Yokohama Rubber to again participate in US’s most challenging hill climb, providing tires using sustainable materials for the first time

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that its US subsidiary Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) will be supplying YOKOHAMA tires to about 18 cars* competing in the 100th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb to be held in Colorado, USA, on June 26. The supplied tires will include the first provision of YOKOHAMA’s ADVAN A052 street sports tires made from sustainable materials. Yokohama Rubber will contribute to the excitement of a memorable 100th running of Pikes Peak hill climb by supporting entries in all six divisions, and the Company looks forward to a YOKOHAMA-supported team winning in each division as well as recapturing the overall championship won in 2020.
*As of date of this release. The number of cars being supported could increase.

The ADVAN A052 tires made from sustainable materials will be used on the Electric Performance/NRS 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid, piloted by Blake Fuller, competing in the Exhibition Division. These ADVAN A052 tires have achieved a high recyclable material content as the petroleum-derived butadiene rubber previously used in the sidewall, the part of the tire that changes shape the most when the vehicle is moving, has been replaced by biomass-derived butadiene rubber. Supplying these tires for use at this year’s event will provide Yokohama Rubber with new knowledge about the tires’ performance in harsh hill-climb conditions and further accelerate its development of technologies that will reduce tires’ burden on the environment. The Company is continuing its development of tires incorporating sustainable materials and looks forward to supplying such tires for more cars competing at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the coming years.

YTC also will supply other YOKOHAMA tires to several other leading drivers, including 2021 Exhibition Division champion Randy Pobst, who will be driving a 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid, and 2020 King of the Mountain Clint Vahsholtz, for use on his Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3　competing in the Pikes Peak Open Division .

YTC is adding to the excitement of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb by again supplying its ADVAN A052 tires as the one-make control tire used by Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport vehicles competing in the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama Division. This marks the fifth straight year that ADVAN A052 tires have been selected as the control tire for this division’s cars.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a hill climb competition with a long and illustrious history dating back to 1916. It is also known as the “Race to the Clouds” as the course starts at an elevation of 2,862 meters and covers about 20 kilometers before reaching the finish line at an altitude of 4,300 meters. Cars running on YOKOHAMA tires captured two division championships in 2021 and the overall championship in 2020.

Under Yokohama Rubber’s three-year (2021–2023) medium-term management plan Yokohama Transformation 2023 (YX2023), the consumer tire business aims to maximize its sale ratios of high-value-added YOKOHAMA tires, namely the global flagship ADVAN brand, the GEOLANDAR brand of tires for SUVs and pickup trucks, and various winter tires. The plan also positions participation in motorsports activities as crucial to Yokohama Rubber’s development of advanced tire technologies and strengthening of its ADVAN and GEOLANDAR brands. The Company’s development of high-performance and top-quality tires for new cars and the replacement market benefits from the technologies accumulated through its participation in a wide variety of motorsports events in Japan and around the globe, from top-category races to grassroots races.

YX2023 also includes ESG initiatives that are based on the concept of “Caring for the Future.” Yokohama Rubber believes that conducting its business activities aligned with these ESG initiatives will help resolve social issues and lead to the continued increase of its corporate value. In addition, the Company’s efforts to realize a circular economy aim to increase the ratio of renewable and recyclable materials used by the Company to more than 30% of total materials used by 2030. As part of this effort, Yokohama Rubber plans to supply the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship with racing tires made from sustainable materials from 2023 and is now accelerating the development of these tires.