Aspiring journalist Simona Vogel reports on a round of the Bridgestone-backed MotoGP Championship26/05/2009

Bridgestone, exclusive tyre supplier to the MotoGP Championship, announced the eleven finalists of the 2009 pan-European Bridgestone e-reporter young journalists’ competition at the beginning of May, with three finalists due to attend MotoGP race weekends. German finalist Simona Vogel, a journalism student at Leipzig University, was offered the chance to attend the fourth round of the MotoGP Championship (15 -17 May), in Le Mans, to report on the series as part of the e-reporter initiative.

Simona (aged 25) was the first e-reporter of the year to attend a MotoGP event for Bridgestone, and to write race reports and features on the two-wheeled championship for the Bridgestone website, www.bridgestone.eu/e-reporter. Interviewing a host of riders for her reports, including MotoGP riders Marco Melandri and Loris Capirossi, along with German 125cc rider Sandro Cortese, Simona gained invaluable journalistic experience and had the opportunity to practice her interviewing skills.

Commenting on her e-reporter experience, Simona said, "My weekend as a Bridgestone e-reporter was a very unique experience for me, providing memories which I will absolutely treasure forever. It was different from what I initially expected, but in a good way. I felt right at home in the paddock and at ease with the job. The work I did for Bridgestone and the people I met in the paddock also helped me immensely to get a clearer picture of what I want to do in the future which will hopefully involve working in motorsport."

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 German students also being able to enter in their own language.

The next Bridgestone e-reporter finalist to attend a MotoGP race weekend will be Renaud Lacroix (from France), who will be attending a round of the Bridgestone-backed MotoGP Championship in Barcelona from 12-14 June. 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.