Yokohama Rubber to cease production of karting tires

Tokyo, Japan -The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that it will cease supplying its YOKOHAMA karting tires at the end of this year.

Yokohama Rubber began supplying karting tires for use in Japan and overseas in 2001. The Company has provided tires for karting races certified by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF)-including the All Japan Karting Championship, the country’s premier kart racing series—and races certified by the International Automobile Federation’s International Karting Commission (CIK-FIA). YOKOHAMA karting tires also include tires for hobby, rental, and indoor karts. For more than 20 years, the Company has supported races and driver in Japan and overseas with a wide range of karting tires.

However, under Yokohama Transformation 2023 (YX2023), the Company’s medium-term management plan for fiscal years 2021–2023, Yokohama Rubber is promoting the restructuring of its business as it targets growth over the next generation. After careful consideration of various viewpoints, management has determined that it should terminate its supply of YOKOHAMA karting tires and withdraw from the karting tire business. Yokohama Rubber will fulfill its responsibilities under existing contracts with kart racing series, events and other customers and continue to supply tires until the contracts’ expiration.

The Company would like to take this opportunity to express its sincere gratitude to all the users, dealers, kart manufacturers, and people associated with kart racing who have supported YOKOHAMA karting tires over the years. During YX2023, Yokohama Rubber aims to maximize the sales ratios of high-value-added tires in its consumer tire business. Toward that end, the Company continues to value its participation in motorsports activities as crucial to its development of advanced tire technologies that contribute to its development of high-performance tires. Accordingly, while pursuing a business restructuring of the entire Yokohama Rubber Group targeting growth over the next generation, the Company will continue to supply its tires to a wide variety of motorsports events in Japan and around the globe, from top-category to grassroots events.