OCTOBER 19, 2006

A change at Bridgestone

There is to be a change of management in the Bridgestone Formula 1 programme at the circuits with our spies telling us that Dutchman Kees Van der Grint. taking a more active role. Van der Grint is a wellknown Bridgestone figure, having spent the recent years working closely with Michael Schumacher. However his experience goes back to the late 1970s when he started designing racing cars for the Bosch Family in Holland, enjoying some success with the McGregor chassis in Formula Ford before designing the Barron Formula 3 car. It was around this time that Van der Grint began working with Roberto Moreno.

After a period running the ACE team in German F3 and Formula 3000, Van der Grint moved to F1 in 1989 as race engineer with Moreno at EuroBrun. At the same time he began to work more closely with Bridgestone, although he was often in the background, working in karting and the lower formulae. In recent years, however, he has played a key role in Bridgestone's F1 success.

Yasukawa (56) remains head of the Bridgestone's Motorsport Department as he has been since 1981 when Bridgestone entered European Formula 2 racing.