"As with any new technology, it has provided students with challenges that test their skills and provide opportunities for real-life problem-solving," Ms. Adams said via email. "We've been looking forward to this event because its mission closely aligns with our mobility strategy and new global vision to build upon our core tire expertise and create new value for society and our customers as a sustainable solutions company."
Bridgestone, the sole supplier of tires for IndyCar, first announced its support for the race in October of 2020. While the pandemic has made things more complicated over the past year—particularly when it comes to working together in person—Ms. Adams said her team has "continued to share our extensive experience in motorsports beyond our products to help the teams understand the racing environment, anticipate issues, and solve any challenges they may encounter."
Here are some other highlights from the interview with Ms. Adams.
Q: Is it strange not to be able to get feedback from a driver in the car?
A: While we might not be able to get driver feedback on the tire performance in this autonomous setting, we're able to leverage our knowledge of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and experience in motorsports to supply race tires that will allow these autonomous vehicles to perform at their highest level.
Q: How does Bridgestone specifically benefit from its involvement?
A: As a brand, we are committed to collaborating with innovative partners to pioneer active, intelligent and connected solutions that improve the way people move, live, work and play. In that sense, the IAC is the perfect platform to help us accelerate our own journey by offering a chance to work closely with not only the event organizers and participating teams, but also a roster of fellow sponsors who are driving innovation across a number of industries and technologies. Its impressive collection of young engineering minds makes it a potential recruiting ground for future talent development, and collectively we're all able to learn and evolve together toward a collective vision to advance self-driving car technology and increase awareness of automation's impact on society.
Q: Do you feel the same excitement leading up to this race that you would for another race?
A: Yes, racing has long served as the ideal proving ground for new technologies that help us evolve and advance our company's passenger tire offerings. As this competition takes such an innovative leap towards the future, it's great to be part of a new step forward for mobility. Though our on-site support may not be as extensive as something like the Indianapolis 500, racing is racing and we're thrilled to be part of the event.
Q: How will this event/race evolve over the next few years, and will Bridgestone continue to be part of it in future years?
A: The focus right now is on having a successful competition come Oct. 23, and we're ready to celebrate the hard work of these young engineers and the event's organizers in the face of challenges created by the global pandemic.
At this time, nothing has yet been discussed beyond this year.
