TOKYO — Bridgestone Corp. plans to phase out production of go-kart tires by year-end 2022, a move that will affect professional kart racing series worldwide.
Bridgestone said its decision to discontinue kart tire supply was made through a careful examination of the company's portfolio and resource allocation in line with operating environment changes consistent with the Group's Mid-Long Term Business Strategy.
Internationally, Bridgestone supplies competition kart tires for racing events operating under the auspices of the Japan Automobile Federation and the Commission Internationale de Karting, which is affiliated with the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile.
Bridgestone-brand karting tires are sold in North America by multiple distributors, many of which are kart and karting component suppliers.
Bridgestone has been involved in karting since 1997 and as recently as 2019 was the exclusive supplier of the KZ and KZ2 class races in the CIK-FIA World and European Championships, along with the series' Academy Trophy class races.
Other tire companies homologated by the FIA to supply tires to karting competitions include: Cheng Shin Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd. (Maxxis); Hoosier Racing Tire (a Continental A.G. subsidiary); Le Cont S.r.l.; M.G. Industria e Comercio S.A.; Reifenwerk Heidenau G.m.b.H.; Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.; Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.; and Vega S.r.l.
