The FIA World Rally Championship is redefining sustainability and in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup you will find out about a podcast that explains how. I also have details on how Lola made a splash at the Miami E-Prix, how the opportunities presented by sustainability, education, and inclusivity in motorsport are endless and Toyota’s position on racing hydrogen. All this and much more!
Sustainable Motorsport News
The Race has a great profile of new Formula E team Lola-Yamaha and what’s next for the outfit after Lucas di Grassi’s second place in the Miami E-Prix.
“It’s a huge milestone and we weren’t expecting it obviously,” said Bechtolsheimer. “This was the first race that we came into with performance in mind. Every race up until now has been about debugging, reliability, getting the basics right. We’re just at the very beginning of trying to extract the performance out of the package that we’ve got. And here we are on the podium, so it’s really encouraging, it’s a huge boost to the whole team.”
António Félix da Costa recaps his 2024-2025 Formula E season so far and looks ahead to the rest of this year’s thrilling action. “Not only we get the All-Wheel-Drive, but we can also use the full TC (traction control) capability of the software, which makes it super fun, hard to set up, but it makes it fun and it makes it fast.”
Maja Czarzasty-Zybert explains how the opportunities presented by sustainability, education, and inclusivity in motorsport are endless, and the race track is no longer just a stage for those looking to outpace time – it is now a space with the potential to outpace our imagination. Read more here.
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
David Ragan, the main development driver of NASCAR’s electric vehicle project that it’s working on with electric engineering company ABB, spoke to RACER when the EV ran some laps at the recent Miami Formula E race.
“It’s a double-edged sword, because the NASCAR fan is a very traditional fan; but you think about how the evolution of our car has come, there was a point where a NASCAR race car just had a shoulder belt, had very limited roll bars, had a carburetor and had drum brakes probably at one time. Now our Next Gen race car has electronic fuel ignition, it’s a very safe car, a five-speed sequential gearbox. It has evolved to mirror what the automotive industry is selling to their customers and I think this is just the next evolution.”
NTT IndyCar Series drivers still are assessing the hybrid engine that debuted in mid-2024. And Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden said during last weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. “There’s nothing evil about it. It’s pretty easy to drive.” Not all of his competitors are as willing to give it two thumbs up. Read more here.
Series News
Formula E has announced that it will continue running the London ePrix around the Excel exhibition centre until at least 2026, with the indoor/outdoor spectacle allowing both parties to drive their commitments to sustainability and the environment.
Series leaders have also made it clear that they plan to make Formula E the second most-watched motorsport series in the world with vigor. “We are determined to grow our overall fanbase, and we won’t achieve that ambition by simply fishing in the motorsport pond,” said Dodds. “That is a very important pond, but it’s also pretty small, so the onus is on us as a business to bring new fans to the sport.”
A new podcast series exploring how the FIA World Rally Championship is redefining sustainability in motorsport, both on and off the track. Built around the key strategic pillars outlined in WRC Promoter’s Beyond Rally Sustainability Roadbook, this series delves into the organisation’s overarching goals for the long-term future of its championships, as well as how it works to leave lasting legacies within the environments and communities in which it competes.
You can listen to the podcast here.
Toyota Gazoo Racing team principal Kamui Kobayashi has warned there is no guarantee the Japanese marque will ultimately enter the FIA World Endurance Championship’s planned hydrogen class as delays in finalizing the regulations continue.
“There are still no regulations, so how can we make the car?” asked Kobayashi rhetorically. “The ACO wants to do it, and if the regulations are there, of course we want to take on the challenge. But unfortunately, there are still no regulations. Hydrogen technology is one of the opportunities for sustainable motorsport, which is why we are taking on the challenge to develop this technology.”
From the upcoming season, the Kumho FIA TCR World Tour’s racing cars will be powered by the sustainable ETS Racing Fuels Renewablaze TCR R50. Approved by WSC after been tested by TCR car manufacturers and in conformity with FIA requirements, the fuel is made from 50% of certified advanced sustainable materials, made from biomass waste, and it provides a 30% drop in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels. The fuel is certified by WSC and available to any other TCR series.
Getting to the Track Sustainably
- New York’s First Air Taxi Network Is Coming—Here’s What to Know (Robb Report)
- Fit for 55: The European legislative package proposal for reducing EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% by 2030 (Bureau Veritas)
- Sustainability in Porsche’s sales strategy (Porsche)
- DPD trials MAN electric lorries to hit net zero target (MotorTransport)
- Project Jolt aims to enter the real world of battery electric HGVs (Freight Carbon Zero)
- EU Drops Plan To Ban Carbon Fiber In Cars (CarScoops)
- U.S. SAF Market To Hit $7 Billion by 2030 (AIN)
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a former lawyer, he applies his legal background and research skills to assist race drivers by showcasing the resources they need to make their motorsport careers happen.
