After two rounds of the 2008 MotoGP series, Michelin riders have four podium spots, while Bridgestone riders have two. Each tire brand has one race win. Michelin tires have also been better in qualifying than Bridgestones.
You may recall that Bridgestone was dominating the MotoGP series just a few months ago, particularly during the second half of the 2007 series. So much so, in fact, that Valentino Rossi forced a switch from Michelin to Bridgestone tires for 2008, despite the fact that his team already had a sponsorship arrangement with Michelin (and his teammate for 2008, Jorge Lorenzo, remains on Michelins).
Bridgestone has not been particularly strong at the two tracks, Qatar and Jerez, in the past, however. Do these results create false hope for Michelin? Only time will tell, but given the way Jorge Lorenzo and Dani Pedrosa are riding, it is hard to imagine Michelin being off the podium very often in 2008.
