BTCC MOVES CLOSER TO 100% SUSTAINABLE FUEL FOLLOWING SILVERSTONE RESULTS
The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship moves ever nearer to a sustainable fuel future after running an extensive trial in a fully competitive environment at Silverstone last weekend (21/22 September).
The BTCC has been working closely with long-term partners – Haltermann Carless – on this ground-breaking project, as part of its overall target for all cars entered into the championship to run 100% sustainable fuel.
Last weekend marked the next milestone of this development when it was agreed that the #18 Duckhams Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport car of Daryl DeLeon would run the latest 100% sustainable fuel for the full duration of the race weekend, with full support provided by Haltermann Carless, TOCA engine supplier M-Sport and Aero Tec Laboratories Ltd (ATL).
DeLeon contested every session with absolutely no fuel issues reported, and critically the pace and performance results were recorded to be equal of those cars running the regular controlled championship fuel.
The #18 Cupra of DeLeon was 13th in Free Practice, lined-up on the grid in the same position, and concluded race day with another 13th place finish. DeLeon and the rookie BTCC squad have only bettered that position on four previous occasions with this result being their 11th overall points finish during an impressive maiden campaign.
Now for the more technical part… Hiperflo ECO102 R100 is a fully sustainable fuel, which meets FIA criteria as an advanced sustainable fuel.
The fuel is a pure drop-in solution, it requires no hardware modifications to existing engines and crucially delivers no loss in performance compared to the current control fuel used in the championship. The weekend programme proved a huge success, with DeLeon completing all sessions, covering a total of 319km.
The fuel itself achieves a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction of approximately 55% on a well-to-wheel (WtW) basis compared to the fossil fuel baseline. If the full BTCC grid adopted this fully sustainable fuel for the entire season, it would result in a CO2 reduction of approximately 50,000 kg, equivalent to the combined weight of around 37 BTCC cars.
Series Organiser – TOCA – will continue to work closely alongside Haltermann Carless over the coming weeks and months with the plan to move fully to a 100% sustainable fuel as the championship’s chosen controlled fuel. The DeLeon car is expected to continue running the fuel at the Brands Hatch season finale next weekend (5/6 October).
Haltermann Carless is at the forefront of performance and innovation in motorsport and is celebrating three decades of partnership with the BTCC. Recently, the company was awarded with the highest level of environmental sustainability recognition from the FIA – the FIA 3-star rating.
Alan Gow, BTCC Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted with the significant progress we have made with regard to 100% sustainable fuel – working closely alongside Haltermann Carless and our teams – with last weekend’s results representing a significant milestone in the project.
“The development work doesn’t stop here, however, as we actively strive to even further improve the efficiency and performance of the sustainable fuel going forward.
“This is an important and essential step for the BTCC as we continue to look to maintain the competitiveness and excitement synonymous with our championship, but in a more sustainable way.”
Adrian Stuart, Haltermann Carless Head of Performance Fuels Sales UK, said: “In recent years, the focus in motorsport has shifted toward sustainable fuels, a challenge we have embraced with the same dedication that has fuelled our success with the BTCC over the past 30 years.
“At Silverstone we were able to showcase a fully sustainable fuel during a championship weekend and we would like to thank to Daryl DeLeon and Duckhams Racing for supporting this trial. This is just the beginning, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the BTCC and engine partners to bring even more sustainable, high-performance fuels to the racetrack in the future.
“This is a significant development and enforces our commitment to driving low-carbon solutions through our motorsport brands, Carless Racing Fuels and ETS Racing Fuels. More breakthroughs are on the horizon as we continue to innovate and refine our fuel formulations.”
