After agreeing to a two-year sponsorship extension between Yokohama and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Advan ENV-R2 racing slicks will continue to be the official tire of the Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama.
The pact, which runs through the 2012 season, means all of the Porsche 911 GT3 cars in the series will be competing on the ENV-R2, which uses orange oil and natural rubber to reduce the amount of petroleum in the tire.
“IMSA is a great partner, especially when it comes to eco-racing,” says Mark Chung, Yokohama’s director of corporate strategy and planning.
“Like Yokohama, they’ve been championing the cause of ‘green’ racing for years. Last season we introduced our first environmentally sensitive racing slick, the Advan ENV-R1 here at Sebring, and IMSA and Porsche embraced it,” he reports. “Now we have the ENV-R2, which has even more orange oil and natural rubber, plus a two-year agreement with IMSA, and we couldn’t be happier.”
“We at IMSA applaud Yokohama as an innovative company with a true environmental commitment, especially toward motorsports,” says Scott Atherton, CEO of IMSA and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
“Its environmental impact within the automotive and tire industry has not gone unnoticed. Both companies align perfectly with respect to green initiatives. We are eager to work with Yokohama the next several years to further develop its eco-strategies,” he adds.
“The ENV-R2 replaces the Advan ENV-R1, which debuted in 2009 at Sebring and became the world’s first environmentally-friendly tire used in a racing series,” says Chung. “Now we have the ENV-R2, which is faster, grips better and has even more orange oil and natural rubber in it, further reducing petroleum use in the tire,” he points out.
“Yokohama is the only tire company to have perfected this science,” notes Chung.
Normal racing tires contain little or no natural materials, according to Chung. The ENV-R1 increased the renewable, natural content to 15 percent. The ENV-R2, which is also the official spec tire of the ALMS GT3 Challenge (GTC) Class races, increases it to 20 percent.
“Yokohama’s best known for its ultra-high performance street and race tires,” he continues, “which are a result of our longstanding commitment to innovation, technology and the environment.”
The proprietary technology, which combines orange oil with natural rubber to form a new compound called “Super Nano-Power Rubber,” is now used in racing tires and Yokohama’s dB Super E-spec, an everyday passenger car tire that made its debut in July of last year.
For more information, visit www.yokohamatire.com.
