[Vol.1] Sustainable Materials Racing Tires Development Report / Fuji Speedway

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• [Vol.1] Sustainable Materials Racing Tires Development Report / Fuji Speedway

As announced on 17 February, the development tests of racing tires using renewable raw materials, which shall be supplied to the SUPER FORMULA from 2023, were conducted at Fuji Speedway, the venue of the SF season-opening rounds, over a two-day period on 6 and 7 April.

■During these first tests, the main goal was to focus not only on the racing car’s aerodynamics and bio-fuel testing but also on the tire tests that were focused on casing testing conducted on the first day and compound testing on the second day.

■Four types of tires were tested, each with different casing and compound specifications, and each with a different ratio of renewable raw materials.
The sustainable raw materials included naturally-derived oils, orange oil (from the orange peel), natural rubber, and recycled rubber.
Although at first there was the concern that increasing the ratio of the sustainable raw materials might reduce tire performance, we were able to confirm that in fact, the performance was equivalent to that of the regular tires.

■Although there was no rain forecast for the Fuji tests this time, the tires developed for wet conditions had also been prepared and on standby in two different specification compounds that include rice husk silica, a renewable raw material.

■The same specification test tires will be tested at Suzuka, the venue for the next SUPER FORMULA event. Based on these evaluation results, we will then work to further increase the ratio of sustainable raw materials in subsequent tests, with the aim of supplying control tires made from at least 35% renewable raw materials by 2025, with an actual introduction in competition from 2023.