Button supports Bridgestone safety campaign

Formula One star makes pit stop at air tattoo
Jenson Button supports Bridgestone safety campaign

British Formula One star Jenson Button met motorsport fans when he made a special appearance at the Royal International Air Tattoo at the weekend.

The Honda Racing F1 Team driver was guest of honour at the Bridgestone UK stand at RIAT, at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, on Saturday, supporting the tyre manufacturer's Think Before You Drive safety campaign. Visitors to the show were able to meet Jenson, while a lucky few even had their photograph taken with him and a replica of his Honda RA107 car.

The Bridgestone UK stand featured a Formula One simulator and the Honda Racing F1 Team show car, while branded goodies were also up for grabs as part of its Think Before You Drive roadshow. Visitors were also able to submit questions for an exclusive Q&A session with the star driver in the Tri@RIAT Arena on Saturday afternoon.

"As a racing driver, safety is something that's very important to me and so I was only too pleased to help Bridgestone highlight it's Think Before You Drive campaign," said Jenson. "Tyres are the only contact our cars have with the road, making their condition vitally important, so checking tyre pressures and tread depths regularly should be something we all do."

John McNaught, managing director of Bridgestone UK, said he was thrilled Jenson was able to join the company at the Royal International Air Tattoo. "We're delighted that our close relationship with Formula One and the Honda Racing F1 Team means that we were able to offer visitors to RIAT this unique opportunity to meet a racing superstar, while at the same time encouraging everyone who came to the stand to think about tyre safety," said John.

Jenson TBYD

The Think Before You Drive campaign has expanded in 2007 to incorporate the wider environmental issues affected by tyre conditions. John McNaught explained: "By running on under-inflated tyres, we have to replace more than 56 million tyres a year across Europe. More than 40% of us also consume more fuel by running on under- inflated tyres, amounting to more than 18 million tonnes of CO2 emissions."

"These are quite shocking statistics, and we are trying to encourage everyone to have their tyres checked by a professional to ensure they do not become a statistic too," said John.

-credit: bridgestone