Bridgestone Launches its New Wet Handling Track

As an industry leader in developing safe, high-performance tyres, it comes as no surprise that Bridgestone has officially launched its brand-new Wet Handling Track at its European Proving Ground. Based in Italy – not far from Rome – roughly €3 million was invested into the project which is set to supercharge Bridgestone’s newest up and coming innovations.

The track has been specially designed to provide the most authentic road conditions possible. This is in order for Bridgestone to be able to enact precise testing on how their tyres perform. This will enable each and every tyre to be assessed on its braking distance as well as wet grip, amongst other aspects which are equally as important when developing a safe and reliable tyre.

Sustainable Design Choices

Furthermore, the facility has been designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible. The first way Bridgestone did this was by initially designing the track within a virtual environment prior to construction taking place. Providing significant sustainability benefits from the word go, this meant that each and every specific detail of the track could be tweaked and fully optimised which made use of resources much more efficient. As well as this, the track utilises a new water system which contains 6km of piping and a 4-million litre water reservoir from which 90% of the water is recycled and reused.

The track itself was developed in conjunction with Pisa University in Italy. It has been designed to provide consistency and durability while also providing enhanced grip levels thanks to the carefully selected aggregates which went into its construction. Because of this, the enhanced aspects of the track make it far easier to properly assess each tyre’s performance. Additionally, the track is extra resilient to wear which is a must due to its purpose as a testing facility.

Safety Features of the Track

With safety as a high priority at the track, the run-off areas have been fortified with Argex which is a clay material that will help reduce stopping distances where necessary. Bridgestone’s EUPG Safety Management System has also seen an overhaul in conjunction with the development of the wet handling track. It now allows for fully automated digital control of the track as well as improved communications between operators and test drivers. Visual dashboards show real-time safety prevention warnings and voice messages ensure test drivers are kept updated while being able to fully focus on driving.

With Bridgestone investing so heavily into research and development and constantly enhancing the safety features of their tyres and the way they are tested, we look forward to seeing what the future holds. For our current Bridgestone tyre range, see here.