Bridgestone extends Bridgestone Race availability

Although track enthusiasts in the UK and Europe have been acquainted with the Bridgestone Potenza Race since last year, their brethren across the Pond have been denied the opportunity – until now. Bridgestone Americas has added the road legal semi-slick tyres to its Bridgestone Potenza line-up.

Promoting the tyre as a product “empowering motorsports lovers to be in control at speed,” Bridgestone says the Potenza Race “delivers the fastest lap time and the shortest braking on dry pavement” ahead of its main rivals. These figures come from testing that TÜV SÜD carried out at the Nardo circuit and Bridgestone EUPG in Italy that pitted the Potenza Race against the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport R, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect and Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R (all size 245/35 ZR19). Bridgestone comments that TÜV SÜD found its tyre provides “the best control on track in dry conditions” among these key competitors as well as “outstanding longevity.”

“The Bridgestone Potenza Race tyre is the culmination of years – even decades – of experience in high performance,” comments Emilio Tiberio, chief operating officer and chief technology officer of Bridgestone EMIA. “We created this tyre for motorsports lovers, speaking to them and learning what they demand from their dream track tyre, and we’re thrilled to launch our first-ever semi-slick tyre for the replacement market, offering unrivalled performance to all track enthusiasts.”

Decades of innovation & motorsports expertise

Introducing this addition to the Potenza line-up, Bridgestone describes Potenza Race as being the result of its “long history and expertise in motorsports and high performance.” Bridgestone celebrates the 60th anniversary of its motorsport activities this year, having first competed in the Japan Grand Prix in 1963 before starting to develop motorsport tyres together with Toyota the following year. The Potenza brand was born in 1979, and half a decade later gained its first major international original equipment approval. Chief executive officer Shu Ishibashi refers to this deal for the Porsche 959 as marking Bridgestone’s “first step toward a global premium brand.” He adds: “I still remember the joy and accomplishment of the brand and tyre technology honed through motorsports finally being recognised by the world.”

Potenza entered Formula One in 1997, with Bridgestone supplying tyres until 2010 and sharing six consecutive titles with Ferrari. “Benefitting from this heritage and the expertise gained during the development of Potenza Race original equipment tyres for the Lamborghini Huracán STO and Huracán Tecnica supercars as well as the Cupra Leon hot hatchback, the Potenza Race is Bridgestone’s first-ever dedicated replacement tyre for track days,” says the manufacturer.

High-performance tread pattern, construction & compound

Bridgestone says the Potenza Race’s advanced performance is enabled by a collection of new technologies in its tread pattern, construction and compound. The tread design applies an asymmetric pattern, with differentiation between the outside and inside of the tyre to maximise cornering power and braking potential while still guaranteeing suitable usage on wet roads.

Asymmetric wall angles on the Potenza Race tyre further increase lateral stiffness and reduce block deformation, and a special rear tread pattern with an increased shoulder rib provides maximum dry performance with optimised braking and block stiffness.

To achieve its track performance, the Potenza Race also incorporates a sporty profile shape, helping to increase the contact area and maximise braking potential. An optimised contact patch helps to improve steering feel and controllability, increasing driver confidence.

The Bridgestone Potenza Race also benefits from a new compound, with innovative mixing to improve chemical reaction control, balancing the reinforcing mechanism and rolling resistance. The result is an optimised formula for enhanced dry performance, with high stiffness that boosts dry cornering and straight-line stability.

Virtual tyre development

The Potenza Race was developed using Bridgestone’s Virtual Tyre Development technology. Bridgestone creates and tests digital versions of an in-development tyre, helping the manufacturer to predict how a tyre will perform in different conditions before physically building prototypes. As a result, Bridgestone can test far more variants in a virtual world, which cuts tyre development time by up to 50 per cent, according to Bridgestone estimates. It also delivers environmental benefits, such as a reduction in raw material consumption thanks to the reduction in prototype tyres produced for testing.

Range of 13 sizes

Availability in the USA mirrors that in the UK and Europe, with Bridgestone Potenza Race offered in 13 popular sizes between 17 and 20 inches. Potenza Race is designed to support the sports cars and supercars most commonly used on streets and tracks, including Maserati, Ferrari, Porsche, McLaren, Lamborghini, BMW M, Audi RS and Mercedes-AMG.