2009 Race Series to Use Eco-Friendly Orange Oil Tires

The 2009 Patrón GT3 Challenge by Yokohama will be the first race series to use tires featuring environmentally friendly orange oil technology. The tires, which are produced using nearly 20 percent less synthetic rubber, will be utilized by all teams in the six-race series that features Porsche 911 GT3 Cup race cars.

Yokohama Tire, known for its ADVAN brand of ultra-high-performance street and racing tires, has developed a process that combines orange oil with natural rubber to form a new compound called “Super Nano-Power Rubber.” This proprietary technology reduces the amount of petroleum used in tires.

“The use of orange oil is an incredible breakthrough for both race car and passenger car tire production,” said Mark Chung, director corporate strategy and planning. “This innovative technology increases the use of natural rubber in lieu of petroleum-derived synthetic rubber, while achieving the same level of performance as conventional race tires.” 

Yokohama’s Motorsports division began researching this technology in the late 1980s. Researched and tested on the race track, the orange oil technology will also be available to North American consumers in the all-new dB Super E-spec passenger car tire this summer. 

Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global producer and distributor of premium tires since 1917. For more information on Yokohama’s extensive product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com.