Bridgestone brings Enliten to motorsport

Teams competing in this year’s Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) will drive on the first motorsport tyres to feature Enliten technology. Furthermore, one of the tyre specifications that Bridgestone custom designed for the 1,860-mile (3,000 km) route through Australia contains 63 per cent recycled and renewable materials.

Bridgestone designed the Enliten-equipped BWSC tyres to help teams meet the extreme demands of the event and it has optimised all tyre specifications for low rolling resistance, wear and weight. Bridgestone is also customising tyres according to team requirements to demonstrate Enliten technology and the “exceptional capabilities” of its tyres. Going forwards, Bridgestone says it “will further develop and deliver Enliten technology equipped tyres customised for customers through motorsport and conventional tyres.”

As mentioned, the tyres Bridgestone is supplying will also include a tyre with recycled and renewable material ratio (MCN – Material Circularity Number) of 63 per cent, a ratio up from approximately 30 per cent at the 2019 BWSC event. The recycled and renewable materials within these tyres includes recycled organic fibre, recovered carbon black, recycled rubber chemical, recycled oil, and reinforcement material using recycled steel. Furthermore, Bridgestone additionally developed tyres for the cruiser class using rice husk silica and carbon black recovered through the pyrolysis of end-of-life tyres.

Carbon neutral logistics

When it comes to shipping the BWSC tyres, Bridgestone has chosen to work with DHL. The logistics provider’s GoGreen Plus solution will result in 100 per cent carbon neutral transportation of the tyres through a combination of using sustainable marine fuel (insetting) and compensation of emissions via VER Gold Standard carbon credits (offsetting).

Demonstrating Enliten through extreme conditions

“Bridgestone is passionate about contributing to a more sustainable motorsports future at the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge through our Enliten tyres made with 63 per cent recycled and renewable materials, as well as our collaborative supply chain initiatives. We will demonstrate the new technology through the extreme conditions,” says Naotaka Horio, director, Bridgestone Motorsports.

“Additionally, as title sponsor, we are looking forward to helping young and diverse engineering minds from all over the world create breakthrough technologies in the BWSC that can play a role in a more sustainable mobility society of the future.”