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80-500: The WKA comprises five national touring series - the Bully Clutches Gold Cup for oval karts, Bridgestone /George Kugler Manufacturer's Cup driven by Mazda for sprint road course karts on asphalt, Vega Road Racing Series presented by Summit Racing Equipment , Briggs & Stratton Speedway Dirt and Rage Karts Speedway Pavement . The WKA sanctions a number of divisional series and tracks, mostly located throughout

160-472: A calque translation and transposition of ishibashi ( 石橋 ), meaning 'stone bridge' in Japanese. It primarily manufactures tires , as well as golf equipment . As of 2021, Bridgestone is the largest manufacturer of tires in the world, followed by Michelin , Goodyear , Continental , and Pirelli . Bridgestone Group has 181 production facilities in 24 countries as of July 2018. The history of

240-404: A 15-turn, 2.40 mi (3.86 km) layout was established. The back portion of the track allows speeds approaching 200 mph (320 km/h). A separate starting line and flagstand is situated on the backstretch to allow for safer and more competitive rolling starts. The regular start/finish line is located on the pit straight. In 1990 the track underwent a refurbishment. A new retaining wall

320-522: A continent–wide scheme called Truckpoint wherein fleets can take their vehicles to any Bridgestone approved garage throughout Europe and get Bridgestone specialist work carried out on their tires. There are no Bridgestone factories in the United Kingdom but there is a technical bay at which tyres returned by dissatisfied customers are inspected in Coventry . The plant at Ulyanovsk , Russia and

400-689: A large number of Firestone global production sites into the Bridgestone organization. These sites included North America, Central and South America, Europe, New Zealand and other locations. Bridgestone also commenced production in Turkey. In 1992, the company established regional corporate offices in Europe and the Americas. Nashville –based Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSA) is the American subsidiary of

480-823: A major manufacturing tire factory in Australia: located in Salisbury, South Australia (this plant was eventually decommissioned in April 2011). Bridgestone has State Offices in all states of Australia, and has a large number of retail outlets across the country. In 2000 Bridgestone Australia Ltd. purchased the BANDAG Retreading plant and its operations in Australia. Bandag Manufacturing Pty Limited has 35 franchised dealers across Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Nouméa. Bandag Manufacturing Pty Limited

560-655: A majority share holding. As of mid–2007 the Australian operation was delisted from the Australian Stock exchange and became a solely owned Division of Bridgestone Corporation (pending minority shareholder approval as per Australian Corporate Law). Following the cancellation on Friday, 11 May 2007, of all shares held by minority shareholders, Bridgestone Australia Ltd. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation of Japan. The selective capital reduction and subsequent privatisation which cost $ 49 million

640-461: A steel cord plant in Clarksville, Tennessee , named Bridgestone Metalpha. Metalpha is currently ranked as the top provider in the global steel cord market. In May 1988, a takeover bid of America's No. 2 tire manufacturer, Akron, Ohio –based Firestone Tire and Rubber Company , was successful, and Firestone was placed under the Bridgestone umbrella as a subsidiary company. This purchase brought

720-418: A tall, three-sided scoreboard tower was constructed in the infield, strategically placed such that it was visible from nearly all spectator areas around the track. In 1986 Trueman had died from cancer, making his wife and daughter taking over management for the facility. In 1989 Truman's daughter, Michelle Trueman, was named the president of the circuit in 1989 and saw day-to-day operations of the track. In 1990

800-811: A timer when he or she puts the green flag up and holds the flag in the air until he waves it and the karts take off. Road racing starts - similar to endurance motorcycle racing and pre-1969 sports car events - are very exciting to witness and participate in. The speeds go-karts reach at Road Racing events is perhaps the most intriguing part of the WKA Road Racing Series. 250cc karts, which look like small Indy cars, and dual-engine enduro karts reach in excess of 130 mph (210 km/h). Most other 2-cycle classes can reach anywhere from 90 to 130 mph (130 to 210 km/h). Even four-cycle powered karts reach top speeds around 80 to 90 mph (130 to 145 km/h) at Road Racing events. WKA road racers have

