TAKAOKA, Toyama Prefecture--A wheel maker here is leading the pack since the opening of the Formula One 2022 season, where manufacturers' products get maximum visibility among auto racing fans.

BBS Japan Co. has been selected as an exclusive supplier for standard rims for F1, as it was rewarded for its incomparable forging method. 

As the F1 season opened on March 20 in Bahrain, all teams are required to run on the same wheel rims following the latest rules changes.

After BBS Japan, whose headquarters and works are situated in Takaoka, won the honored position to produce uniform official wheel rims as a result of its long efforts and impressive track record, its president, Hidetaka Kita, expressed surprise and joy.

“The same chance may never come again,” said Kita.

BBS Japan signed a four-year supplier contract with the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which is responsible for F1 competitions, to offer its products to all the 10 F1 teams, including Mercedes, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari.

The new standard wheel rim is 18 inches, or 46 centimeters, in diameter, compared with 13 inches, or 33 cm, under the previous criteria. The front wheel measures 13 inches thick while its rear counterpart boasts a thickness of 17 inches, or 43 cm. Despite the new wheel’s enlarged size, it weighs no more than 8 kilograms.

The tires supplied to F1 will continue to come from Pirelli

In F1, well-funded teams often win races. For that reason, the rules have been repeatedly reviewed so all the contestants can compete on an equal footing. The formal wheel bid, where BBS Japan was selected, was apparently part of the move.

“I did not imagine my company would be chosen at the same time,” said Kita, referring to the fact that BBS Japan has also became the three-year monopoly supplier for NASCAR racing, which is popular in the United States and will similarly use uniform wheels this season like F1.

Yoichi Takeuchi, an executive director of administration at BBS Japan, said he did not likewise think that the company could serve as the only business to provide wheels exclusively for the F1 World Championship and the NASCAR Cup Series.

“The accomplishment has been achieved just because we have been passing down our forerunners’ efforts,” Takeuchi said. “The topic will help excitement grow among residents of the local community.”

The predecessor of BBS Japan was founded as a textile machinery parts manufacturer half a century ago to create spinning wheels. Though most rivals relied on casting to mass-produce metal articles in molds, it has been polishing forging skills to press metallic material.

Its forged aluminum wheel was marketed in 1984, drawing considerable attention with the product’s high quality. A far lighter magnesium wheel was developed in 1992 for the first time in the world at Ferrari’s request, contributing to the first overall world championship title of F1 great Michael Schumacher in 1994.

After that, BBS Japan at times provided its wheels to more than half of the F1 teams with a total of 30,000 units delivered to date.

BBS Japan applies pressure up to 12,000 tons while heating metal to 500 degrees to form basic wheel shapes. The process raises the metal’s density not only to increase strength while reducing weight but also to add flexibility, enabling finished products to better absorb the impact from the ground in cornering and other operations.

Skilled craftspeople are in charge of the finishing procedure and performance test by hand and eye, so that the quality of even components that cannot be seen from the surface will be thoroughly controlled.

FUTURE PROSPECTS

The wheel of BBS Japan was adopted apparently because it meets the high levels of rigidity and lightness required by the FIA, which likely takes into account the enterprise’s past achievements in the sport as well.

“Racing may be a niche but gives an opportunity to scale the technical heights,” said Kita. “We pride ourselves on our products being used there, and are looking to demonstrate our technologies for those in and outside Japan."

Innovations of BBS Japan are also utilized for commercially available wheels, which are adopted as standard equipment for luxury cars of Japanese and other automakers, such as Lexus, Bentley and Porsche.

F1 wheels and commercial products are made at the same production line within BBS Japan’s works, so improving skills for racing wheels is expected to provide reciprocal benefits for consumer products.

From now, BBS Japan is moving to work on wheels for electric vehicles.

“How to improve the driving range and fuel efficiency significantly is a challenge,” said Kita about the company's future plans. “Making wheels larger but lighter is a big goal to fulfill that. We will respond to the challenge by making full use of our accumulated know-how.”