
Shell Bitumen is built to last
Our products aim to help people travel, commute and sometimes, even to become champions. As part of our centenary we’re celebrating our long-standing partnerships with Formula One and major airports around the world.
At Shell Bitumen we’ve been working to improve the durability of roads, racetracks and runways around the world for years. This short video gives a quick insight into why the road-surfacing materials used are so important…
Shell Bitumen – Racetracks & Runways
Short video 2 accessibility transcript
Title: Racetracks and Runways
Duration: 1 minute 43 seconds
Description: Shell Bitumen’s Racetracks and Runways video script
[Background music plays]
[Video footage]
An illustration of a racetrack appears
[Text displays]
Racetracks
[Video footage]
Birds’ eye view illustration of an airport and runway
[Text displays]
Runways
[Text displays]
What do they have in common?
[Video footage]
Three images of a scientist working with a microscope, an aeroplane wheel landing and a Formula One pit team replacing a tyre.
[Text displays]
Performance under pressure
[Video footage]
Graphic illustration of a speedometer hitting 95 on a yellow background
[Text displays]
High speeds
[Text displays]
Intense loads
[Video footage]
Three heavy weights fall and squash the line of text
[Video footage]
A repeated pattern of warning sign triangles display on a yellow background
[Text displays]
No room for error
[Text displays]
The scrutiny of die-hard fans
[Video footage]
Supporters in a crowd waving flags and watching intensely
[Text displays]
The expectations of global travellers
[Video footage]
Holiday makers walk through an airport corridor on their way to a plane
[Video footage]
A montage of images of the speedometer, airport scene, racing fans, weights and warning signs with a close up of a bitumen paved road in the middle
[Text displays]
One thing connects them
[Video footage]
The bitumen road image spreads to fill the screen revealing a racetrack panorama
[Text displays]
High quality bitumen
[Video footage]
A racing car drives from left to right and crosses a finish line
[Text displays]
Shaving seconds off a lap-time
[Video footage]
Pan down from above as if landing on a runway
[Text displays]
Or touching down from 30,000 feet?
[Text displays]
Grip is everything
[Video footage]
A tyre rolls across screen from left to right, revealing the text underneath
[Video footage]
A second tyre rolls back and reveals a grey background with dark tyre marks criss-crossing it
[Text displays]
And durability is king
[Video footage]
A grid of four images of racing tracks from around the world
[Text displays]
World-class circuits
[Video footage]
Animation of 4 race cars, one pulls into the lead
[Text displays]
Need world-class asphalt
[Video footage]
A line of planes fly into the sky one after another
[Text displays]
Need runways built to last
[Video footage]
A countdown of numbers ticks through the years from 2020 to 2050
[Text displays]
Our goal is to make life better for pilots and drivers
[Video footage]
Split screen between planes in the sky and a racing car driver in his car
[Text displays]
Holiday makers and sports fans
[Video footage]
Split screen between a smiling child on a plane and an illustration of a racetrack
[Text displays]
To get them home safely
[Video footage]
An old man greets a young woman backpacker joyfully at an airport
[Text displays]
Or across the line in time
[Video footage]
A race car from above just as it crosses the finish line
[Text displays]
So they can rest easy
[Video footage]
An illustration of a plane window closing with two smaller planes flying past
[Text displays]
Can celebrate
[Video footage]
A racing car driver holding up a fist in celebration
[Text displays]
And can rely on us
[Video footage]
Two pilots in the cockpit of an aeroplane in flight
[Text displays]
Time and time again
[Video footage]
A collage of images of racetracks and runways
[Text displays]
Shell Bitumen is 100
[Video footage]
A woman looks out over an airport at sunset
[Text displays]
100 years Shell Bitumen l920 to 2020
[Background music fades]
[Text displays]
Shell Bitumen
[Video footage]
Shell Pecten logo

Landing the big leagues
Not all aeroplanes are created equal – there are different sizes, classes and most importantly from a bitumen point of view – different weights. To land the heaviest planes, your runway has to be up to scratch, and that’s where Shell Cariphalte comes in.
At Soekarno Hatta International Airport in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, increasing tourism numbers meant bigger planes had become the norm. To help this busy hub cope, we used Shell’s polymer-modified bitumen binder to create a more durable runway that could withstand the pressures of the heaviest aircrafts.
Soekarno Hatta International Airport by the numbers

Soekarno Hatta International Airport served over 60 million passengers in 2018* *https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/worlds-busiest-airports-2018/index.html
Along with this crucial work on Indonesia’s busiest airport, Shell Bitumen has helped to pave over 120 of the world’s key airports, including London Heathrow in the United Kingdom, Paris-Charles De Gaulle in France, Dubai International Airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Hong Kong International Airport, and Changi Airport in Singapore.
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
Shell Bitumen is 100
Join us as we mark our centenary year.
Shell Bitumen is always evolving
Find out how Shell Bitumen has helped to drive technological discoveries and advances across the industry.
Shell Bitumen is driving progress
We’ve all got a part to play in reducing our environmental impact on the world. Find out how Shell Bitumen is playing our part.
Shell Bitumen is all around us
From record-beating bridges to world-class racetracks, take a look at some of the projects that make us proud.
Shell Bitumen is with you all the way
We’re proud to help over 1,800 customers from around the world achieve their goals. Find out how we build relationships that last.