As part of its commitment to accelerating the use of sustainable technologies in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) has developed an all-new race tire with a sidewall made with natural rubber derived from the guayule desert shrub.
May 2022 as a first look before debuting in competition as the alternate race tire at the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix. Bridgestone plans to incorporate guayule natural rubber into more of its race tires in 2023.
Guayule is a heat tolerant, woody shrub that thrives in America’s desert southwest.
The shrub can be farmed with existing row-crop equipment, helping to save costs for farmers.
Bridgestone believes guayule rubber has the potential to have a positive economic effect while aiding in reducing the energy and other environmental impacts associated with the transportation of rubber sourced overseas.
Bridgestone launched its guayule research initiative in 2012 when it broke ground on a guayule processing and research center in Mesa, Ariz. Today, the company operates the research center in Mesa, as well as a 287-acre guayule farm in Eloy, Ariz. To date, Bridgestone has invested more than $100 million in its efforts to commercialize guayule, achieving major milestones such as producing the first tire containing guayule-derived natural rubber in 2015 and continued expansion of its guayule molecular breeding program. Bridgestone aims to commercialize use of guayule rubber in tires by 2030.
