Apex Integration Mazda RX-7 Will Feature Potenza Tires At D1 Grand Prix Drift Event

Nashville, Tenn. (February 27, 2004) - Bridgestone/Firestone North
American Tire, LLC (BFNT) will provide Bridgestone-brand Potenza(r)
RE750 tires for the A'PEX Integration (A'PEX) lead drift car, a Mazda
RX-7 from Japan, at the 2004 D1 Grand Prix U.S.A. professional drift.
The event will be held Saturday, February 28, in Irwindale, Calif.

BFNT is supporting the A'PEX team as an extension of the A'PEX
sponsorship initiated by Bridgestone Corporation in Japan three years
ago. It marks the second season that BFNT has sponsored A'PEX at the
U.S. drift venue. The RX-7 will be driven by Youichi Imamura, the 2003
D1 Series champion.

The D1 Grand Prix will launch its 2004 season on Feb. 28th at the
Irwindale Speedway, in front of an anticipated 10,000 spectators
watching more than two dozen of Japan's best drifters.  This is the
first year the professional drift series has kicked-off in the United
States.   

Drifting is a highly skilled motorsport in which drivers control a car
using precise acceleration, steering and braking while it slides from
side to side at high speeds on a closed, marked course.  Participants
are judged not only on the speed through which they navigate the course,
but also on execution and style. Already a well-established motorsport
in Japan, it took the U.S. sport compact world by storm at its debut at
Irwindale Speedway in 2003.   

"Drifting exploded onto the U.S. sport compact scene in 2003, and we are
very excited to be a part of this new phenomenon with our tire
sponsorship of the A'PEX Mazda RX-7 drift car this year," said Phil
Pacsi, executive director, North American consumer tire brand marketing,
BFNT.

"We are very pleased to have Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire
expand on the efforts of Bridgestone Japan in sponsoring our cars this
year," said Toshi Hayama, vice president, A'PEX.  "The Bridgestone
Potenza high performance tires provide the right balance of handling
needed to execute drift maneuvers.  We are looking forward to a very
successful season."

BFNT will also provide Bridgestone-brand Potenza RE050A street tires in
size 275/35ZR19 96Y for the A'PEX Nissan Skyline GTR BNR 34 V-Spec.,
which will be on display in the A'PEX booth at the event.

The Bridgestone Potenza RE750 is an ultra-high performance tire that has
been engineered to complement the style and complex systems of today's
finest performance cars. The Potenza RE750, with its unidirectional
tread pattern, delivers rapid response, traction and outstanding wet and
dry handling, taking performance straight to the top.

The Bridgestone Potenza RE050A features an asymmetrical tread pattern,
which combines large, outside elements for improved handling with
smaller, inside elements for water evacuation.  The tire was developed
with a nod to Bridgestone's long motorsports heritage, combining
technology derived from the grooved tread design of the Potenza Formula
One dry tire and the renowned Potenza F1 rain tire, to deliver excellent
grip on dry roads and surefooted traction in the wet - both required
characteristics for drifting.

Nashville-based Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC is a
subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company,
Bridgestone Corporation, is the world's largest tire and rubber company.
BFNT develops, manufactures, and markets Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton
and associate and private brand tires.  The company is focused on
wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light
truck, commercial vehicle, off-road, agricultural and other tires to its
customers in North America.