880-604: Is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio , United States , just outside the village of Lexington . It hosts a number of racing series such as IndyCar , IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship , and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series , along with other club events such has SCCA and National Auto Sport Association . There is grandstand seating for 12,000 spectators and three observation mounds alongside

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960-406: Is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Australia Limited, and operates under license to Bandag Incorporated. In 2006 Bridgestone purchased Bandag Incorporated, which is now a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation. From the purchase in 1981, the Australian operations of Bridgestone have been run as a publicly listed company on the Australian Stock exchange. Bridgestone Corporation has maintained

1040-440: Is different from the other four WKA national touring series. Laydown-enduro and sprint-enduro karts are built specifically for enduro -style road racing. Enduro-style road races are not held on sprint-style courses, but longer road courses typically built for race cars that are between 1.5 and 4.5 miles (7.2 km) in length. Gearbox (shifter) karts and Touch-and-Go (TaG) sit-up style karts also compete at Road Racing events. It

1120-409: Is not uncommon for 40 to 50 different classes to compete throughout the course of a Road Racing weekend. Unlike the other WKA series, road racing events are raced for a specific amount of time as opposed to number of laps. Sprint and sprint-enduro classes have 30-minute races and laydown-enduro style classes have 45-minute races. Through the mid-1980s, laydown-enduro races were 1 hour in length, hence

1200-475: Is now named Bridgestone Americas, Inc. The tire division is Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC. In April 2012, Bridgestone Americas opened up its new Bridgestone Americas Technical Center in Akron. The $ 100 million facility, located just down the street from the former headquarters, tire plant, and technical center, houses 450 employees whose jobs are to develop innovative and advanced tire technologies for

1280-585: Is similar to the Manufactures Cup, but with races in the southeast area, usually Florida. In the 2016-2017 Season the tracks ran were Daytona Motor Speedway (in the infield of the NASCAR track), Jacksonville, Florida (103rd Street Sports Complex) and Ocala Gran Prix. The race in Daytona counts for both Winter Cup and Manufactures Cup for the following year. The Road Racing Series (formerly Enduro Series)

1360-667: Is the first new tire plant in the city of Akron in more than 70 years. Bridgestone also opened up a $ 6 million test track adjacent to the Advanced Tire Production Center to support passenger tire testing and development. The test track opened in autumn 2022. Bridgestone has invested more than $ 125 million in its Akron operations since 2012, when the company opened the Bridgestone Americas Technology Center. Bridgestone has major manufacturing plants in many countries around

1440-667: Is the other WKA national series that competes on oval tracks. The series is a five-race tour in 2009, visiting New Castle, Ind., Chapel Hill Raceway in Humphrey, New York , Riverhead Raceway on Long Island , OCR Action Sports Track in Rougemont, North Carolina , and BeaverRun (now Pittrace) in Wampum, Pa. Contrary to the Dirt Series, Speedway Pavement races are held on asphalt tracks. While Speedway Dirt teams are located mostly in

1520-456: The 2007 season to the 2010 Formula One season . On 2 November 2009, Bridgestone announced that they would not be renewing their contract to supply tires to Formula One teams after 2010. The company said it was "addressing the impact of the continuing evolution of the business environment". Pirelli announced in June 2010 that it would serve as sole supplier for tires in the 2011 season . In

1600-544: The American Le Mans series the next year. The track continued to host the two series until 2012 when ALMS dropped the race, Grand-Am would follow suit the next year. In 2018, track would host the WeatherTech SportsCar championship . Mid-Ohio would host its first CART race in 1980 as a 156 mi (251 km), 65 lap race. There would be a brief hiatus as the race would not return until 1983, and

