celebrating five years of success at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza

31 finalists from the last five years reunited for GP2 awards

Bridgestone, the Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship and the GP2  Series,  is  this  year  celebrating  the  fifth  anniversary  of  the  Bridgestone  e-reporter competition.

Aimed at students across  Europe  aged  18-30 in full time education, e-reporter offers young writers a unique chance to launch their journalistic and reporting careers. To mark the fifth anniversary of the Bridgestone e-reporter programme, all finalists from the last five years have been invited to a celebratory reunion at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza – the  2008  GP2  Series  finale  –  to  showcase  Bridgestone’s  investment  in  the  community  and future journalists.

 During  the  weekend  31  Bridgestone  e-reporter  finalists  will  get  together  for  the  official Bridgestone  dinner,  before  enjoying  the  GP2  sprint  race  and  Formula  One  race  on  the Sunday. In addition, all Bridgestone e-reporter graduates have been invited to attend the GP2 Series end of season ceremony, to be held on the Sunday night (14 September), where the Winning Attitude Awards (WAA) will be presented. Since  its  launch  in  2003,  the  Bridgestone  e-reporter  programme  has  continued  to  grow  in popularity   with   more   students   entering   the   competition   from   an   increasing   number   of European countries, 2008 being a record year for entries. The competition has also continued to  prove  that  it  is  a  programme  committed  to  launching  journalistic  careers,  with  numerous Bridgestone e-reporters securing jobs within the media as a direct result of their involvement in the initiative.

It  is  testament  to  the  e-reporter  programme  that  past  and  present  Bridgestone  e-reporter finalists have been writing, either full time or as contributors, for high profile European media outlets  including  Autoklub  (Poland),  Autosport  (UK),  Autosport  es  Formula  (Hungary), Bild Motorsport (Germany), Crash.net (UK), De Telegraaf (Netherlands), F1GrandPrix.it (Italy), F1i (Belgium), Formula 1 Race Report (Netherlands), ITV-F1.com (UK), L’Alsace (France) and Sport Magazine (UK).

This  year’s  nine  e-reporter  finalists  have  each  been  invited  to  a  European  Formula  One Grand Prix weekend to report on the Bridgestone-backed GP2 Series and Monza will see the ninth  finalist  report  on  the  GP2  Series’  final  round.  Throughout  the  season,  Bridgestone  e- reporter articles have been published on bridgestone.eu/e-reporter.

 The  overall  winner  of  the  2008  e-reporter  contest,  due  to  be  announced  during  the  GP2 Series awards ceremony,  will be chosen for their ability to represent the  Bridgestone brand and produce newsworthy race reports. 

 Bridgestone’s young e-reporter journalist of the  year will then be invited to continue their work on Bridgestone-backed events.

 Gerry  Duffy,  Vice  President  Sales  &  Marketing,  Bridgestone  Europe,  commented,  “We  are proud to be celebrating five years of Bridgestone e-reporter in 2008, at the Italian Grand Prix, as  the  competition  goes  from  strength  to  strength.  We  are  committed  more  than  ever  to education  and  providing  students  with  the  opportunity  to  develop  their  talent  as  young journalists, helping them in their step up to becoming successful writers. We look forward to bringing together 31 of our finalists  in Monza as it will be a real celebration for Bridgestone, showcasing what the Bridgestone e-reporter programme has achieved across Europe.”

For further information on Bridgestone e-reporter, visit bridgestone.eu/e-reporter.