Today is a big day for the Bridgestone team tasked with developing tyres containing natural rubber derived from the guayule desert shrub. An all-new Firestone race tyre with a sidewall made with this rubber makes its competition debut at this weekend’s IndyCar Series racing in Nashville, USA.
Several tyre makers plan to offer tyres containing natural rubber from non-conventional sources. Bridgestone Americas has been working to commercialise guayule shrub rubber for a decade and recently announced the upcoming motorsport debut of a race tyre made with guayule rubber grown and extracted at its R&D facilities. It will introduce the new Firestone Firehawk at the Indy Pit Stop Challenge on 27 May ahead of the race tyre’s competitive premiere in August.
US-based motor racing sanctioning body Indycar has agreed to a multi-year extension of its contract with Bridgestone Americas Tire Operation for the Verizon IndyCar Series, thus confirming the continuation of Firestone as the official tyre to the series. Upon announcing the extension of its arrangement, Bridgestone notes that the brand has been involved in open-wheel racing since Firestone tyres were fitted to the winning car in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
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