1680-724: The Bridgestone Museum of Art and located it at 10 Kyobashi 1–chome, Chuo–ku, Tokyo 104; Bridgestone Corporation's company headquarters. In 1951, Bridgestone was the first company in Japan to begin selling rayon cord tires, and a five–year project to modernize production facilities was started. This year also saw another Bridgestone building opened in Kyōbashi, Tokyo , which contained the Bridgestone Museum. Sales surpassed ten billion yen in 1953, placing Bridgestone at

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1760-583: The Bridgestone Tire Company, Ltd. , founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi in Japan. The first Bridgestone tire was produced on 9 April 1930, by the Japanese " Tabi " Socks Tire Division (actually made jika-tabi ). One year later on 1 March 1931, the founder, Shojiro Ishibashi , made the "Tabi" Socks Tire Division independent and established the Bridgestone Tire Co., Ltd. in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. "Bridgestone"

1840-655: The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series . The unofficial lap record is 1:03.8700, set by Simon Pagenaud during the qualifying of the 2016 Honda Indy 200 . As of August 2024, the fastest official race lap records on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course are listed as: Founded in 1993, The Mid-Ohio School offers licensed drivers and motorcycle riders programs in defensive driving, high performance driving and performance track riding programs. Students in each course partake in classroom and private instruction and group drills. Participants test their newly refined skills in

1920-542: The Road to Indy , Global Mazda MX-5 Cup , and Stadium Super Trucks . In 2015, hometown favorite Graham Rahal won at Mid-Ohio for the first time, thirty years after his father, Bobby Rahal , won his first race at the track. Scott Dixon has the most wins at the track with six. In 2013, the track hosted its first NASCAR event as a 200 mi (320 km) race with the NASCAR Xfinity Series . The length of

2000-696: The United States Road Racing Championship . The race was 168 mi (270 km) and was won by Ken Miles . The race would be held until the race series was folded in 1968, but the race would return as a 6-hour enduro under the IMSA GT championship in 1972. The track would also hold the U.S. Formula 5000 series from 1970 to 1976 and was replaced by the revived Can-Am series in 1977–1980. The track continued to host IMSA GT until 1993, and would not return until 2000 with Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The track would also add

2080-494: The 1930s, soon after they started making tires. Today, Bridgestone diversified operations encompass automotive components, industrial products, polyurethane foam products, construction materials, parts and materials for electronic equipment, bicycles and sporting goods. Diversified business generates about one-fourth of total sales in the Bridgestone Group. Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

2160-574: The 1980s and 1990s, Bridgestone provided tires to the Le Mans sport prototypes of teams Nismo and TOM's , backed by Japanese automobile manufacturers Nissan and Toyota respectively. In the early 1990s, Bridgestone expanded to Mercedes-AMG , which entered the DTM and later Le Mans and the FIA GT Championship . The brand left international sports car racing in 2000, but remains as one of

2240-478: The 1980s by developing race tires for feeder series like Formula 2 , Formula 3 , Formula Ford , Formula Opel Lotus and karting . In order to increase the Firestone subsidiary's brand awareness, Bridgestone Firestone NAH Ltd , re–entered the Firestone brand into CART open-wheel racing in 1995 to challenge Goodyear . The tires proved better and Goodyear left the series for 2000. Since then, Firestone has been

2320-568: The 2000s; although, recently entry numbers have dropped off due to a difficult economy and the WKA treating the dirt oval racers poorly. The series is a five-race tour in 2009. All races are held in the South - specifically Georgia and the Carolinas in 2009. The tour has traveled to Tennessee and Florida in past years. Most speedway dirt competitors reside in the South. The Speedway Pavement Series

2400-483: The Bridgestone Corporation. BSA and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market Bridgestone, Firestone, and associate brand tires for consumers, automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers, and those in the agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies also produce air springs, roofing materials, synthetic rubber and industrial fibers and textiles and operate

2480-495: The Bridgestone Cycle Company being formed in 1949. From 1952 the first complete powered bicycles were produced, with a 26cc engine. In 1958 the first 50cc Bridgestone motorcycles were manufactured, but the company's main income was from supplying tires to its rival motorcycle makers such as Honda , Suzuki and Yamaha and it was later decided to cease motorcycle manufacturing. In 1952, Ishibashi founded

