The company is also celebrating a quarter-century of its Firestone brand being the exclusive tyre supplier for the iconic race. This year, Bridgestone introduces Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 race tyres, infused with bio-styrene and butadiene monomers – substances sourced from the waste byproducts of palm oil processing.

Cara Krstolic, Bridgestone Americas’ Executive Director of Race Tire Engineering and Production, shares her enthusiasm: “Our racing heritage with Firestone dates back more than 100 years to the very first Indy 500 in 1911, and we remain focused on helping sustain the sport we love for future generations.”

She adds that the extreme demands of racing provide a unique challenge that propels innovation, proving that sustainable materials can hold their own in high-performance settings.

Beyond the Indy 500, Bridgestone is experimenting with guayule-derived natural rubber in its Firestone Firehawk race tyres used in Indycar’s street course races. This rubber comes from a desert shrub grown in Bridgestone’s own research facility in Arizona, exploring yet another avenue for sustainable raw material sourcing.

Transportation of these high-tech tyres also aligns with ecological principles. Bridgestone has partnered with Penske Truck Leasing and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to deliver all tyres to the track using electric-powered Freightliner eCascadia trucks.

Bridgestone’s commitment to sustainability is comprehensive and integrated into its broader corporate vision.

The company’s efforts reflect the “Emotion,” “Energy,” and “Ecology” pillars of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment, aiming to help the organization meet its ambitious goals of carbon neutrality and crafting tyres entirely from renewable and recycled materials by 2050.

Read more tyre news on AUTA, or check out our latest videos on Ignition Labs TV and on TikTok!