Hydrogen in motorsport is making progress and, in this week’s, Sustainable Motorsport Roundup you will get all the latest developments. I also have details on Formula 1’s sustainability initiatives for the European season, how rally raids are becoming more sustainable and an insane electric Mustang that will tackle Pikes Peak. All this and much more!
Sustainable Motorsport News
Tyrecycle partnered with Motorsport Australia and the Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend to carry out a tire recycling pilot program on May 23-25. The pilot project saw 168 tires recycled over the course of the three-day event in South Australia.
“Effective sustainability strategies require accurate, event-specific data. This tire recycling pilot was designed not only to divert waste but also to generate insights into the types and volumes of tires used, logistical considerations for on-site collection, and the viability of downstream recycling processes.”
Read more about the initiative at PMW.
Sustainable Motorsport Tech
A lot of great news about hydrogen in motorsport this week. The H24EVO hydrogen prototype, developed by the MissionH24 initiative, will be the central showpiece of the ACO H2 Village at this month’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The H2 Village opens to the public on Wednesday, June 11, featuring exhibits of hydrogen mobility and motorsport technologies from various key partners.
Meanwhile, Toyota’s liquid hydrogen-powered GR Corolla H2 Concept enjoyed its strongest run in the Fuji 24 Hours yet last weekend, following a raft of improvements made to the car for its fifth outing in the Super Taikyu blue riband. PMW looks at Toyota’s hydrogen and E20-powered cars here.
Finally, MotorTrend talks to some engineers who feel that hydrogen can save the internal combustion engine. “One of the big advantages of H2 ICE is technology commonality,” said Cummins fuel delivery system engineering and integration leader, Chad Fohne. “These engines can be integrated internally in a chassis with minimal modification, so they’re shareable with diesel and natural gas engines.… The similarities between H2 ICE and diesel and natural gas products enable repair locations to quickly adapt to supporting H2 ICE vehicles.”
Opel Motorsport has developed a prototype GSe rally car according to FIA’s new eRally5 regulations with a top performance of 207kW (280hp) and 345Nm of torque. “For more than four years, Opel and the ADAC have been demonstrating that electric rallying works and excites. With our new Opel Mokka GSe Rally, we are offering a glimpse of a fully electric next-generation rally car. Thanks to the latest motorsport technology, the prototype offers strong performance and power aplenty,” said Opel and Vauxhall CEO Florian Huettl.
Lyten, the supermaterial applications company and innovator of 3D Graphene, has announced the launch of Lyten Motorsports, a new venture designed to bring Lyten’s material science innovations to motorsports parts. Lyten Motorsports is launching in partnership with INDYCAR Experience, bringing its 25-year experience as a supplier to motorsports circuits around the world.
Lyten’s 3D Graphene is a foundational, carbon-based material that can be tuned to meet the specific needs of high-performance applications, impacting material properties like strength, weight, conductivity, and permeability. Lyten is already utilizing its 3D Graphene platform to build lithium-sulfur batteries approaching 2X the energy density of lithium-ion while eliminating 85% of the mined minerals, including elimination of nickel, cobalt, and graphite. Lyten is using the strength, weight, and conductivity of its materials to design and build parts that further push the limit of strength to weight ratio in motorsports.
Race Engine Technology takes a look at the Dakar Future: Mission 1000 category and how it is blazing a sustainability trail in rally raids like the Dakar. “Green is not a colour you would automatically associate with the Dakar Rally, the gruelling endurance raid event which takes place largely in desert conditions. But sustainable technologies have been a feature of the rally since the Dakar Future alternative fuels programme was introduced in 2021. The Dakar Future: Mission 1000 category, established last year, is dedicated to vehicles using green technologies and in the 2025 event it included fully electric, hydrogen and hybrid powertrains.”
Read more about Mission 1000 here and here.
