IndyCar has confirmed the guayule sustainable tyre, which debuted at Nashville last season, will be used at all street races in 2023
Contract:
- Five street races will see the green-bordered tyre as the alternate option
- All tyres at the Indianapolis 500 to be constructed from recycled plastics
Context: The guayule tyre, derived from a desert shrub, made its competitive debut last season at the Nashvile street circuit. This year, it will increase to five outings with all street circuits being covered. To date, Bridgestone has invested more than US$100 million in its efforts to commercialise guayule. For this year's Indy 500, all race tyres will incorporate ISCC recycled-attributed butadiene, a monomer produced with recycled post-consumer plastic waste.
Comment: Paolo Ferrari, chief executive of Bridgestone Americas, said: “We are driving sustainability in every area of our business, and we’re thrilled to be advancing guayule and other sustainable practices in America’s premier open-wheel racing series. Firestone has a tremendous legacy of innovation and performance in racing, which we will continue to build upon as we move into this new era of cleaner, safer and more sustainable mobility on and off the track.”
Coming next: The guayule tyre will make its first appearance at the season-opening round in St. Petersburg on 5th March, before outings at Long Beach (16th April), Detroit (4th June), Toronto (16th July) and Nashville (6th August).