Jason Hughes’ Kartworld Racing MG will become the second car in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship to race using bio-ethanol fuel when it appears at Donington Park this Sunday (30 July).
Hughes’ car will run to the same 85 per cent bio-ethanol ratio as Fiona Leggate’s Vauxhall Astra Coupé that has run on the fuel, made from farming crops such as sugar beet, for the past year.
The news comes as the use of ‘green’ fuels in motor sport becomes an increasingly hot topic. Currently the BTCC, Britain’s premier motor racing championship, stands alone in the UK in permitting cars running on bio-ethanol, liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and diesel in addition to the more conventional petrol.
Preston driver Hughes told BTCC.net: “The environmental benefits are obvious and it struck me that bio-ethanol could also give us better engine responsiveness.
“It’s not rocket science – just take a look at Fiona’s car through the speed traps. It’s always up there. I was also racing with her at Thruxton and couldn’t keep with her down the straights.
“Our engine builder Judd completed the conversion within a day – all it required was a different set of fuel injectors and a bit of engine re-mapping and now we’re all ready to go. Another plus side is that bio-ethanol is quite a bit cheaper than petrol.”
BTCC Series Director Alan Gow said: “The use of environmentally friendly fuels and increasing energy efficiency is a global topic for motor sport right now. I am very proud that the BTCC is continuing to lead with its policy on fuels and I am sure that many teams will be following Jason’s progress with great interest this weekend.
“Fiona has always used bio-ethanol, whereas Jason is actually making the switch so his results will perhaps have a greater bearing in terms of being able to monitor any performance gains.”
I believe that as a result of this change, more and more cars will be using bio ethanol.
Autosport this week reports that a new team may run bio ethanol Chevrolet Lacettis next year to WTCC spec.