With race wins divide🐬d equally between Bridgestone and Michelin during the first four rounds of the 2008 MotoGP World championship, Tohru Ubukata, manag🍌er of Motorcycle Race Tyre Development at Bridgestone, believes the tyre war is 'about as even as it could possibly be'.

Reigning world champion Casey Stoner took Bridgestone to victory in the Qatar season opener, before Michelin riders D𒁏ani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo struck back at Jerez and Estoril. Valentino Rossi's debut Bridgestone victory last time out in𝓰 Shanghai then evened the balance.

"There have been four different winners in the first four races, using both b⛦rands of tyre, so it [the tyre war] is about as even as it could possibly be," said Ubukata. "There have been two victories using Bridgestone tyres with Casey in Qatar and now Valentino in China, so I believe we can be satisfied.

"T♒he performance of both tyre manufacturers is at a very high level, as we have seen by the lap times and competitiveness in recent races, but this is the great thing about competition; we must keep up an aggressive rate of development for each and every race," he warned.

But while race wins have been equally split, theꦑ same cannot be sไaid of podiums and pole positions.

Bridgestone supplies 11 of the 18 riders 💃on the full-time 2008 MotoGP grid but, of the twelve podium places so far possible, Michelin riders have claimed seven and taken all four pole positions.

Nevertheless, Bridgestone put tw🅰o riders on the front row in China and believes the one-lap gap to Mich༒elin is closing.

"[Shanghai] was the first time this season that we have had๊ two riders on the front row [this year] and it was a great qualifying performance from Valentino and Casey," said Ubukata. "The Suzuki riders also made big steps ahead with Loris and Chris in the top eight, their best qualifying results of the season so far.

"We brought new rear construction qualifiers to China which help🌠ed us improve the overall grid positions, 🐼even if the gap to pole position is still too much. Our rivals continue to perform very strongly in this area, so we must work even more, but we are getting there step by step," he declared.

Round five𝐆 of the MotoGP World Championship takes pl🅘ace at Le Mans in France, Michelin's home event.