Air maintenance pumping assembly and tire

A tire having a pneumatic cavity and first and second sidewalls extending respectively from first and second tire bead regions to a tire tread region is disclosed. The first sidewall has at least one bending region operatively bending when circumferentially within a rolling tire footprint. A sidewall groove defined by groove sidewalls is positioned within the bending region of the first tire sidewall, the groove deforming segment by segment between a non-deformed state and a deformed, constricted state in response to the bending of the first sidewall bending region circumferentially within the rolling tire footprint. The tire further comprises an air passageway resiliently deforming segment by segment between an expanded condition and an at least partially collapsed condition in response to respective segment by segment deformation of the sidewall groove when circumferentially within the rolling tire footprint; and a pressure regulator mounted to an inner surface of the pneumatic tire cavity for controlling air pressure with the pneumatic tire cavity.