Bridgestone Corporation has made it official, announcing that it has begun testing tires for the 500cc World Championship with Kanemoto Racing and riders Nobuatsu Aoki and Shinichi Ito on Honda NSR500s. According to a press release announcing the test program, “the company has put in place a global organization to create the tires” and “the start of development work on racing tires for 500cc motorcycles is one of several events to mark Bridgestone’s 70th anniversary in 2001.” The release also stated that “Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world’s largest manufacturer of tires and other rubber products. Tires account for 79 percent of Bridgestone Group sales worldwide. The company also manufactures industrial rubber and chemical products, sporting goods and other diversified products. It sells its tires and other products in more than 150 nations.”