The Goodwood Revival continues to run on sustainable fuel as the prestigious historic race meeting works to make vintage racing culturally sustainable. I also have details on the sustainability initiatives of Rali Ceredigion, Extreme E’s final lab and more in this week’s Sustainable Motorsport Roundup.
Sustainable Motorsport News
Widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest historic motor racing events, the Goodwood Revival will again see every competitor use sustainable fuel across the three-day event.
“It’s been quite an interesting journey, and one that we’re still very much on,” says Matt Hearn, Goodwood’s head of event content. “It’s the right thing for us to be trying to do…When people think about sustainability, it’s easy to immediately think about emissions and climate change. But for us it’s also about laying the right foundation so that historic racing can remain culturally sustainable – so it’s something that people still think is acceptable to do – is really important as well.”
Rali Ceredigion continues to lead the charge in terms of not only providing a high-octane experience for spectators but also developing the Rally’s sustainability credentials in a move that saw it become the first UK rally awarded two-star FIA Environmental Accreditation in 2023. The event set a new record for Carbon Offsetting in Rallying last year, approx. 200,000kg of CO2, a total double the estimated carbon footprint of all competitors, ticket holding spectators and mandatory organizer vehicles.
“The FIA environmental accreditation requires the event to meet with a series of criteria to achieve one star accreditation, I could see that the event needed to have a good Environmental Management System (EMS), so we started working on that… prior to achieving one star. Then in 2023, we approached the FIA to go for two-star accreditation and we went for it! The Rally has come on so much, there’s Rali Engage, the organisers are engaging with local schools, bringing communities together and into it… they are going above and beyond to get more people into motorsport.”
A double edition of KiSS Misano, Keep it Shiny and Sustainable, the environmental and social sustainability program promoted by the Marco Simoncelli Circuit as part of its Misano Green Circuit project, will be active at the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini on September 12-14.
“Environmental sustainability and social inclusion have been guiding the choices of Misano World Circuit for years in its progressive transformation into a large motorsport park – says Andrea Albani, MWC Managing Director -. With KiSS Misano we have started a path that over the years has led to the contents of the Misano Green Circuit and the sharing with all the protagonists of MotoGP, in the grandstands and in the paddock, of gestures and behaviours that feed a new and responsible culture. Events such as the Red Bull Grand Prix of San Marino and the Rimini Riviera provides an important sounding board for sharing these messages”.
Nominations are now open for the Motorsport South Africa 2025 MSA Environmental Award. “MSA is serious about Sustainability in our sport and we would like to recognise members, organisers, competitors and individuals who have made a meaningful contribution to environmental awareness and protection in motorsport during the 2025 calendar year. This award highlights real, practical efforts that will keep our sport thriving for the long term.”
Full details and how to nominate can be found here.
RacingSyn, an engineering alliance, has launched to connect experienced engineering professionals and offer a one-stop shop for projects large and small across a range of motorsport disciplines. Thanks to RacingSyn’s wide network of engineers, the alliance also plays a role in shaping sustainable motorsport by supporting the development of electric, hydrogen and sustainable fuel projects. More details can be found here.
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
Over the weekend of August 8-10 at Jack’s Casino Racing Day at TT Assen, Forze Hydrogen Racing passed a major milestone in the journey towards sustainable motorsport. their latest hydrogen-powered race car, the Forze IX, made its debut in the Supercar Challenge, showcasing the potential of hydrogen in a class typically dominated by combustion-engine vehicles.
“Despite still being in the development stage, the Forze IX delivered a strong performance. It demonstrated that clean, hydrogen-powered racing is not just a vision for the future, it is already becoming a reality. This marks an important step forward for our team and sustainable energy in motorsport.”
Series News
Formula 1’s plans to fast-track adoption of a V8 running on sustainable fuel as an engine formula have been thwarted by the engine manufacturers who feel that it does not make sense to be talking about a future engine formula when the new 2026 engines have not even hit the tracks. Right now they are more concerned about the cost of sustainable fuel next year.
Extreme E will return for a one-off event dubbed the ‘Final Lap’ ahead of the inaugural FIA Extreme H World Cup competition in Saudi Arabia next month. Taking place on October 4-5, the event will follow the format of a typical Extreme E round, with eight teams taking part in a series of four-car races, and a round winner being declared at the end of each day.
Formula E has moved to ensure F1 Academy frontrunners can be part of its second all-female test at Valencia this October after a date clash emerged, while plans to add a support series that is expected to have a significant female element have moved closer to fruition according to The Race.
Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds told The Race recently that Paretta was having “a live conversation” with a manufacturer in the series already and that “these amazing cars in these agile Gen3 Evo cars” offered a ready-made feeder series option. “There has to be an opportunity to use them and get value out of that investment and to bring through young drivers into electric racing,” said Dodds. “Once the Gen4 launches, where there’s an opportunity to deploy and do something with those Gen3 Evo cars, we might. The challenge I’ve given Beth is that we want more activity on track. We also want to create a pathway for people to come through into electric racing.”
Formula E is capitalizing on a newfound relationship with YouTube star MrBeast to grow its fan base and says it is working on several collaborations with the massively followed influencer.
I would consider Jimmy a friend of the family: He loves what we do, he’s said that publicly, he likes what we stand for, and we’re now talking to him about doing lots of other things in the championship, and helping us to grow our followership. … We can see the views and engagement that comes from it but ultimately in the macro at the end of the year when we look at our numbers, if our fan base is growing, and our awareness is growing and more people are tuning in to watch the product on TV as a result of finding about us through the MrBeast channels, then that’s a brilliant, brilliant relationship.”
Author: Mark Boudreau
Mark is the publisher of Motorsport Prospects. As a 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.