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2560-580: The CEO Yoichiro Kaizaki, aiming to improve Bridgestone's name value in the European market which was greatly inferior compared with their archrivals, Michelin . Though it was scheduled to enter the championship in the 1998 season at first, this was brought forward to 1997 because the engineering section led by Hirohide Hamashima had quickly advanced development. Thus, Hiroshi Yasukawa, the general manager of Motorsport Department, also made

2640-602: The Dirt tour. In recent years though the Briggs & Stratton motor popularity has declined, as most karters use the Cheaper more reliable Honda clone motors. Bridgestone Bridgestone Corporation ( 株式会社ブリヂストン , Kabushiki gaisha Burijisuton ) is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (1889–1976) in the city of Kurume , Fukuoka, Japan . The name Bridgestone comes from

2720-641: The LO2O6 Four-stroke engine being the oddball). Yamaha, Micro Swift (called Mini Swift by officials) and Mini Swift (called Pro Swift Sportsman by officials) Cadet karts compete in the Man (Manufactures) Cup Series. Junior classes include another Yamaha class and the Junior and Senior IAME X30 classes. Racers from all over America, Barbados, Canada and even Brazil race in the Man Cup series. The WKA Winter Cup

2800-551: The Olympics and Paralympics when they expire at the end of 2024. In 2010, Bridgestone acquired the naming rights to the home venue of the NHL's Nashville Predators calling it Bridgestone Arena . They were also the title sponsor for Copa Libertadores , the top competition for South American club football , from 2013 to 2017, and Copa Sudamericana from 2011 to 2013. The predecessors of Bridgestone began making diversified products in

2880-538: The South, many Speedway Pavement teams are located in the Northeast. The Southeast also is well represented with Pavement teams. Speedway Dirt and Pavement racers drive karts built specifically for oval-track kart racing. Unlike sprint-style and enduro-style karts in which the driver sits in the center of the chassis, oval-track karts feature an extreme left driver offset for a high percentage of left-side weight which greatly helps handling on an oval track. Engines are on

2960-666: The Tokyo plant in 1962 to house the new Technical Centre, and a progressive system of research and development was established. On the product front, 1967 saw the sale of the company's first ever radial tire , the RD10. Bridgestone's first overseas plant since the end of the war was opened in Singapore in 1965, and production was also commenced in Thailand in 1969. The 1960s for Bridgestone was an era of overseas expansion that also included

3040-431: The U.S., including: Watkins Glen, Roebling Road Raceway , Pocono Raceway, Bryar Motosports Park, New Hampshire Motor Speedway , Gateway International Raceway , Indianapolis Raceway Park, Oak Hill Raceway, Hallet Oklahoma, Texas World Speedway, Road America, Blackhawk Farms, Rockingham speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway (Lowe's), Nazareth Speedway, Barber Motorsports Park, and Road Atlanta. WKA road racers reside mostly in

3120-410: The best use of the experience and networks in Europe since the Bridgestone's European F2 era ( 1981 – 1984 ) and constructed logistics for Formula One at once. The first title was acquired right away in the second year, 1998 by Mika Häkkinen and McLaren – Mercedes . And Bridgestone users took five Drivers' Championship titles and five Constructors' Championship titles ( 1998 , 2001 – 2004 ) for

3200-401: The business rapidly expanding in domestic and overseas markets. Wartime regulations were in effect throughout Japan during World War II , and tires also came under the jurisdiction of these regulations. This resulted in nearly all of the company's output being used to satisfy military demand. 1945 saw the end of armed conflict, but the company was devastated by the war. The Tokyo headquarters

3280-594: The championship and reached the milestone of 100 MotoGP victories in 2012. Nine–time World Champion Valentino Rossi was 'Bridgestone Tyre Adviser' having won two MotoGP titles on Bridgestone tires in 2008 and 2009. In May 2014, Bridgestone announced they would leave Moto GP at the end of the 2015 season. Bridgestone is currently the Official Tire of the Olympic Games , but have stated they will not be renewing their worldwide partnership agreements with

