Continental builds basketball court from recycled Extreme E CrossContact tyres

Conti CrossContact Extreme E tyres during the Desert X-Prix at AlUla, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)

Continental’s foundational support of electric-powered off-road racing series Extreme E, whose second season ended on 27 November 2022 in Uruguay, was inspired by the all-encompassing ethos of sustainability. Now the tyre supplier has joined the globetrotting series’ participation in a variety of technology and environmental sustainability programmes by “turning racing tyres into living space.” Conti’s used Extreme E tyres are now being used in the construction of a new basketball court in Hanover for children to play and train. The manufacturer is supplying rubber paving stones as a donation.

“We are very pleased to support the project with paving stones made from our recycled tyres here in Hanover. In this way, we are bringing the materials from the sustainable Extreme E electric racing series back into circulation and using them for a good cause,” says Enno Straten, head of strategy, analytics and marketing, replacement tires EMEA at Continental, during the groundbreaking ceremony.

Conti’s Extreme E tyres underwent a particularly complex manufacturing process to extract all chemical components from the tyres before transforming them into their second life as paving stones.

The supported project BasKIDball aims to overcome social barriers with the help of sports and to create basketball courts all over Germany where young people can train together, regardless of age, origin or school. BasKIDball stands for values such as team spirit and trust, health and fairness and the social aspect plays a central role. Continental would like to support this approach with the help of the paving stones donation from Extreme E tyres.

Extreme E aims to deliver exciting sport with electric-powered races under extreme conditions, while drawing attention to the climatic challenges around the world. Season 3 will commence on 11 March, 2023 in Saudi Arabia. Continental is a founding partner of Extreme E, a premium sponsor, and a developer and supplier of the innovative CrossContact racing tyre, which has been developed to meet the challenges of a wide range of different terrains.

Enno Straten, head of strategy, analytics and marketing, replacement tires EMEA at Continental, with paving stones produced from recycled Extreme E tyres (Photo: Continental)