7:24 am, November 18, 2013
THE world’s largest tyre manufacturer, Bridgestone, offered hundreds of dealers the opportunity to take part in an exciting driving experience at Rockingham Motor Speedway.
The brand’s diverse range of tyres was showcased in a variety of challenging driving conditions, to give dealers an insight into Bridgestone’s portfolio of products.
Starting with the road cars, the Potenza performance tyre was pushed to the limit around Rockingham’s oval circuit on a Porsche Cayman, before the Turanza T001’s handling and wet-grip credentials were tested during a skid-pan and track circuit featuring a BMW 3 series.
Bridgestone’s premium Adrenalin tyre, on a Volvo V40, was also put through its paces on a specially-created track featuring chicanes and high-speed corners.
Meanwhile, an off-road course was created for a bespoke 4×4 experience, which promoted the handling and versatility of the Dueler Sport on a Volvo XC60.
After putting the tyres through their paces, dealers were able to question five motorsport stars who regularly compete on Bridgestone rubber.
MotoGP riders Bradley Smith and Michael Laverty, motocross starlet Rob Yates, racing driver David Brabham and Dakar rally legend Mick Extance, all provided insights into life in the fast lane.
Ex-Formula One racing star Stefano Modena – a former Bridgestone senior tester – was also on hand to offer technical support and advice.
Andy Dingley, Bridgestone’s northern region communications manager, said: ‘We were keen to bring a broad spectrum of our range together in a day of driving experiences.
‘The opportunity to really push our tyres in demanding conditions away from the everyday road environment is rare, so it was hugely worthwhile to show off the performance of each range.
‘The feedback we received was really encouraging. The capability of our tyres certainly opened some eyes and we hope that our reputation and overall desirability has improved as a result.’
