Casey Stoner won his first championship on Bridgestones last year, and Valentino Rossi won this year's title after also changing to the the tire manufacturer.
It's official. Bridgestone Motorsports confirmed today what was already understood - it will be the sole tire supplier for the MotoGP World Championship for the next three years. Bridgestone was the only tire manufacturer to submit a proposal to FIM and Dorna. Michelin opted out of competing for the contract after the decision to go to a single tire supplier was made.
Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Bridgestone Motorsport commented on today's announcement:
`Bridgestone is pleased that we have been appointed the sole tire supplier to the MotoGP World Championship for the next three seasons, starting from 2009.'
`Although we were sorry to hear that tire competition would not continue in MotoGP, Bridgestone appreciates the importance of safety and cost in motorsport. We respect the decision taken by FIM and Dorna to impose a one-make tire rule for next season and acknowledge the safety and cost reasons given for their decision.'
`We submitted a proposal to FIM and Dorna in order to continue competing at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, and to continue to be a part of the MotoGP community, of which we are proud to have been involved since the 2002 season.'
`We have developed strong relations with manufacturers, teams, riders and personnel in the MotoGP world and are happy to be able to continue a high level of participation in the sport. Even in a single tire situation, however, we must also guarantee and increase our return on investment from a business point of view, something that we hope to achieve through a close working relationship with all our teams and with Dorna.'
`Alongside safety and cost, fairness is another pillar of Bridgestone's involvement in motorsport and we are committed to servicing our teams fairly at all times. Having worked with all manufacturers in MotoGP this season, we believe that we are well placed to offer the fairest possible treatment across all teams.'
`We have relished competing on a global motorcycle racing stage with our rivals over the last seven seasons and will miss the opportunity to showcase our technical capabilities against them. In this period of competition, we have improved our performance level step by step and have been immensely proud to have taken the world title for the last two seasons, firstly with Ducati and Casey Stoner in 2007, and this year with Fiat Yamaha and Valentino Rossi.'
`Our technical department has already started looking at how best to approach the 2009 season with the desired push for improved safety in MotoGP at the forefront of our development plans. We must make sure that our tyres work safely and competitively at each event, bearing in mind the complexity of tire performance at each individual circuit and, most importantly, we must ensure that our tires offer the same performance potential across all teams.'