Goodyear has announced that starting with the 2025 season of the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC), its truck racing tires will be produced using 55% sustainable materials. The sustainable content is achieved through the use of carefully selected ingredients, such as silica produced from waste rice husk ash and carbon black sourced from alternative feedstocks.
“With the introduction of Goodyear’s next-generation 55% sustainable material racing tire, we take another step toward sustainability transformation of our truck racing series,” said Georg Fuchs, managing director of ETRA. “This partnership demonstrates that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand, paving the way for a more responsible future in both racing and road transport.”
PMW has more details.
Sustainable Racing
Ford showed the insane machinery that it is taking uphill at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this year. It is the Super Mustang Mach-E, which confirms that the brand is still pushing toward an electric lineup on the road as much as on the track.
The Super Mustang Mach-E will have to take on the 12-mile (19-kilometer) mountain road. The route will put the electric performance car against 156 turns up to an elevation of 14,115 feet.
Auto Evolution has more details.
Series News
Formula 1 is implementing widespread changes to make the nine races of F1’s 2025 European leg more sustainable with biofuels, renewable energy and SAF and Energy Digital details their sustainability strategy.
“The nine European races, scheduled from May through September, will feature biofuel-operated trucks for freight transport, renewable energy infrastructure powering complete paddock facilities and additional sustainable innovations.”
As part of Formula 1’s European sustainability strategy, official temporary power solutions provider Aggreko will be bringing low-carbon energy generation systems to Formula 1’s European races this summer.
“Aggreko will provide a range of “resilient, efficient, low emission solutions” through its Greener Upgrades range, which includes solar PV hybrid systems using battery energy storage systems (BESS) and stage V generators fueled with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO). The solutions, which have been developed in collaboration with Formula 1 using data and insights across several races over the last two years, will power all event services, including the paddock and the international broadcast compound.”
PMW has more details on the technology here.
Formula E has just completed its Asian round of races in Japan and China. While the results on track were exciting, news has emerged via FE Notebook that the series is looking to race in downtown Shanghai. “I think it would be wonderful at some point to be able to race downtown in the city of Shanghai, maybe that’s a one off experience, because it’s very difficult, I suspect, to get permissions to race there, and then you come back to the circuit when you’ve generated more interest.”
Meanwhile, Jamie Klein of the Japan Racing Insider looks at the Japanese race to determine if it has a long-term future. “The Tokyo E-Prix left me feeling conflicted. The racing was better than last year’s inaugural race, helped by the Gen3 Evo car and the genuine possibility of overtaking in Attack Mode, and the fan attendance was encouraging. And yet, perhaps because this was my second visit and I was being paid to be there as opposed to just a curious onlooker, I was approaching things this time with a more critical, journalistic eye, and I was left feeling that the event, in its current form, could be tough to sustain.”
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”. The fuel – which was used last November 2024 in the Touring Car race of the FIA Motorsport Games at Valencia – is produced by Haltermann Carless at its Harwich production site in UK, one of the four sites where the company manufactures motorsport fuels.
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.
Don’t count Pato O’Ward as a fan of the IndyCar hybrid engine. “I feel like, in all honesty, the hybrid has brought zero benefit to the series in every way, shape and form. I know they’re trying to get a third manufacturer. But in my most humble and honest opinion, I believe IndyCar should trust their own history.”
Getting to the Track Sustainably
- The Future Of Cargo? Kuehne+Nagel Eyes Blended Wing Freighter (Simple Flying)
- HYSKY Society Launches “HYSKY Connect,” the First Online Hub Linking Hydrogen to Aviation for Zero-Carbon Flight (HYSKY)
- 100-plus Locations Now Offer Sustainable Aviation Fuel According to 4Air’s SAF Map (AIN)
- ReFuelEU SAF mandate is here to stay, pledges Commission’s aviation chief (Green Air News)
- 4AIR and Titan extend support to business aviation operators on SAF availability and compliance (Green Air News)
- Swiss-based Metafuels to develop an e-SAF production plant in Rotterdam (Green Air News)
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.