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3360-562: The chicane straight with the backstretch. The additional layouts allow simultaneous use of the multiple courses, for instructional and competitive uses. The improvements also included a motocross facility, that has since been used for the AMA Vintage Motorcycle days event. In 2019 the ARX came to the track which was the first time rallycross had come to the circuit. The course was a 10-turn, 0.7 mi (1.1 km) and utilized

3440-417: The chicane, while motorcycles and amateur/ club racing typically use the 2.4-mile layout (with the chicane). In 2006 another major refurbishment saw several improvements. The entire circuit was repaved and the concrete patches in the turn apexes were removed. A new motorcycle "short course" was created by connecting turn one with the backstretch and another motorcycle/ autocross oval was created by connecting

3520-466: The company celebrated its 50th anniversary. At the same time, the company initiated activities to strengthen its home base that supported overseas expansion strategy with the aim of being ranked as one of the world's top three manufacturers of rubber products. New production facilities were also established in Thailand, India, Poland, China, the United States and other countries. The company changed

3600-562: The company. In June 2022, Bridgestone opened up its $ 21 million Advanced Tire Production Center which replaced the Firestone Advance Tire Works Plant at the original Firestone Tire and Rubber Company headquarters which opened in 1910. The new building is home of the company's racing tire production for the NTT IndyCar Series . The plant manufactures all Firestone Firehawk racing tires. It

3680-577: The controlled environment of the facility's Vehicle Dynamics Center and on the track. The Mid-Ohio School is AAA Approved and recognized as a recent recipient of the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Partners for Safety award. 18 programs are available to drivers and riders of all ages and ability levels from defensive driving programs for teens and adults, on-track high performance courses for the automotive enthusiasts to current and aspiring racers. There have been over 50,000 graduates from

3760-876: The eastern half of the United States . The Gold Cup Series is a four-race tour with races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina, G&J Kartway in Camden, Ohio , New Castle Motorsports Park in Indiana and Pitt Race (Formerly BeaveRun) in Wampum, Pennsylvania . The series competes exclusively on sprint-style road courses and all classes are powered by Briggs & Stratton 4-cycle engines . The Manufacturer's Cup Series may be WKA's most popular and promotable series. Top American race drivers such as Jamie McMurray and A. J. Allmendinger occasionally compete in

3840-456: The establishment of Bridgestone Americas in the United States in 1967 to act as Bridgestone's USA representative sales branch. At the start of the period of Japan's economic stagnation, brought about by the first oil shock, the company was placing even more emphasis on establishing its own technology for the manufacture of radial tires, and it was also at this time that further domestic plants were constructed and fitted out. Its Super Filler Radial

3920-468: The keyhole section of the track. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, the track was once again fully repaved after utilizing a test section in turn one. The track was opened in 1962 by Les Griebling and several Mansfield-area businessmen as a location for weekend sports car racing. The track originally had 16 turns, with a left turn in what is today known as "thunder valley," but the turn was straightened after just one year of operation due to complaints of

4000-434: The largest network of commercial stores across the country, GCR's reach extends nationwide. The letters of GCR reflect the last names of the original company founders Balie Griffith, Harold Crawford and Perry Rose. In 2015, Bridgestone Americas Inc. signed a deal giving its dealers the option to install digital air calibration machines from Excel Tire Gauge Inc. in their stores. The digital air calibration machines streamline

4080-591: The main suppliers in the Super GT series. Since April 2023, Bridgestone became the main tire supplier for the Super Taikyu championship series replacing Hankook , which supplied its tires briefly until forced to exit the series due the latter's Daejeon plant fire. In 2002, Bridgestone entered the Grand Prix motorcycle racing 's main class MotoGP . From 2009 to 2015, it was the exclusive tire supplier of

