Hiratsuka, Japan—The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that its US subsidiary Yokohama Tire Corporation (YTC) will be supplying ADVAN racing tires, including the ADVAN A005 (for dry conditions) racing tires using sustainable materials, to more than 26 cars competing in six divisions of the 101st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb to be held in Colorado, USA, on June 25. As part of this year’s ADVAN CHALLENGE, which seeks to maximize sales of ADVAN tires during the global flagship brand’s 45th year, Yokohama Rubber is aiming for a second straight overall championship at Pikes Peak, as well as victories in all divisions. At the same time, Yokohama Rubber is continuing its effort to create a sustainable motorsports industry.

Yokohama Rubber will be supplying its ADVAN A005 racing tires partially made from sustainable materials to Robin Shute, last year’s overall champion. The supplied tires made using sustainable materials will have the same a 33% sustainable materials ratio* as the tires being supplied as the control tire for this year’s Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship series, where the tires have demonstrated the same excellent grip performance of standard tires used in SUPER FORMULA races. In addition, the ADVAN A005 tires being supplied to Randy Pobst, who will be competing in the Exhibition Division in his 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid, have an elevated share of recyclable materials 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previously used in the sidewall, the part of the tire that changes shape the most when the vehicle is moving, has been replaced by biomass-derived butadiene rubber. Using these tires in harsh hill climb conditions will enable Yokohama Rubber to acquire new knowledge about the tires and further accelerate the development of technologies that will reduce tires’ environmental impact. Among the many other drivers that Yokohama Rubber is supporting this year are Codie Vahsholtz, who won the Open Wheel Division in 2022, and David Donohue in the Time Attack 1 Division. In addition, Yokohama Rubber will be supplying its ADVAN A052 as the control tire for the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama Division for six years in a row, in which all entrants race in Porsches, such as the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.
* The 33% sustainable materials ratio has been achieved by using natural rubber, various naturally derived compounding agents, such as oil from oil palm fruit nuts and orange peels, recycled iron, rubber recycled from waste tires, and synthetic rubber made using the mass-balance method.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a hill climb race 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 2,862 meters above sea level and covers about 20 kilometers before reaching the finish line at an altitude of 4,300 meters. Cars equipped with YOKOHAMA tires captured the overall championship in 2020 and 2022 and were victors in two divisions in 2021.

Under Yokohama Rubber’s three-year (2021–2023) medium-term management plan, Yokohama Transformation 2023 (YX2023), the consumer tire business aims to maximize the sales 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.

Yokohama Rubber also is promoting sustainability initiatives based on the concept of “Caring for the Future.” The company believes that conducting its business activities aligned with these sustainability initiatives will help resolve social issues and lead to the continued increase of its corporate value. One goal of Yokohama Rubber’s sustainability initiatives is to contribute to the realization of a circular economy. Toward that end, Yokohama Rubber aims to increase the ratio of renewable and recyclable materials used by the company to more than 30% of total materials used by 2030 and then raise that ratio to 100% in 2050.