www.montereycountyweekly.com may 11-17, 2023 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 23 road vehicles are a logical response. Although mining and battery production is by no means clean, the cars themselves produce zero emissions. For racing, however, battery-powered cars have limits—particularly when it comes to range. The Indianapolis 500 demands vehicles lap for 500 miles, something no current or foreseeable electric car can achieve without serious downtime for recharging. Formula E, which features advanced-technology electric cars, caps races at 45 minutes—on street courses with few high-speed sectors. By incorporating more slower turns into the layout, organizers avoid sapping the stored power too quickly. “Electric offers a lot of benefits as the technology improves—for the general industry,” explains Sims, who has driven in the Formula E series and is a proponent of sustainability. “But it’s putting motorsports in a different situation than it has faced in the past. The new [battery] technology for road cars has drawbacks for race cars.” So the excitement reverberating through racing communities might seem misplaced. However, the situation has created a challenge—one that has brought race teams and the automobile industry together with a purpose. “How do we continue with the sport we love and contribute to environmental protection?” says racing legend Bobby Rahal, co-owner of two cars competing in IMSA’s GTP class and three in the IndyCar series—and a 24-time winner on the IndyCar circuit as a driver. “This is probably one of the most advanced times in the auto industry. There’s a lot going on.” While Rahal admits “we’re a long way from the finish line,” there may never have been a time in the sport’s history with so much development toward a goal of dramatic change away from the foundation of rubber, fossil fuels, internal combustion and planet-be-damned. Shell supplies a 100-percent renewable fuel to IndyCar prepared from waste material left by the processing of sugar cane, resulting in a 60-percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Porsche lent its support to a plant in Chile pursuing a nearly zero-carbon fuel. Formula 1 set a goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030 and Michelin Group is aiming for 100-percent sustainability by 2050. Firestone, which supplies tires for the IndyCar series, recently rolled out racing tires with sidewalls created from guayule, a southwestern desert shrub that doesn’t require much water to grow and reduces demands on the shipment of rubber from Southeast Asia. They tested the tires during last year’s race on the streets of Nashville. “The drivers didn’t notice a difference,” observes Mark Sibla, IndyCar’s chief of staff. “That’s success.” However, the future of motorsports on the track remains a series of question marks. Biofuels are available now and development of cleaner versions are ongoing. Hydrogen has potential— Alexander Sims celebrates after winning the GTP class at IMSA’s 12 Hours of Sebring in the Whelen Cadillac, along with co-drivers Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken. “Hybrid is a good step,” he says, as both passenger cars and racing work toward zero carbon emissions. Jake Galstad Team co-owner and racing icon Bobby Rahal watches an IndyCar test session earlier this year. The series is moving to hybrid engines next season, but IndyCar switched from fossil fuels to ethanol more than a decade ago. Now, Rahal says, the quest is to find substitutes for everything carbon-based in racing. Chris Owens The IMSA GTP class is a result of collaboration between manufacturers and race teams with a goal of improving components that will help cut greenhouse gas emissions on both race and passenger vehicles. Bosch engineers the electric power units. Michael L. Levitt
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