This year’s edition of Brock Yates A tour of America finished last Saturday. stone bridge has decided to enter two cars in this long-running motorsport event to celebrate the 45th anniversary of its Potenza tire range.
Brock Yates created One Lap of America in 1984 as the law-abiding spiritual successor to the cannonball race. The coast-to-coast race was replaced by a loop course not unlike the Tour de France, starting and finishing at Tire Rack in South Bend, Indiana. The route includes time trials on several tracks across the country, linked to supervised driving on public roads. Support vehicles are strictly prohibited, so each crew is alone for the entire duration.
Bridgestone entered an Acura Integra Type S and a Honda Civic Type R. Cara Krstolic and two-time IMSA GTD champion Christine Nielsen drove the Integra. Todd Chapman and automotive influencer Dustin Williams drove the Civic. Krstolic and Chapman work for Bridgestone Americas but have a lot of racing experience. Chapman, a senior product manager, has been competing in grassroots events for nearly 20 years. Krstolic is the executive director of racing tire engineering and production. Many racing fans know her from her role as Firestone Chief Engineer in the IndyCar series. Krstolic said in a press release:
“Motorsport has been a fundamental part of Bridgestone’s identity for over 60 years, and motorsport is a true passion for us as a company to enhance the joy of sport. One Lap of America provides an exciting platform to celebrate and showcase the enduring legacy of performance and reliability of our high-performance Potenza line. We will continue to use racing as a testing ground for our R&D efforts. What really matters is that the new solutions we offer on the track today will transform high-end mobility on the road tomorrow.
Both cars completed the week-long odyssey with respectable midfield finishes for the rookies. The Civic finished 27th out of 77 entries and the Integra 45th. The winning car was a 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport entered by Good year.