Three Bridgestone-backed riders secured top 10 finishes at the historic 82nd running of the Daytona 200.
Karel Hanika rode his YART-ProKASRO Yamaha R6 to a fifth-place finish, followed by YART teammate Marvin Fritz in sixth place and Ben Young of Team BATTLAX in ninth. This was a record showing for Bridgestone BATTLAX race tyres at the Daytona 200.
In addition to three of the top 10 riders being on Bridgestone BATTLAX tyres, Hanika completed the second overall fastest lap time at 1:48.628, only 0.003 seconds behind the fastest lap of the race. This was the first Daytona 200 for YART Yamaha teammates Hanika and Fritz, who are the reigning champs of the FIM Endurance World Championship series. Canadian Superbike Champion Ben Young was able to advance through the grid on his Team BATTLAX Suzuki Canada GSX-R750 for a ninth-place finish.
Bridgestone marked its largest presence to date at this year’s Daytona 200, providing full engineering support, sponsorship and BATTLAX race tyres to 15 riders from seven different countries:
- Karel Hanika, YART Yamaha (Czech Republic)
- Marvin Fritz, YART Yamaha (Germany)
- Ben Young, Team BATTLAX (Canada)
- Matt Truelove (England)
- Diego Perez Zuasti (Spain)
- Trevor Daley, Team BATTLAX (Canada)
- Matt Simpson (Canada)
- Alexandre Michel (Canada)
- Maverick Cyr (Canada)
- Niccolo Canepa, YART Yamaha (Italy)
- Harry Truelove (England)
- Alex Coelho (Portugal)
- Sébastien Tremblay (Canada)
- Brad MacRae (Canada)
- Samuel Guérin (Canada)
“We’re thrilled that three riders finished in the top 10 on Bridgestone BATTLAX tyres at this year, marking a first for Bridgestone,” said Nico Thuy, Head of Motorcycle business of Bridgestone EMEA. “These outstanding results are even more meaningful considering the short preparation that some of the European riders of team YART had to prepare for the race, and it’s a testimony of the incredible grip, performance, and reliability of Bridgestone BATTLAX tyres. Congratulations to all riders and teams on an incredible race weekend.”
Bridgestone’s top 10 finish at the Daytona 200 aligns with the “Emotion” and “Ease” values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment. The Bridgestone E8 Commitment, encompassing eight values all beginning with the letter “E,” solidifies Bridgestone’s dedication to fostering a more sustainable world.