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4160-818: The marketing office in Moscow were sold in December 2023 as Bridgestone withdrew from the Russian market, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine . As part of reinforcement plans, the company purchased a plant in Tennessee from the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company , its first manufacturing plant in North America, and started the production of radial tires for trucks and buses in 1983. Bridgestone also has

4240-509: The midwest, southeastern, and eastern half of the country. WKA road racing is more popular where healthy divisional road racing clubs are located. Several of these strong regional clubs include the Southern Kart Club, Woodbridge Kart Club, and Dart Kart Club. The activity of roadracing karts peaked in the mid-1980s with some events reaching over 1000 entries at a national event. The participants in modern roadrace events are perhaps

4320-434: The most passionate about the sport. Many of these lifelong participants have been active in the sport for over 30 years. The Speedway Dirt Series is one of two WKA national series that holds races exclusively on oval tracks. It is the only series that races on dirt tracks. The track sizes range between (approximately) one-eighth-mile to one-quarter-mile. The Speedway Dirt Series has been WKA's best attended series throughout

4400-451: The name "enduro," short for endurance. Most drivers have a timer mounted on their kart so they know what stage the race is at and when the final lap will be. Again, unlike the other WKA series, road races begin from a Le Mans start. Most other WKA national series (except shifter karts) begin races with a rolling start. At road racing events, karts line up in a traditional "Le Mans" style starting formation. The race official/starter starts

4480-656: The name from Bridgestone Tire Co., Ltd. to Bridgestone Corporation in 1984. In 1988, Bridgestone purchased the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio . Placing considerable financial and personnel resources into rebuilding Firestone after the purchase, Bridgestone achieved surplus annual profits for the year 1992 with BFE ( Bridgestone Firestone Europe ) and again in 1993 with BFS ( Bridgestone Firestone USA ). The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and Bridgestone Tire Company Ltd. USA were amalgamated in 1990 and became "Bridgestone Firestone North American Holdings Ltd" . The North American subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation

4560-552: The opportunity to race on some of America's most historic and reputable road courses. In the 2014 racing season, the WKA National Road Racing Series visits Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course , Virginia International Raceway , Putnam Park, Carolina Motorsports Park, Daytona International Speedway, Grattan Raceway, NCCAR, Summit Point Raceway , and New Jersey Motorsports Park . In the past the series has held events at almost every permanent roadracing facility in

4640-543: The period that competed with Goodyear ( 1997 – 1998 ) and Michelin ( 2001 – 2006 ). Especially, cooperation with Scuderia Ferrari and Michael Schumacher functioned well in this period. From 2008 to 2010 Bridgestone was due to be the sole tire supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship. However, because Michelin chose to conclude its Formula One tire programme at the end of the 2006 season , all teams used Bridgestone tires from

4720-575: The race at Cleveland instead. In addition, some observers felt that the powerful Champ Cars had "outgrown" the narrow, winding course, citing a lack of passing and competition over the previous several years. The race would return in 2007 under the Indy racing league and would partner as a doubleheader with the American Le Mans Series until 2012 when ALMS dropped the circuit from the calendar. The race has also featured support series such as

4800-491: The race was shortened in 2018 to 170 mi (270 km). The race has partnered with Trans-Am , Stadium Super Trucks, F4 United States Championship and partnered ARCA in 2020. Unlike most of the events held at the track, the Xfinity Series uses the normal start/finish line located on the pit straight to start the races, instead of the start line on the back straight. NASCAR realigned the race in 2022, moving it to

4880-452: The race would be extended as a 200 mi (320 km) race. CART appeared annually until 2003, when CART president Chris Pook hinted at dropping Mid-Ohio from the CART schedule going forward, citing various issues. For many years, Mid-Ohio was on the schedule alongside the Grand Prix of Cleveland , and Pook stated it was not viable to have two races in such close proximity, and favored keeping

