• The Potenza Adrenalin RE005 succeeds hugely popular Potenza Adrenalin RE003 after 11 years.
• The outgoing Potenza Adrenalin RE003 surpassed more than 2 million sales in Australia & New Zealand. 
• Potenza Adrenalin remains a significant line for Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand with personal connections to our market. 

BRISBANE, Queensland (8 April, 2026) – Bridgestone’s newest tyre in the Potenza Adrenalin line, the RE005, enters the Australian & New Zealand market with high expectations and big shoes to fill after the unquestionable success of the Potenza Adrenalin RE003 it replaces.  

Australian & New Zealand customers have loved the Potenza Adrenalin RE003 since it was launched in 2015, boasting more than 2-million tyre sales in our market. The Adrenalin range also accounts for 60% of total Potenza sales by Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand. 

Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, Heath Barclay, has a particular affinity and passion for the Potenza Adrenalin range, playing a personal role ahead of its launch. 

“There is an undeniable link between Australia & New Zealand, and the Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin line. It also holds a particular place in my heart because I was involved in naming the product range,” Mr Barclay said. 

Mr Barclay has been Managing Director since 2022 but commenced with Bridgestone NZ (then Firestone) as a management cadet in 1996. Since then, he has held roles within marketing, consumer business and general management in New Zealand, before moving to Australia in 2013 as the Group General Manager of Retail and Marketing. He then served as Associate Director Sales & Marketing and become Sales Director in 2017. 

“The street performance tyre range was developed specifically for the Asia Pacific region, and at the time I was in the Marketing Manager role for New Zealand. When we were presented with a list of potential names for this exciting new line, Adrenalin was the obvious choice and as part of the selection panel, I strongly campaigned for it,” he explained. 

“The success and passion that continues to be associated with the Potenza Adrenalin line, especially the cult following of the RE003 in our market, highlights why we have such confidence in the Potenza Adrenalin RE005.” 

The Australian & New Zealand market is also a significant portion of the demand for Potenza Adrenalin RE005, with the range of 50 sizes in Australia, and 48 in New Zealand set to make up around 45% of total share for its production in the Asia Pacific market.    

Potenza Adrenalin RE005 is the fifth generation of the street performance tyre range to be launched. Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand opted to skip the RE004 model based on local testing showing that RE003 remained more suitable for our market than its successor. 

Bridgestone Australia Sales Director, Claudio Sodano, says the Potenza Adrenalin RE005 customer is particularly engaged and more knowledgeable on tyres than most other segments of the market. 

Mr Sodano recently celebrated his 30th anniversary with Bridgestone having joined fresh from university as a graduate engineer before going on to the Technical Field Service function, including OE tyre development roles and then sales. 

“Bridgestone Potenza Adrenalin RE003 customers are incredibly engaged and passionate about their cars and tyres, so it was essential that any successor to the product was a genuine step up in performance,” Mr Sodano said. 

“These are the customers who spend time researching and planning their next tyre purchase. When the RE004 was tested in our market, it didn’t surpass the expectations Potenza Adrenalin RE003 set, so we made a conscious decision to skip the fourth-generation product to ensure we met the high standards of our loyal base of Adrenalin customers.

“The new Potenza Adrenalin RE005 is a noticeable step up, and we have full confidence customers will love the RE005 even more than the RE003.” 

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About Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand: 

Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand offers a range of services and solutions to all segments of the Australian market to deliver social value and customer value. Bridgestone’s extensive range of quality tyres is complemented by the provision of mechanical and fleet services through the company’s nationwide retail network of Bridgestone Select, Bridgestone Service Centres and Bridgestone Tyre Centres, mobile service provider Lube Mobile, and the manufacturing and sale of quality retreads through Bandag Pty Limited. Bridgestone offers a diverse product portfolio of premium tyres and advanced solutions backed by innovative technologies, improving the way people around the world move, live, work and play.

About Bridgestone Corporation: 

Bridgestone is a global leader in tires and rubber building on its expertise to provide solutions for safe and sustainable mobility. Headquartered in Tokyo, the company employs approximately 130,000 people globally and conducts business in more than 150 countries and territories worldwide. Bridgestone offers a diverse product portfolio of premium tires and advanced solutions backed by innovative technologies, improving the way people around the world move, live, work and play.