By Sharad Matade

As part of its sustainability efforts, Continental aims at using at least ten percent of natural rubber derived from Russian dandelion roots in its tyre and industrial rubber goods production in future.

“We have undertaken a huge research task to meet ten percent of our requirement of natural rubber from dandelion roots. It is a long-term process,” Dr Carla Recker, Head of Expertfield Materials Chemistry & Taraxagum, told Tyre Trends in an interview. “It will take decades to complement natural rubber from Hevea brasiliensis with natural rubber from dandelion plants at an industrialised level. However, the company does not intend to replace NR from Hevea brasiliensis trees.”

According to Dr Carsten Venz, Site Manager at Taraxagum Lab Anklam, “Dandelion will be an additional source of natural rubber, not a replacement to rubber trees, in the coming years.”

Continental has been consequent on the cultivation and processing of Russian dandelion as an alternative source of raw material to the rubber tree in the tropics. Last year, the company officially opened its research and test laboratory named Taraxagum Lab Anklam in Anklam, Germany, a base for its future research into the cultivation and processing of Russian dandelion, within a year after the ground-breaking ceremony held in November 2017.

“The Taraxagum Lab Anklam is the latest key milestone of our project,” said Dr Recker.

The Taraxagum project is crucial for the company. “The natural rubber from dandelion is important to develop a new alternative and sustainable supply of the raw material” Dr Venz said.

On bicycle tyres

Though the lab was opened last year, Continental started working on the dandelion rubber project in 2011, and the company has already used rubber from dandelion roots in its passenger car tyres, truck tyres and industrial rubber goods. “The latest development on production-side is that we have industrialised bicycle tyres with rubber derived from dandelions. So, you can now buy bicycle tyres of Continental made of dandelion rubber in the market,” Dr Recker said. Continental showcased its first bicycle tyre with dandelion rubber at the Tour de France this year.

Currently, the Taraxagum lab is working on dandelion research, and over the next five to ten years, it will focus on the industrialisation of dandelion rubber and increase the share for the dandelion rubber in its products.

“Continental sees the Russian dandelion as one element of our commitment for sustainable natural rubber as detailed in our Sustainable Natural Rubber Sourcing Policy published in October 2018. At least for us, the Russian dandelion is the most promising alternative source for natural rubber. There might be different sources (to get natural rubber), but that does not fit for us. The Russian dandelion can be grown in different climate zones unlike natural rubber from heave brasiliensis trees which need tropical climates to grow. Rubber trees and the Russian dandelion have the same characteristics, the same chemical structure and the same properties. It is just two plants producing the same material,” says Dr Recker. The advantage of dandelion rubber over rubber from trees is that the former has a generation succession of just three months as compared to seven years for the latter.

Since the dandelion plants can be cultivated in Northern and Western Europe, which makes transportation routes to the European production sites much shorter and contributes to the sustainable use of existing resources, thinks Continental.

However, the major challenge will be the 100 percent replacement of rubber made from trees with dandelion rubber. Dr Recker thinks, yes, technically, dandelion can replace tree rubber by 100 percent, but the more significant challenge will be the industrialisation of dandelion rubber to the level of rubber trees. “We are at a research stage. The amount of dandelion available globally is not enough to replace natural rubber commercially. To create that biological system to industrialise the natural rubber from the dandelion will take some time and we will have to be more patient,” says Dr Recker.

Research is a time and capital consuming task. Synthetic rubber is also coming into tyre production in a more significant way, but the crude oil derived commodity has historically been volatile, and even oil-producing nations are diversifying their businesses citing falling productions and growing focus on cleaner options.

Dandelion rubber is not new to the tyre industry; however, the industry does not seem much keen on dandelion plants as an alternative source for natural rubber. “Not everybody (tyre company) is willing to invest in the early research of dandelion rubber and setting up the entire bio-economy. You have to establish a full value chain from breeding to the production of natural rubber from dandelion plants, which is does not exist yet and not every market player is willing to invest in such a long-term process,” explains Dr Recker.

Since Continental sees dandelion a sustaining resource for natural rubber in the future, it has made a substantial investment for the project. It has already poured in 35 million euros for the project. “Though many of our peers are investing in other resources to get natural rubber, I think we are quite unique investing like the way we are to explore alternative resources for natural rubber,” says Dr Venz.

