The performance of Bridgestone-shod bikes during pre-season testing for the 2006 MotoGP series caught our eye right away, and Bridgestone continued to impress at the final IRTA test at Jerez this weekend — just two weeks before the Jerez series opener.
What conclusions do you draw when Bridgestone riders take the top three fastest laps, and do so on Ducatis and a Kawasaki — relegating the Hondas and Yamahas to lower positions? What conclusion do you draw when a MotoGP rookie who has never ridden at Jerez before (Chris Vermeulen) posts a faster lap time than Yamaha’s Valentino Rossi, and does so on a Suzuki?
While Ducati, Suzuki and Kawasaki deserve credit for their off-season development of their MotoGP weapons, the common denominator is Bridgestone tires. Bridgestone had the three quickest lap times at the IRTA test at Jerez, and seemed to establish its dominance over the Michelin riders quite easily. Ducati’s Loris Capirossi, for instance, rode his Bridgestone-shod machine to a lap time that was more than one second quicker than the quickest Michelin bike (ridden by Honda’s Danny Pedrosa).
