Yokohama Pikes Peak Entry to Race on Eco Tyres

Yokohama Tire Corporation has provided further details of the tyre Team Yokohama will use in its conquest of Pikes Peak in an electric vehicle on June 27. The lithium-ion battery powered vehicle will be fitted with Advan ENV-R2 orange oil infused race tyres, a product that Yokohama says cuts petroleum use in the manufacturing process by 20 per cent by utilising sustainable resources such as orange oil and natural rubber.

“Yokohama is the only tyre company to have perfected this science,” said Mark Chung, Yokohama director, corporate strategy and planning. “The ENV-R2, the world’s only environmentally-friendly race tyre, is campaigned on Porsche 911 GT3 cars in two sports cars series, including an endurance race.” The series Chung refers to are the IMSA Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama and the ALMS GT3 Challenge (GTC) Class.

“The Pikes Peak race is a different beast, but we feel the ENV-R2 will handle the hill quite well,” Chung added. “And the fact that the orange oil tyres are on an electric race vehicle is perfect for Yokohama. It certainly fits our longstanding commitment to innovation, technology and the environment.”  

The orange oil technology developed by Yokohama’s motorsports division is, says the tyre maker, part of the company’s overall global environmental strategy. The proprietary technology, which combines orange oil with natural rubber to form a new compound called “Super Nano-Power Rubber,” is used in race tyres and Yokohama’s dB Super E-spec, a passenger car tyre that debuted in July 2009. 
 
Last year the Yokohama sponsored electric buggy entered in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was fitted with Geolandar tyres and driven by Japan’s Ikuo Hanawa; the vehicle placed second in its class and mist out on the electric vehicle world record by just 13 seconds. Hanawa returns to get behind the wheel of Yokohama’s entry again this year.