Bridgestone launches 'Make Cars Green' tyre at Japan

Formula One will show its support for the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign by running on specially prepared green-grooved tyres at the Japanese Grand Prix. Bridgestone, the global partner for the FIA’s campaign, launched the Make Cars Green tyre at a ceremony in Tokyo today, with support from Formula One teams McLaren-Mercedes and Ferrari, as well as their drivers Lewis Hamilton, Heikki Kovalainen, Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen.

The initiative demonstrates that Formula One’s teams and partners are backing the Make Cars Green campaign’s goal to reduce the impact of motoring on the environment.

The connections between greener motoring and Formula One will be further strengthened next year with the introduction of energy regenerating hybrid devices, one of a number of initiatives in the sport that will be increasingly relevant to the car industry and help accelerate the use of fuel-efficient technology on public roads.

FIA President Max Mosley said: “New rule changes, alongside the support for awareness-raising initiatives such as the Make Cars Green campaign, will change the face of motor sport and place it at the very heart of environmental developments in the automotive sector. “The FIA is determined to ensure that future investment in motor sport will also help drive the development of technologies that will benefit the public at large.”Bridgestone CEO Shoshi Arakawa said:“We hope that the launch of the Make Cars Green tyre will draw public attention to the many environmental initiatives in and around Formula One. Environmental preservation is at the centre of our work at the Bridgestone Group and we hope that this collaboration with the FIA will help to spread this ethos worldwide.”

Japan Automobile Federation President Tetsuo Tanaka said: “By aiding the development of eco-technology, Formula One can make a significant contribution towards the effort to reduce the CO2 from road traffic. And by using its global appeal to promote Make Cars Green, the sport can encourage fans and followers alike to think green when they drive.”

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa said: “As drivers in the public limelight it is good that we can help spread these important environmental messages. Green technology is the future of Formula One and we can help ensure it will be the future on our roads as well.

“I think that KERS is just the tip of the iceberg for Formula One. The sport should always be at the forefront of new technology and we should try to lead by example with energy efficient systems. From a racer’s point of view, as long as the sport is competitive and on the cutting edge that is what the drivers and the fans want. If we maintain this and help the environment at the same time, that can only be good for everyone involved.”

Ferrari driver Kimi Räikkönen said: “I’m really pleased to help support this campaign, the new tyre for Fuji is a great way of using the sport to send a positive message to a massive global audience.

“But it’s not only about marketing, F1 attracts some of the best engineers in the world. I think some of the most important work they’ve done has been in terms of safety, it’s improved hugely in recent years. If the safety and the new green technology lessons learned in motor sport are applied to motoring then the sport will have played a really important part in saving lives as well as perhaps helping to save the planet.”

McLaren-Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton said:
“Since it first launched I’ve been happy to help promote the very positive messages of the Make Cars Green campaign. It is a subject that goes far beyond racing. The car is an incredibly positive thing and I think the messages of the campaign help to show us that we can all choose to drive in a greener way.

“The new Make Cars Green tyre that all the teams will be running on in Fuji is a great way to promote the campaign and a real first for Formula One. The sport can also help in other ways, especially with the launch of new energy efficient technologies next season.”

McLaren-Mercedes driver Heikki Kovalainen said:
“I’m delighted to support a campaign that encourages people to be more environmentally conscious in the way they drive. “The future of Formula One will have more and more to do with energy efficiency and greener technology which will also help improve the racing at the same time. All the teams have incredibly talented people working for them and it is great that they will be bringing their expertise to systems that are not only good for Formula One but also for the environment.”

The Make Cars Green campaign aims to reduce the impact of motoring on the environment in a number of ways, such as through the promotion of fuel efficient driver behaviour; the introduction of new technologies to help motorists monitor their environmental impact; the improvement of tyre design to help save energy; and by encouraging the global use of unleaded and sulphur free fuels.

As part of the campaign, the FIA has launched a public policy declaration which calls on the United Nations to adopt the first ever worldwide target for CO2 emissions in passenger cars. Make Cars Green also outlines how policy makers, industry and consumers can all play a constructive role in the development of a more ecologically sustainable means of personal mobility in the future.

The campaign was launched in New Zealand on 5 June, World Environment Day. Since then, Bridgestone has been working with FIA clubs in thirty six countries around the world to help educate drivers about eco-friendly and fuel-efficient driving techniques through the launch and distribution of the ’10 Points for Greener Motoring’ driver guide.