Avery Dennison announced that Bridgestone Japan has selected the AD Maxdura Tire Tag to be used for Grand Touring (GT) racing car teams using its tires. Teams will benefit from a range of unprecedented new data to help them prepare and improve race performance.
Since a unique identifier can be assigned to each tire, information can be read automatically and used by the teams and the organizers to identify precisely which tires are in use. This automation enables teams to optimize real time inventory, logistics and make the race more interesting for spectators. Providing a unique ID for each tire will also improve reuse and recycling processes after the race to make events more sustainable.
The unique demands of GT racing are the perfect showcase of tire durability and the need for RFID tagging across the automotive sector. It comes at a time where the FIA, the world governing body for motosport, is urging teams to use tires embedded with RFID transponders for environmental and cost reasons. It has also tested the Maxdura tire tag and approved the used Impinj M730 IC for use at motorsports events.
Speaking separately with RFID industry body, the RAIN alliance, Nicolas Aubourg, head of Performance at the FIA noted the benefits: “We use RFID technologies especially for tire identification. For environmental, cost, sporting and technical reasons the tires are constrained by technical rules and the quantity each competitor can use is limited. Thanks to RFID technology, we ensure a quick and reliable identification of each tire used in a competition and thus, we can then check that our rules are fulfilled by all the competitors.”
The Maxdura Tire Tag was launched last year and is one of the most advanced embedded UHF RFID tags available on the market. Its selection came after a series of technical tests carried out by Bridgestone during 2022. Working with Bridgestone Japan, Avery Dennison and its partner ULS successfully proved that Maxdura is capable of performing under tough racing conditions.
“The use of RFID in motorsport is just the prelude to a broader revolution in tire production that will affect the automotive industry more broadly,” said Lauri Hyytinen, market development manager, Automotive at Avery Dennison Smartrac. “Every year, some three billion tires are manufactured globally. RFID introduces new safety features which will make it easier to identify when a tire needs to be replaced. It will also help eliminate tire fit errors, make them easier to recycle and have benefits throughout the supply chain for manufacturers, wholesalers and garages.”
“GT racing is the ultimate test of endurance and durability and will provide valuable lessons as we expand the use of RFID across our ranges,” notedKoji Terada, director Motorsport, Tire Development Department for Bridgestone Corporation. “We have chosen Avery Dennison based on an exhaustive evaluation process and found the read range a particular benefit since a wider number of pit crew can access data quickly – this timeliness can make all the difference in a racing environment where every second counts.”