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4960-746: The region and a 32 hectare research and development centre near Rome, Italy . The company distributes more than 25 million tires a year through 17 national sales subsidiaries and 2 distributors. They directly employ over 12,000 people with Mr. Tsuda as CEO. At present there are national headquarters in the following locations: Vienna , Austria; Prague , Czech Republic; Hinnerup , Denmark; Vantaa , Finland; Fresnes , France; Bad Homburg , Germany; Athens , Greece; Budapest , Hungary; Dublin , Ireland; Milan , Italy; Moerdijk , Netherlands; Oslo , Norway; Warsaw , Poland; Alcochete , Portugal; Madrid , Spain; Sundsvall , Sweden; Spreitenbach , Switzerland; Istanbul , Turkey and Warwick , UK. Bridgestone EU runs

5040-516: The replacement of all remaining old-style catch fencing and the standardization of curbing throughout the circuit. These changes have resulted in a faster, safer, more competitive and attractive facility for drivers, riders and race fans. On March 2, 2011, it was announced that the track had been purchased from Truesports by Green Savoree Racing Promotions, which also promotes other IndyCar races, ending Truesports' 29 years of ownership. The course had first hosted SportsCar racing in 1963 as part of

5120-424: The right of the kart - reasoning being that the driver weighs more than the engine. This is contrary to race cars, which the engine would greatly outweigh the driver and the oval-kart driver offset theory would not work. All classes in Speedway Dirt and Pavement are powered by Briggs & Stratton 4-cycle engines. This has not always been true, however. 2-cycle engines (Yamahas and others) were once fairly popular on

5200-581: The series, which travels to locations such as Daytona International Speedway , Michiana Raceway Park in Indiana, Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin , New Castle Motorsports Park in New Castle, Ind., Pitt Race (Formerly BeaverRun) in Wampum, Pennsylvania , GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville, North Carolina , and Charlotte Motor Speedway. Like the Gold Cup, the tracks are sprint-style road courses that are generally around 1 mile (1.6 km) in length. Contrary to Gold Cup, most classes are powered by faster, more powerful Two-stroke engine|2-cycle engines (with

5280-454: The single tire provider for the successor Champ Car World Series , the IndyCar Series and its feeder series Indy NXT . Bridgestone has supplied tires in Formula One since 1997 , although the company one–off produced Formula One tires at the 1976 and 1977 Japanese Grand Prix for Japanese entrants such as Kazuyoshi Hoshino 's Heros Racing and Kojima . The Japanese company decided to supply tires for Formula One in 1995, backed–up by

5360-427: The stock exchange in 1961. A new system of administration was ushered in by Shojiro Ishibashi as the chairman, and Kanichiro Ishibashi as the president. As part of the transition across to administrative reform, the Deming Plan in honor of W. Edwards Deming , which involves overall quality control activities, was adopted, and the company was awarded the prestigious Deming Prize in 1968. Also, additions were built onto

5440-721: The tire inflation process by automatically inflating or deflating tires. In 2017, Bridgestone Americas consolidated many of their business units into a single building in downtown Nashville , Bridgestone Tower . Nearly 2,000 employees work in the new skyscraper, nestled between the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center . In April 2020, due to demand by essential service providers during COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee , Bridgestone Americas announced plans to restart its North American commercial tire plants as well as its North American Firestone Industrial Products and Firestone Building Products manufacturing facilities. Bridgestone started to invest in motorsport in

5520-399: The top of the tire industry in Japan, and celebrations were held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the company's foundation in Kurume. The sale of nylon tires was started in 1959, and work forged ahead with the construction of the new Tokyo plant, which was opened in 1960, in order to cope with the fast–expanding market for motorization. The company issued stock shares and was listed on

5600-405: The track again underwent extensive renovation. The track and pit lane were completely resurfaced and connectors were added to the track's famed Keyhole section to allow for three separate road course configurations. Also completed was the removal of concrete patches from the track, the relocation of the wall and guardrail at Turn 1, the expansion of gravel traps at the exits of Turn 1 and the keyhole,

