Yokohama’s Advan ENV-R2 orange oil-infused race tires have another mountain to conquer…literally…as it is poised to take on Pikes Peak June 27 in an electric vehicle.
The tires will be on a battery-powered electric buggy driving a new AC Propulsion engine in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Last year, with Japanese driver Ikuo Hanawa behind the wheel, the Yokohama-sponsored EV buggy sported off-road Geolandar tires and placed second in its class, just missing the EV world record by 13 seconds.
Hanawa is back this year piloting the new EV Sports Concept HER-02 buggy, but this time it will have the ENV-R2 tires, which cut petroleum use in the manufacturing process by 20 percent by utilizing sustainable resources such as orange oil and natural rubber.
It is the official specified tire in the IMSA Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama and the new ALMS GT3 Challenge (GTC) Class.
“Yokohama is the only tire company to have perfected this science,” asserts Mark Chung, director of corporate strategy and planning. “The ENV-R2, the world’s only environmentally-friendly race tire, is campaigned on Porsche 911 GT3 cars in two sports cars series, including an endurance race.”
Chung says “the Pikes Peak race is a different beast, but we feel the ENV-R2 will handle the hill quite well. And the fact that the orange oil tires are on an electric race vehicle is perfect for Yokohama. It certainly fits our longstanding commitment to innovation, technology and the environment.”
The proprietary process, which combines orange oil with natural rubber to form a new compound called “Super Nano-Power Rubber,” is used in race tires and Yokohama’s dB Super E-spec, an everyday car tire that debuted last year.
For more information, visit www.yokohamatire.com.
