Lee Slezak Interview – Takin’ The Green A Conversation With Lee Slezak Of The U.S. Department Of Energy
by Rob Fisher (Circle Track) …CT: What inspired the concept of green racing?
LS: The concept of green racing really started with some of us at DOE and EPA talking about how to properly advance technology in the transportation sector so that we would be less reliant on foreign petroleum. We would produce fewer emissions, and improve energy security by eliminating foreign oil imports. While we were talking about it, it became clear that racing wasn’t really as relevant as it once was.
Racing used to be an arena where manufacturers would push the envelope of technology, they’d bring new systems and new ideas to the track and they’d show that those systems and technologies could work and could be reliable. And it had positive benefits. It was a much faster way to develop technologies than just doing research and development in a laboratory.
It also was a great way to develop a market understanding of the technologies while creating a demand for it, because people saw these technologies on the track.
…CT: How’s acceptance of the program been?
LS: In the last year we went from basically a couple of teams running E85 off and on plus one diesel team running with ultra-low sulphur diesel, and now we’ve got two different factory teams running ultra-low sulphur diesel. We’ve got teams in the Prototype division running E85, such as Drayson Racing, … They’re actually using cellulosic E85. We’ve got multiple teams, such as the Porsche teams, the Corvette teams, and others in the GT category running E85. We’ve just seen so many changes and so many technological advances.
CT: Other than fuels, what other advanced technologies have you seen come into the Challenge?
LS: Last year was the first time we’ve ever seen a prototype vehicle running a hybrid system. The Corsa hybrid, a team based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. It is an independent team which worked with Zytec out of England to develop a prototype hybrid and the team ran it in the series last year.
It’s a tough challenge for an independent team without manufacturer backing as many of your readers can probably relate to, but the team has done amazingly well with what it was able to bring to the track. In several instances they were right there challenging the factory backed teams running conventional prototype technologies.
…Let’s face it; Green Challenge is about going the farthest, the fastest with the smallest environmental footprint, and using the least amount of fuel. That’s what racing’s about-you want to go the farthest, you want to be the fastest, and one of the best ways to do that is to use your fuel the best way you can.
So green racing isn’t something to make racing slower, less competitive, or boring. It’s actually something that fits and goes hand in hand with strategies that racers are already using, and have been for decades, to make sure that they’re the first ones across that line at the end of the race. READ MORE
