• by Karl Greenberg , April 12, 2007

Tire maker Bridgestone Firestone is getting traction by running two programs--one consumer facing, the other directed at dealers--in tandem.

The Classroom Behind the Wheel program for dealers, called "Drive and Learn," is a road show demonstrating new products for dealers nationwide via comparison drives in BMW cars.

In 12 of 16 markets, it will precede a weekend program called Drivers Edge, a Bridgestone Firestone-branded and -sponsored driver's education program for persons under 18. Driver's Edge, at stadiums and raceways in 17 U.S. cities, gives free classroom and behind-the-wheel accident-avoidance instruction by professional racers and performance drivers in cars running on Bridgestone and Firestone tires.

The Drivers Edge tour, the fifth annual iteration, launches on Saturday in San Diego. The program is offered twice a day and includes written tests, classroom and behind-the-wheel defensive-driving instruction at a branded Firestone Complete Auto Care's Car Care Academy.

BF's Drive and Learn program will take place today and tomorrow. "The programs are meant to dovetail," says a BF spokesperson, who adds that dealers will also learn about the Driver's Edge program so they can promote it as well. "There's a lot of cross-promotional activity."

Events for both programs will take place at venues like Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and Texas Motor Speedway, where Driver's Edge and BF will have a fleet of BMW 325i sedans, maneuvering cones and electronic equipment.

The spokesperson says BF has been running the "Drive and Learn" programs since the mid 1990s "as a way for dealers to get in the cars, test the new technology for the year and tell customers on the other end. So they can talk about the news." The Driver's Edge programs use the same tires.

The programs will visit major urban markets nationwide and will focus on the Bridgestone Turanza, the Firestone Firehawk GT tire and Bridgestone's new high-performance tire, the Potenzar RE-01R.