Over 90 percent of natural rubber derives from South East Asia, a tropical region suitable for natural rubber trees. However, erratic climate behaviour is hitting production of natural rubber in this region. Natural rubber producers are also exploring other areas to grow natural rubber trees. According to Dr Recker, the research project has yet to ascertain the survival scope of the Russian dandelion in changing climates. “I believe that Dandelion will grow in all climate zones,” says Dr Recker.

Yield ratio

As of now, Continental also does not have comparable yield ratios between natural rubber from dandelion and hevea brasiliensis. “We are working on determining the output of natural rubber per acre from both resources,” says Dr Venz. “Usually, between 1 and 1.8 ton per hectare per year is produced from rubber trees, and around the same amount of production per hectare we are expecting from dandelion plants,” estimates Dr Recker.

As part of the value chain creation, the company is focusing on breeding for seed production and harvesting, root production and harvesting, and the extraction process. According to the company, growers also need some time to understand and get hands-on to harvest dandelion plants. Every year climate conditions will determine a different impact on the plants. “We will need to see how the crops will react in different climate and harvesting seasons. We are building a network of farmers in North East Germany from whom we learn and whom we can teach what we have learned,” added Dr Recker.

Fundamental design and development of tires for the mobility of the future will be unchanged; however, tires will be expected to be high performance and eco-friendly. According to Continental executives, for the mobility of the future, natural rubber will remain the core ingredient and dandelion will be one of the sustainable options to provide natural rubber. “Rubber be will be used in future to make high-performance tires, and we are exploring the option to have a sustainable source for natural rubber,” adds Dr Recker.

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Michelin has formed a technical and sporting alliance with Segway as the Segway Dakar Rally Factory Team prepares to enter the 2028 Dakar Rally aboard an entirely new, fully electric racing motorcycle. Acting as the team's official tyre supplier and technical partner, Michelin will be involved from the project's very first stages, supporting Segway throughout development.

Segway, drawing on its electric mobility background, is pursuing a demanding engineering goal: designing a brand-new 100 percent electric racing motorcycle built to survive the Dakar Rally's punishing conditions. The event will act as a live testing environment where both partners can subject their newest innovations to extreme demands and probe fresh territory in performance and electric mobility.

The partnership is being officially sealed at EICMA 2026 in Milan, Italy, a major international motorcycle industry showcase, where representatives of both firms will sign an agreement confirming their joint dedication to the Dakar 2028 venture. Cooperation will reach far past race-tyre supply, with engineers from both sides collaborating to weave rally-raid requirements into Segway's future electric machine.

Michelin will lend its off-road and rally-raid know-how plus tyre and Bib Mousse puncture-prevention expertise, initially guiding Enduro and Desert tyre selection and advising on Bib Mousse choice, fitting and use. Joint workshops will unite Michelin Motorsport specialists with Segway engineers, gathering data under rally-raid-representative conditions to steer later tyre optimisation. With Michelin's Dakar record since 1983 and 40 victories behind it, a joint testing programme will adapt tyres progressively to the motorcycle's final specifications and demands.

Cyriaque Echevin, Michelin Off-Road Tire Marketing Director, said, “True to its pioneering spirit, Michelin is delighted to support the Segway Dakar Rally Factory Team in this particularly ambitious project. Taking on the Dakar Rally with 100 percent electric motorcycles represents an exciting technological challenge, bringing new parameters that we will need to factor into our development work. Our role will extend far beyond supplying tyres: our teams will work alongside Segway’s engineers from the earliest stages of the project, sharing our rally-raid expertise and contributing to the development of the new motorcycle. The Dakar Rally provides an exceptional testing ground for pushing technological boundaries through close collaboration with our partners.”

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Pirelli has chosen a softer trio of compounds for the São Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos, naming the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft. That is one step softer than a year ago, when the weekend followed the Sprint format. The race closes the long back-to-back swing through the Americas at the José Carlos Pace circuit.

Fresh asphalt laid during the year between Turns 3 and 5, and again between Turns 8 and 9, could shift grip levels and change how the track evolves. Longer runs may be affected in particular. Across the three free practice sessions, teams will study the new surface and its influence on wear and degradation.

Last year, degradation was a decisive technical theme in São Paulo. Graining came in milder than feared, but the C2 Hard of that weekend tended to slide, and the C3 and C4 wore heavily while still supporting competitive stints. A two-stop race proved the strongest approach.

