It's all about the tires at the first ever Bridgestone Cup

In the race track, the best sports car may only be as good as the set of tires it is fitted with.

This is why at the very first Bridgestone Cup, all eyes were on the high-performing cars that sported Bridgestone’s Potenza S001 tires that screeched and speeded at the Batangas Racing Circuit (BRC) late August.

A test of technique and control for car lovers, the Bridgestone Cup at the BRC is the first of three legs that puts Bridgestone tires to the test.

A total of 8 teams (of two each) from invited car clubs were selected to compete in the Autocross category, which put to the test the tires’ manueverability, grip, and handling; and the 400-meter Drag Race, which measured the tires’ performance even—or especially—when drivers step on the gas.

“What better way to put our world-class tires to the test than in a race track? We wanted local car sports enthusiasts to get to try their skills in the proper venue using the best sports tire there is,” Bridgestone’s marketing manager Louis Karl Bobis told the Inquirer.

The Bridgestone Cup saw participants race with the pocket rocket BMW 1 series and the game changer Toyota 86.

Part of the TRS Raceday (dubbed as the Philippines’ Grassroots Motorsports Festival), the Bridgestone Cup was held on August 26. According to initial estimates by JP Tuason of the Tuason Racing School, the event attracted a crowd of 1,500 people.

The second leg of the Bridgestone Cup takes place on September 30 at the Clark International Speedway in Subic, where participants could expect an exciting urban 4x4 off-road challenge. The third leg, which happens on October, shall take the participants back at the BRC for a more eco-friendly driving challenge.

“Our group is always trying to find new ways to bring enjoyable driving experiences to the motoring world. With the launch of the Bridgestone Cup, we hope to create new and exhilarating challenges year on year,” said Phillip Gan, marketing manager of the Philippine Allied Enterprises Corporation (PAEC), the official distributor of Bridgestone tires in the country.

The event focused on the Potenza S001, the tire of choice for high-performance cars all over the world. With its Multi-Performance Block, the tire was created to maintain stability and achieve excellent performance and handling in both wet and dry conditions.

The Potenza delivered during the race, with the most stable maneuverability possible, most noticeably when cornering at high speeds.

“The S001 is the tire of choice by many high-performance cars throughout Europe. They recognize the tire’s excellence across all performance merits,” said Marc Tagle, executive vice president and general manager of PAEC. “S001 is always stable, no matter how extreme the driving. It is the perfect tire for spirited drivers who want to keep reaching new limits. This tire is perfect for them.”

Winners of the first leg of the Bridgestone Cup got P10,000 in cash and P10,000 worth of Bridgestone products.

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