BRIDGESTONE have stepped in to back-up MotoGP World Champion Valentino Rossi, after several teams accused the Italian of playing games with his tyre markings at the Sachsenring Grand Prix.
Last week Visordown broke the news that the Italian's team were under scrutiny after several riders, including Casey Stoner, had accused the Fiat Yamaha team of deliberately removing the white lines from the sidewalls of Rossi's rubber, in an attempt to confuse the opposition.
Since then the tyre manufacturer has confirmed Rossi’s team has played no part in any underhand tactics, admitting that they had run out of the special paint used to mark the softer compound with a strip of white around the rim.
“We have a special white paint that doesn’t degrade the rubber … and we ran out,” said a Bridgestone spokesman.
