IN
THE
WIND
P22
equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of
sport through research initiatives and educational
programs. Information on the World Anti-Doping
Agency Code or the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is
available at www.usantidoping.org.
The 2014 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champion-
ship kicks off this month with the return of the Red
Bull Glen Helen National in San Bernardino, Calif.
on Saturday, May 24.
BRIDGESTONE OUT OF MOTOGP!
T
he Spanish Grand Prix week-
end began with a bombshell.
Bridgestone is leaving. After
somewhat reluctantly becoming
MotoGP's first spec tire supplier
in 2009, the Japanese company
will cut off supplies after one
more season.
The company had "achieved
the objectives it set out for itself
in MotoGP," read a statement. It
had also been the whipping boy
for all riders: it is an unwritten rid-
ers' rule that tires always take the
blame.
With the specter of their de-
parture, however, many riders
discovered a previously well-
concealed affection for the Japa-
nese rubber, which has made
great strides in safety and dura-
bility, not to mention lap times,
within a framework of "one-size
fits all."
"For me, it is not good news,"
said Valentino Rossi, in a typical
comment. "I think for any other
manufacturer to be able to build
tires with the performance and
safety will be very difficult."
Marc Marquez echoed the
concern. "Bridgestone took a
long time to reach this level,
which is now much better. But it
is never enough for a rider."
Dani Pedrosa enlarged: "At
the moment we have a very good
balance: good warm-up, they
last long, and with good safety. It
takes time: at the beginning it will
be a big change for riders and
manufacturers. The first thing
to ask for is safety. After that we
can complain about the perfor-
mance."
And Jorge Lorenzo: "With
Bridgestone we had some prob-
lems with tire warm-up, and a lot
of riders crashed and were in-
jured. But Bridgestone worked
really hard and this aspect is very
satisfying. I hope the new sup-
plier will listen to the riders, and
will have a lot of will to improve."
There is the aspect of chassis
and suspension design tailored
to the Bridgestones. "I think we'll
have to build seven different
chassis and try them all. Chang-
ing tires will be very expensive,"
said a Honda teamster.
And a matter of riding tech-
nique. "Maybe every bike will
have to change completely,"
Bridgestone won't be the spec tire
provider for MotoGP after the 2015
season.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
GOLD
&
GOOSE
continued on page 24