5680-487: The track being too slow. The track hosted Can-am and F5000 through the 1970s and in 1980, it would host its first CART race with Johnny Rutherford taking victory with Chaparral . In 1982 Mid-Ohio was purchased by Jim Trueman , a renowned road racer and the founder of Red Roof Inns . Trueman added permanent grandstands, amphitheater-style seating, garages with spectator balconies, a five-story media and hospitality center, tunnels and an updated paddock area. In addition,

5760-401: The track raise the capacity to over 75,000. Mid-Ohio is classified as an FIA Grade Two circuit. The track opened in 1962 as a 16-turn road course run clockwise. After only one year, the "Oak Tree Bend" series of turns (in the northeast corner) was removed due to being too slow. It was replaced by the "Thunder Valley" downhill straight, which remains to the present day. For 1963 and beyond,

5840-414: The track underwent a refurbishment. A new retaining wall was built, the entire track was resurfaced, widened, and concrete was paved in the apexes of the turns to prevent asphalt deterioration. In addition, a straightaway was paved through the chicane, allowing for two different track layouts, the original 2.400 mi (3.862 km) circuit and a new 13-turn, 2.258 mi (3.634 km) circuit. In 2006

5920-599: The world's largest chain of automotive tire and service centers. In November 2010, ASA Automotive Systems Inc. was selected by the Consumer Tire Sales division of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC (BATO) as the software provider for their North American consumer dealers to supply the industry's leading 'All–in–One' Point–of–Sale, Accounting and Inventory shop management software. In 2014, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) unveiled its newly rebranded GCR Tires & Service division. With one of

6000-587: The world. As of 1 April 2011, Bridgestone has 47 tire plants, 29 tire–related plants, 19 raw materials plants, 89 diversified product plants, 4 technical centers, and 11 proving grounds globally. Some of the major plants are located in: Bridgestone Australia began as the SA Rubber Mills in 1939. In 1980 Bridgestone took over the Australian plants which were at that time operated by the Uniroyal Tyre Company . Bridgestone Australia had

6080-578: Was approved and completed. Bridgestone Australia Ltd. was delisted from the ASX on 30 May 2007. Bridgestone EU has its head office in Brussels, Belgium , and was set up in 1990 as Bridgestone/Firestone Europe SA. Before that, a representative office in Belgium set up in 1972 and sales subsidiary companies and importers in each countries were selling products imported from Japan. There are 7 production plants in

6160-483: Was built, the entire track was resurfaced, widened and concrete was paved in the apexes of the turns to prevent asphalt deterioration. In addition, a straightaway segment was paved through the chicane, allowing for two different track layouts, the original 2.40 mi (3.86 km) circuit and a new 13-turn, 2.258 mi (3.634 km) circuit which bypasses the chicane. Major series including CART / Champ Car , IndyCar , IMSA , and NASCAR have mostly elected to bypass

6240-466: Was destroyed during an aerial bombing raid, and all overseas assets were lost. The plants in Kurume and Yokohama escaped unscathed, and production was able to resume immediately after the war ended. Brushing aside the problems caused by a labour union strike that lasted for 46 days, the foundations of the company were further reinforced after this. After the war the company started making bicycles, with

6320-492: Was named after the name of the founder, Shojiro Ishibashi ( 石橋 ; lit.   ' stone bridge ' ). Foregoing dependence on European and North American technology, the Bridgestone Tire Co., Ltd. set its eyes on manufacturing tires based largely on Japanese technology. The fledgling company experienced many difficulties in the areas of technology, production, and sales in the early days. Eventually, improvements were achieved in quality and manufacturing processes which led to

6400-562: Was placed on the market in 1978, and in 1979 the company introduced the high–performance POTENZA radial tire, from an Italian word for power. The company was actively engaged in overseas expansion activities at this time. In addition to starting up production in Indonesia and Iran in 1976, it also invested in a Taiwan tire manufacturer and purchased a tire plant and a plant for diversified products in Australia in 1980. The founder, Shojiro Ishibashi, died on 11 September 1976. On 1 March 1981,

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