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- Tyre uses natural rubber from guayule shrub, which requires less reharvesti
- Move forms part of IndyCar’s wider sustainability initiatives announced in April
The IndyCar Series will formally debut its sustainable race tyre on track at this weekend’s race in Nashville.
The eco-friendly tyre from Bridgestone-owned Firestone is partially composed of a new natural rubber derived from the guayule shrub, which requires less reharvesting than traditional sources of rubber.
The Firestone Firehawk guayule tyre was trialled in May during the Pit Stop Challenge at the Indianapolis 500. The Music City Grand Prix will be the first time it is used in a race setting.
Going forward, Bridgestone plans to incorporate guayule natural rubber into more of its race tyres from 2023 and wants to commercialise the use by 2030.
“The introduction of guayule natural rubber to America’s pre-eminent open-wheel racing series speaks to the confidence we have in the technology and its promise as a scalable, sustainable and domestic source of natural rubber – a vital raw material,” said Nizar Trigui, chief technology officer and group president, solutions businesses, at Bridgestone Americas.
“This milestone represents our commitment to realising a more sustainable future for tyres, racing and mobility.”
The eco-friendly tyre rollout follows IndyCar revealing a host of sustainability initiatives in April, which also includes a move toward zero emission logistics.