Bridgestone is pursing its commitment to sustainability in motorsport on both a local and global scale

Bridgestone has more than six decades of involvement in global motorsport behind it and continues to innovate and challenge convention, with this commitment evident in the events the tyre company participates in and the emphasis it places on sustainability within its motorsport portfolio.
The epitome of this challenging spirit is the longstanding partnership with the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, a biennial event seeing teams from around the globe design, build and compete in solar cars – tackling the 3,000km route from Darwin to Adelaide.
This year there’s also the added complexity of a new date, and while conventional motorsports aren’t impacted by calendar shuffles, the impact of shorter days of August compared to the historical October slot, and different sunlight adds to the challenge and strategy of this unique event.
For the tyre company, it is the sixth as title partner and it continues to use the event as a ‘mobile lab’ for research and development as is continues to develop the next-generation ENLITEN technology it is applying to future products across its range of passenger, SUV and truck and bus tyres.
The company says it is all part of its commitment to using motorsport as a platform to realise the values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment: Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, and Empowerment.
In particular, Bridgestone reports that it places great emphasis on the joy and passion of motorsport (emotion) and empowering the next generation through it.
It does so through events like the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, and the innovation the company is putting into its other motorsport partnerships such as the development of rubber compounds using Guayule – a small shrub grown in arid America – in tyres for the NTT INDYCAR series, or as a supplier to Toyota Gazoo GR86/BRZ Cup in Japan, and grass roots events like the All-Japan Gymkhana Championship.
Bridgestone is also upping its involvement within our backyard as well, with the announcement last year of its title and exclusive partnership with New Zealand’s GR86 Championship, which runs from November to April, as well as its position as the tyre supplier to the inaugural 86 Trophy Series for the previous generation cars, which makes its debut in May.
The partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing NZ is not just about showcasing the street-legal semi-slick Potenza RE-71RS tyre.
Indeed, Bridgestone states that the reason for its involvement is rooted within the values Bridgestone E8 Commitment, and its quest to contribute to the future of the sport in a sustainable manner.

For more from Bridgestone, visit www.bridgestone.com.au