Renewable Diesel to Fuel Trucks Hauling NTT IndyCar Series Cars

by Ron Kotrba (Biobased Diesel Daily) ndyCar LLC owner Penske Entertainment announced that, beginning in June, all 26 NTT IndyCar Series cars will be transported by trucks fueled with renewable diesel. NTT Corp. (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) is the title sponsor of the NTT IndyCar Series.

“The NTT IndyCar Series and its partners are continually evaluating ways to lower our footprint and create a more sustainable future,” said IndyCar President Jay Frye. “We’re looking forward to using renewable diesel in our transporters beginning in June and expect to have several more important initiatives to unveil in the near future.”

The announcement was part of a larger initiative unveiled on Earth Day, April 22, involving eco-friendly tires, more recycling, renewable energy credits and more. READ MORE

Excerpt from Flow Racers:Indycars use an 85% mix of ethanol and gasoline, or E85 mix. The series originally used pure methanol but changed to ethanol in 2007. Ethanol is much safer than methanol, and it gives better mileage. It is mixed with a small amount of gasoline so that it has visible flames in case of a fire.

There is a fair bit of history to consider when thinking about the fuel used in IndyCar racing, which we will go through in more detail below. We will also consider the advantages of the series using ethanol over normal gasoline as well.

Ethanol is also much less harmful than methanol, with the latter causing irritation and even burns when exposure is to large enough quantities. However, current Indy cars use an 85% ethanol/gasoline blend as this is what can often be used in road cars, with motorsport across the world trying to remain relevant to the everyday world as much as possible. READ MORE