2011 Green Racing Takes More Steps Forward Than Back

by Joanne Ivancic and Robert E. Kozak (Advanced Biofuels USA) Funding is tight in 2011, so efficiency and cost-consciousness are the watchwords

2011 started out pretty weak for green racing. We celebrated NASCAR going to E15 this year with fuel injection which will enable higher ethanol blends coming in 2012.

But we also mourned the loss of Highcroft Racing and Drayson Racing from the American Le Mans Series roster. Paul Lord Drayson and his team put a lot of effort into spreading the philosophy of using racing as a proving ground for “green” innovations for commercial markets and insisted on cellulosic ethanol to power their Lola. And the Highcroft team could be counted on for skilled and exciting racing.

Last year, up until the Gulf oil spill, BP not only provided their never-been-done-before Butamax bioisobutanol in the Dyson Racing #16 Mazda/Lola, but provided flagship sponsorship with BP’s green and yellow starburst all over the car and team attire. Can’t find a trace of those graphics this year, even though the #16 and #20 Dyson Mazdas run on their isobutanol.

We were so excited last year to announce that all E85 cars in the ALMS Petit Le Mans race were using cellulosic ethanol; this year the E85 ethanol racing fuel is back to corn-based ethanol. Last year ALMS and IMSA staff worked their tails off to obtain cellulosic ethanol for the last series race in Georgia. This year, Ed Triolo of ALMS said they just couldn’t find enough. Producers with experimental or pilot plants did not want to, or couldn’t participate in this effort.

And, even though the new Forza 4 XBOX 360 ALMS racing simulation video game is packaged in green graphics, it does not include a crucial element of ALMS’ dedication to green racing, a simulation of the Michelin Green-X Challenge ™.

All that said, on closer examination, there is important progress being made. Just as in much of the rest of the world, “green” changes aren’t being made just for show or greenwash or for marketing—they are being made to improve efficiency and performance in the most cost-effective manner possible. So, in many ways, this year is dedicated to the essence of the “green racing” philosophy, i.e. test in harsh conditions innovations that will have larger life in the commercial sphere.

To begin, not only are the two Dyson Mazda/Lolas using bioisobutanol, but the new Autocom team has also chosen that innovative fuel this year.

And even though the cellulosic E85 isn’t available, the Muscle Milk Aston Martin/Lola switched mid-season from E10 to E85 because their observation of the competition and their own extensive testing indicated that they could expect a measureable improvement in performance with E85. And their hypothesis has been proven not only in improved performance, but in first place finishes in both races since the switch. Certainly their drivers, Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf have contributed significantly to their success; illustrating again the interaction among all the human, equipment and fuel factors that comprise a racing endeavor. Perhaps the Aston Martin/Lola work team will power their Petit Le Mans entry with E85 this fall? No decision has been made on that possibility yet.

Although the prominent Highcroft Racing team also absented itself from the ALMS grid this year, this is for a very important reason. They are busy on an exciting project that could revolutionize both racing and on-road technology. Working with the legendry Dan Gurney and his All American Racers and the innovative car designer Ben Bowlby, they are building the new DeltaWing Le Mans Prototype which will race at the 24 Hours at Le Mans in June 2012. This unclassified technology demonstration “#56” car is a dream-come-true for all these innovators. We hope they will also be able demonstrate the performance characteristics of E85 in this model when they bring it back to the US for racing. (E10 is required for Le Mans.)

Speaking of fuels for the 24 Le Mans race, we’ve heard from good sources that for the 2014 24 Hours at Le Mans, the fuel rules may change drastically. Instead of designating specific fuels, competitors will be allowed to use a set amount of Btu power—in whatever form they please—opening the door to innovations in aerodynamic design, regenerative power from braking and unimaginable other innovations to achieve speed, efficiency, endurance and style—all factors that should have plenty of application for an energy conservation-conscious public.

As we reported yesterday, while nothing significant on the “green” front is happening this year in IndyCar, in 2012 they will be making two very important changes. First, the fuel will be E85. The reason for this change is to have the series use a commercially based fuel. Second, the 2012 engine specifications have resulted in V6 turbocharged engines that are based on road-car technologies. In fact, two of the engine suppliers, Honda and Chevy, have said the IndyCar engine programs will be testbeds for future production engines.

Further encouragement comes from Turn 10 Studios, creators of the “Forza Motorsport” video games. From the beginning they have been trying to find a way to incorporate some simulation of the Michelin Green X Challenge ™ into the game and they think they have the necessary components to make that happen in a future edition of “Forza Motorsport 4.”

So, while In February at the ALMS practice session at Sebring, Florida, we were somewhat discouraged by a lack of visible progress on biofuels and technology developments to use the fuels, in the heat and humidity of a central Ohio August at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, we are happy to see real positive movement.

From Aston Martin showing the efficiency and power benefits of E85 to the 2012 IndyCar fuel and engine innovations, and not to forget the DeltaWing, Green Racing is again leading the way to invent and prove the reliability of highly efficient “green” automotive technologies that will be in our cars and trucks shortly.

So, it seems to us that it is high time that advanced ethanol and advanced biofuel producers form partnerships with the ALMS and IndyCar series. What better way to demonstrate the benefits of their biofuels (even from their pilot or demonstration plants) than to have them fuel a winner in the two technologically premier racing series in North America.