Bridgestone Stays Unbeaten

March 2, 2009, 5:32pm

NASHVILLE, Tenn – Reigning Monster Energy AMA Supercross champion Chad Reed had come close for seven straight weeks – finishing second to fellow Bridgestone rider James Stewart each time – but the Aussie finally broke into the victory column Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

In front of an impressive crowd of more than 61,000 at the new stadium, Reed (Rockstar / Makita Suzuki) held off the charges of Stewart (Team San Manuel / JSE Yamaha), who fell twice in the main event but still battled back to place second. The 1-2 finish by the Bridgestone riders left them knotted atop the season standings following the ninth of 17 events, a full 49 points ahead of their nearest competitor. Mike Alessi (Rockstar / Makita Suzuki) came home third Saturday to give Bridgestone a podium sweep in Supercross.

Reed placed much of the credit for his triumph on his Bridgestone tires. "The track was slippery, especially the flat turns,” Reed said, “but my tires gave me so much confidence. You just can't beat the
Bridgestone 603/M604 combination for SX."

The Monster Energy / Pro Circuit Kawasaki team on Bridgestone tires dominated the Supercross Lites event Saturday, with Austin Stroupe and Christophe Pourcel finishing 1-2. Nico Izzi (Rockstar / Makita Suzuki) wound up third to give Bridgestone a double podium sweep for the night. Pourcel (72 points), Izzi (62) and Stroupe (57) hold the top three spots in the Supercross Lites Eastern Regional standings.

"We tried a new front tire in practice 1, but for practice 2 and the race we went back to the M603 80/100-21,” said Stroupe, who notched his first victory after teammate Pourcel had taken top honors in the first two events. “My tires were excellent and so predictable; it's great to have that kind of confidence."

Doug Schopinsky, who oversees Bridgestone tire development for Monster Energy AMA Supercross, was most impressed with the Indianapolis venue. "The new Lucas Oil Stadium was a great addition to our series,” he said. “Everybody did a great job putting on this event. It was a real treat to have the track designed by an old friend and Bridgestone tire past champion, Mike La Rocco. With the mix of soils and deep sand sections, it just goes to show the versatility of the Bridgestone patterns."

Monster Energy AMA Supercross and Eastern Regional Supercross Lites return to action Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.

About Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) is a business unit of Bridgestone Americas, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. Reporting into the BATO business unit are the company's Latin American tire operations, the U.S. and Canadian consumer tire businesses and the U.S. and Canadian commercial tire businesses. BATO develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The business unit is focused on retail, wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in the Americas. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.