FEBRUARY 16, 2001

Bridgestone confident for Melbourne

BRIDGESTONE's new technical manager Hisao Suganuma has declared himself pleased with the company's preparations as they prepare for the first race in of the season in Australia.

Suganuma confirmed that the Japanese manufacturer have made their final decision on the tires they will send to the season opener in Australia and added that they are ready for a shoot-out with Michelin at Albert Park.

"I am confident the construction we have chosen will work well in Melbourne," said Mr. Suganuma. "We tested five different compounds and different constructions, and all the teams were satisfied with the tires chosen."

David Coulthard's Bridgestone-shod McLaren successively broke the lap record in recent testing at the Spanish track of Valencia, and his lap time was almost four seconds faster than the best lap set at the 2000-spec tire test in May last year.