Interlagos produces broadly average lateral forces overall, mixing fast corners with long straights, so the layout is not especially punishing. Loads fall fairly evenly between front and rear axles. Overtaking chances are plentiful, giving strategists room to manoeuvre, yet degradation management has usually decided who performs best, making the trade-off between one-lap speed and long-run durability central to trackside work.

Rain and sharp temperature swings are familiar at this venue given its calendar slot, so Intermediate and Full Wet tyres may again feature. In 2025, Medium and Soft dominated a wide spread of strategies, with most teams choosing two stops after an early neutralisation triggered pit visits. Pit windows differed by driver, opening gaps that aided overtaking; only two drivers stopped once, and Hard tyres appeared in just a few brief stints.

Interlagos has staged 42 Grands Prix, 37 of them titled the Brazilian Grand Prix between 1973 and 2019 before the São Paulo name returned in 2021. Michael Schumacher leads with four wins, while Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen hold three each; Ferrari and McLaren share nine team victories. The special Podium Cap, designed by Denis Dekovic for Pirelli Design and inspired by Brazil's 1958 blue football shirt with a jaguar-pattern finish, is on sale via Pirelli's e-commerce platform.

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Dunlop Motorcycle Europe is celebrating a successful conclusion to the 2026 Campeonato de España de Superbike (ESBK) campaign, with five of its equipped riders securing titles at the Sunday finale at Circuito de Jerez Ángel Nieto. The brand claimed five of the series' eight championships, four of them in open-tyre competition classes, after a tightly contested season spanning Spain and Portugal.

The ESBK's open-tyre rules in several classes give Dunlop a direct benchmark against competing manufacturers. The company backed riders throughout the year in Superbike, Supersport, Supersport 300, Superstock 600, Superstock 1000 and Pre-Talent. Four of those classes allow any tyre brand, while Dunlop is the sole supplier for Supersport 300 and Pre-Talent.

The Superbike, Superstock 600 and Pre-Talent crowns all remained undecided going into Jerez. Honda Laglisse's Javier Palomera clinched Superbike ahead of Dunlop-backed Ivo Lopes of BMW Easyrace Team, runner-up in the open-tyre class; the same squad also took Superstock 1000 through Mauro González. José Luis Armario won the last Superstock 600 race of the year, and in Supersport, Team Speed Racing's Marcos Ludeña placed second with Team Honda Laglisse's Yeray Ruiz third, giving Dunlop two of three open-tyre podium slots. In the Dunlop-only classes, Marc Vich took Supersport 300 and the Kawasaki Ninja Spirit Trophy, while Marcos Vinagre won Pre-Talent at Jerez, leading an all-Dunlop podium alongside Javier Vigueras and Jose Luis Cagigas.

Dunlop's ESBK programme uses its KR racing slick line, covering both development and catalogue specifications, with wet tyres also available. Data from real race weekends helps the brand validate new products before they reach other championships and track-day use. Dunlop's racing footprint also takes in the Campionato Italiano Velocità, which produced six more Dunlop champions in 2026, and the FIM Endurance World Championship, where a fresh multi-year deal makes Dunlop the sole supplier to the Superstock and Production Trophy classes.

Roberto Finetti, Marketing Manager, Dunlop Motorcycle Europe, said, “It's great to see Dunlop-equipped riders achieve such strong results in the 2026 ESBK season, with championship titles secured across multiple categories and two all-Dunlop podiums in Supersport 300 and Pre-Talent. We're incredibly proud of what our riders and teams have achieved this season and of the role Dunlop has played in their success. These results are a testament to their dedication and hard work throughout the year. Congratulations to all the newly crowned champions.”

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Tegeta Green Planet, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), organised an information and practical campaign titled ‘Don’t Throw It Away, Hand It In’ in Poti. Held on 29 October at a Tegeta Motors branch, the initiative sought to strengthen environmental responsibility and promote proper management of specific waste streams.

The campaign targeted local residents, vehicle owners, drivers and private sector representatives, encouraging their active involvement in waste management. Attendees learned about the environmental impact of automotive waste and correct disposal methods. A dedicated collection point at the branch allowed residents to hand in end-of-life tyres, used batteries and waste oils, offering a practical way to contribute to environmental protection through everyday actions.

A significant focus was placed on raising awareness about the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, including the role of EPR organisations, collection and subsequent management of specific waste streams and importers’ legally established obligations. Symbolic gifts encouraged participation. Tegeta Green Planet and UNDP continue to implement regional environmental campaigns and educational initiatives aimed at raising public awareness, fostering responsible waste management and promoting circular economy principles.

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