Robbie was joined by Al Speyer
source:
irl.racing-live.com
Former IndyCar Series driver and current team
co-owner Robbie Buhl visited Bridgestone Firestone's Akron Technical Center on
February 4 to participate in a ceremony honoring employees of the center's
Advanced Technology Workshop (ATW), which is responsible for the manufacture of
tires used in IRL competition.
Buhl was joined by Al Speyer, executive director of motorsports for Bridgestone
Firestone North American Tire, LLC, and by Hank Hara, Executive Vice President,
Tire Development & Technology.
During the presentation today, Speyer presented a trophy to ATW employees to
commemorate their hard work and dedication in making the Firestone Racing
program a success. The trophy was a replica of one presented to IRL CEO Tony
George last season, to commemorate the 100th event of the IndyCar Series.
"Our racing program has a lot of moving parts and requires a lot of coordination
between many Firestone teammates," said Speyer. "But the foundation of
everything we do is the ATW employees. They are the ones who put together each
IRL tire and their attention to detail and commitment to excellence has made our
program the success it is today."
Buhl, a veteran of the open-wheel racing industry, has
first-hand knowledge of the quality of work carried out by ATW employees. He won
an Indy Lights championship in 1992 on Firestone tires and competed for nine
seasons in the IndyCar Series in a Firestone-equipped car. After retiring from
the driver's seat in 2004, Buhl now commits himself full-time to his role as a
co-owner of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.