Aspiring journalist Ferran Lopez Margall reports on the Bridgestone-backed GP2 Series in Barcelona14/05/2009
Bridgestone, exclusive tyre supplier to the GP2 Series, announced the eleven finalists of the 2009 pan-European Bridgestone e-reporter young journalists’ competition last week to coincide with the opening round of the 2009 GP2 Series, taking place in Barcelona. Spanish finalist Ferran Lopez Margall, a student at Barcelona University and living in Granollers, attended the Spanish Grand Prix (8-10 May) to report on the GP2 Series as part of the e-reporter initiative.
Ferran (aged 25) was the first e-reporter of the year to attend an event for Bridgestone, and to write race reports and features for the Bridgestone website, www.bridgestone.eu/e-reporter. Interviewing a host of GP2 drivers for his reports, including Spanish driver Roldan Rodriguez (Piquet GP), Ferran gained invaluable journalistic experience and had the opportunity to practice his interviewing skills. Ferran attended GP2 driver press conferences, and also met with Tomàs Zumarraga, the Managing Director of Bridgestone Spain.
In addition, Ferran attended an awards ceremony in the GP2 paddock (on Thursday 7 May) for the 2008-2009 GP2 Asia Series. GP2 Asia champion and Dams driver Kamui Kobayashi collected his trophy and the Bridgestone $50,000 US dollar prize cheque which was presented by Mr Hiroshi Yasukawa, Director of Bridgestone Motorsport. The ceremony was attended by F1 stars and GP2 graduates Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen and Nelson Piquet, with Jarno Trulli and Flavio Briatore also presenting awards to the GP2 Asia winners. The European GP2 Series was then officially launched for the 2009 season, with all 26 GP2 drivers on stage for the finale of the ceremony.
Bridgestone e-reporter is strongly linked to the GP2 Series, the feeder series to Formula One. While GP2 was created to provide gifted young drivers with the chance to make their way to the pinnacle of motorsport, e-reporter was brought to life to support the talented young journalists of tomorrow.
Commenting on his invaluable experience over the weekend, Ferran said, “When I sent my entry in March to the Bridgestone e-reporter website, I didn’t imagine how important this experience would be in my life. Thanks to the Bridgestone team, I have known what it is like to work as a motorsport journalist for a weekend. Thank you for making my dream come true!”
Entrants for this year’s Bridgestone e-reporter competition were asked to demonstrate their ability to write topical interview questions and a newsworthy story when applying for the competition. Entry levels for the 2009 contest have been higher than ever before, with Spanish students also being able to enter in their own language.
The next Bridgestone e-reporter finalist to attend a race weekend will be Simona Vogel (from Leipzig, Germany), who will be attending a round of the Bridgestone-backed MotoGP Championship at Le Mans from 15-17 May.
The overall winner of this year’s e-reporter competition, chosen for their ability to represent the Bridgestone brand and demonstrate their natural flair for journalism, will be announced in September 2009.
For further information on the 2009 Bridgestone e-reporter competition, and to view race reports throughout the season from this year’s finalists, visit www.bridgestone.eu/e-reporter.
To read about this year's e-reporter finalists, please use the following links:
E-reporter Mieke Vercammen at the Belgian GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Joao Filipe at the European GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Tim Biesbrouck at the Hungarian GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Kate Goodacre at the German GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Lukasz Lesniewski at the Dutch MotoGP Grand Prix
E-reporter Stephanie Black at the British GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Renaud Lacroix at the Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix
E-reporter Filip Cleeren at the Monaco GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Simona Vogel at the French MotoGP Grand Prix
