Bridgestone introduces its first eco-friendly tires, which will be used in IndyCar races. The tires look different from the previous tires, this new tire comes with green twist accents on the side area of the tire.
The Firestone Firehawk Race Tire is a tire that Bridgestone built and designed over the past year from a material called Guayule. Guayule itself is a plant that grows a lot in the southwestern regions of America and Mexico.
Firestone Director of Race Tire Engineering & Manufacturing, Cara Krstolic explained that the plant is capable of extracting natural rubber, after going through a long manufacturing process.
Krstolic also mentions that Guayule plants don’t need a lot of water to grow. So, able to grow and harvest in dry places where other crops cannot. So this tire has a high heat tolerance so it lasts longer.
Previously, Bridgestone used a plant called Hevea, which grows in South Asia.
This tire has been tested by one of the drivers, Graham Rahal, and he likes it because it feels the same as the previous tire even though it is from a different source.
Bridgestone plans to replace all tires on their racing vehicles with this material in 2050. While they will commercially market Guayule tires to the public in 2030.
