While many of the sporting headlines have been dominated by Formula 1′s on-off decision to change its points’ structure, it is the advancements that have been made in turning motor racing green that have caught our attention.
In America at the Sebring International Raceway, Yokohama tyres introduced its ADVAN ENV-R tyres that combine orange oil made from discarded peels with natural rubber. Together they form a compound called Super Nano-Power Rubber and the tyres will be used on Porsche 911 race cars in the Patron GT32 Challenge.
Another step in the green direction saw the American Le Mans Series sign a two-year agreement with Green Earth Technologies to use G-Oil, a green motor oil made mostly from beef tallow.
Indeed there was a third announcement made with a green tint as Michelin announced it will become the title sponsor of the series’ green initiative that began last year in conjunction with SAE International, the US Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Michelin Green X Challenge will see an award handed out at each event to the entry that demonstrates best overall performance, fuel efficiency and least environmental impact.
Every car in the American Le Mans Series uses one of four street legal fuel alternatives – either E10, clean sulphur-free diesel, a gas-electric hybrid of cellulosic E85. In the challenge, all cars are ranked by the greenhouse gases they emit, the amount of energy they use and the amount of petrol displaced.
