestone—the BT-014.

Moto GP is a valuable platform for Bridgestone’s R&D.