Articles
Motorsport embraces its energy efficient future
Source: Energy Efficient Motor Sport (EEMS)
Publication Date: 30th January 2007
As environmental and energy issues have become headline issues in the worldwide media, the recent Autosport International Show which took place at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in mid January offered an opportunity to determine where energy efficiency is on the agenda of the motorsport industry. It was clear from its prevalence at the show that its importance has risen.
Following on from the pioneering work by Team Nasamax in running a bio-ethanol fuelled car in the Le Mans 24 Hour race in 2003 and 2004, competitive performances by bio-ethanol fuel cars in the 2006 British Touring Car Championship, against conventional gasoline fuelled cars, helped to change the perception of alternative fuels. So much so that the Motor Sport Association, the governing body of UK motorsport has, for the first time, introduced rules relating to alternative fuels for 2007. On the MSA’s stand at the show its technical and risk control manager John Symes said, “The MSA’s position on alternative fuels is pretty simple. If you look in the 2007 MSA Competitors Yearbook there are provisions for bio-fuels and bio-diesel to be used with specific approval from the MSA. What is envisaged is that if a championship wants to go down that route it would be used as the control fuel.
“At the moment there is no fixed specification for bio-ethanol or bio-diesel as there is for gasoline or diesel. There are standards evolving but they are not yet finalised so the only way of fairly using a bio-fuel is as a control fuel.”
UK race championship organiser, RacingLine has been investigating using bio-ethanol in this way in the 2007 British Formula Ford Championship. RacingLine’s Sam Roach said, “We are still looking at using bio-ethanol but time constraints mean that the chances of it being introduced for 2007 are low. Having said that, we ran a bio-ethanol fuelled car at the Formula Ford Sampler Day at Silverstone before Christmas and it ran quite happily. That showed us that, with a few refinements, it is feasible to use bio-ethanol as the fuel for the championship. We have shortened the times of all of our 2007 races by two minutes, which we have calculated will give us sufficient fuel capacity at each circuit. So, we are operationally ready to make the change. The logistics of obtaining a fuel supply and getting it into a free testing championship are what is holding the process back. We need to be able to guarantee a fuel supply that will allow teams to test wherever and whenever they choose to. That’s the biggest hurdle we face in trying to introduce bio-ethanol in 2007.
“We have made a commitment that when the changeover happens it will be on the basis that there would be no incremental cost to the teams or drivers over and above using regular gasoline.
“Bio-ethanol can only be used as a control fuel in a competitive series like Formula Ford. There was a suggestion of running a promotional car using bio-ethanol in with the gasoline cars but I think it would raise too many equivalency questions.”
The prospects for alternative fuel cars in the British Touring Car Championship are uncertain at the present time. The 2006 BTCC technical regulations specified a compression ratio of 12:1. From 2007 the BTCC will run to the FIA’s Super 2000 technical regulations where the compression ratio limit is set at 11:1. This could strongly influence decisions by competing teams on whether to use bio-ethanol or gasoline.
Peter Riches, BTCC organiser TOCA’s technical commissioner said, “From the figures we have seen from the teams that have tested with it there was a slight advantage in using bio-ethanol with a 12:1 compression ratio. That’s partly because bio-ethanol has an octane rating of 109 compared with the 102 of FIA standard gasoline. As knock is related to compression ratio and octane there is an advantage.
“With an 11:1 compression ratio there is a feeling that there will be no advantage for bio-ethanol, but that is only a feeling… Whether there would be a disadvantage we don’t yet know because we are not aware of any of the teams that will be racing under the S2000 regulations in 2007 having run with bio-ethanol.
“Should it turn out to be the case that there is a disadvantage, the BTCC rules have certain clauses that allow the series administrator to vary the technical regulations for alternatively fuelled vehicles. In 2006 bio-ethanol was a competitive fuel in the BTCC and there are provisions in the regulations that would allow that to remain so but until someone asks that sort of question we don’t have an answer.”
The West Surrey Racing team which in 2006 scored the best result to date by a bio-ethanol fuelled car in the BTCC has yet to decide on whether it will continue to race with this fuel in 2007.
An interesting project launched at the NEC was the Barwell Motorsport project to race an Aston Martin DBRS9 on bio-ethanol fuel in the 2007 British GT Championship. Great Bookham, UK based Barwell Motorsport run the car on behalf of its owner Paul Drayson, a member of the UK’s House of Lords and a defence procurement minister for the UK government.
Lord Drayson said, "Climate change is a reality and the technologies exist to do something about it. Motorsport can make a real difference to change perceptions and stimulate innovation, so I'm thrilled to be backing this project and looking forward to racing the car this year. Astons have always looked good in British Racing Green. This one actually is."
Barwell Motorsport’s commercial director Chris Needell said, "The Aston Martin DBRS9 can run for an hour on its standard tank, with regular fuel, so inevitably we'll be increasing the tank size - so there will be a weight penalty. We've spoken to the British GT officials and they're all happy with what we're planning - in fact, understandably, they and the MSA are actively encouraging it.”
Also launched at the Autosport Show was the GTM 40TR, a new two seater track day and racecar from the Coventry, UK based low volume sportscar manufacturer GTM Cars, that has the potential to run on bio-fuel.
GTM is exploring the potential for a one-make race series for such cars.
Lloyd Taylor, general manager of GTM Cars, said, "We have been working with bio-fuels for while, but this is an environmentally friendly approach to the world of racing. A bio-fuel race series would be a bit of a twist on traditional racing, and could prove popular."
The Thatcham, UK based motorsport transmission manufacturer Xtrac had a new hybrid powertrain on its stand at Autosport International. According to the manufacturer this is the world's first commercially viable diesel-electric powertrain and has been developed for use in a small family car.
A joint venture between Xtrac and hybrid system specialist Zytek, the unit meets the requirements of the Ultra Low Carbon Car Challenge, a £10m UK government initiative that is aimed at producing an energy-efficient small family car with exceptionally low CO2 emissions of under 100g/km, equivalent to a fuel consumption of at least 75mpg (3.8l/100km).
Xtrac managing director Peter Digby said, “This new and innovative hybrid driveline really does drive home the technological capabilities of the motorsport industry and its ability to deliver energy-efficient solutions to the mainstream automotive sector."
While Xtrac’s first step into hybrid systems is intended for use in passenger cars the company is also working on a project to develop a Kinetic Energy Recovery System of the type defined in the FIA’s 2009 Formula One technical regulations that can be offered on a commercial basis to teams competing in F1 and other racing series.
Judging by the new projects and the general buzz around the Autosport International Show, alternative fuels and energy efficient motor motorsport are high on the agenda of UK motorsport and as the FIA moves Formula One in this direction over the coming two years, it is clear that energy efficiency is ever more being recognised as the future of motorsport.
Added to the database on 30th January 2007
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