This year’s edition of Brock Yates’ A round of America ended last Saturday. Bridgestone decided to bring two car models to participate in the long-term sports car racing event celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Potenza tire line.
Brock Yates founded One Lap of America in 1984 as a spiritual successor to the cannon run. The coast-to-coast run was replaced by a loop route not too dissimilar to the Tour de France, starting and finishing at Tire Rack in South Bend, Indiana. The route features time trials at several interconnected routes across the country, and driving is monitored on public highways. Support vehicles are strictly prohibited, so each crew must travel independently the entire time.
Bridgestone entered an Acura Integra Type S and a Honda Civic Type R. Cara Krstolic and two-time IMSA GTD champion Christina Nielsen drove the Integra. Todd Chapman and automotive influencer Dustin Williams drove the Civic. Krstolic and Chapman work for Bridgestone Americas but have extensive racing experience. Chapman, senior product manager, has been participating in grassroots events for nearly 20 years. Krstolic is a racing tire manufacturing and engineering executive. Many racing fans are familiar with her through her roles Firestone Chief Engineer in the IndyCar Series. Krstolic he said in a release:
“Motorsports has been a cornerstone of Bridgestone’s identity for more than 60 years, and racing is a true passion for us as a company that enhances the fun of the sport. One Lap of America provides an exciting platform to celebrate and showcase the long legacy of performance and reliability of our high-performance Potenza line. We will continue to use racing as a proving ground for our R&D efforts. What really matters is that the new solutions we deliver on track today will transform premium mobility on the road tomorrow.”
Both cars completed the week-long adventure with respectable finishes in midfield for the rookies. The Civic placed 27th out of 77 entries and the Integra placed 45th. The winning car was the 2017 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport produced by Good year.
