What Racing Could Look Like in the Future: A Proposal

Fellow Autoviva writer, Tom Mallett, wrote a fantastic post on October 2^nd speculating about the future of electric race cars, especially in Formula 1 and sports cars. His post talks about what is actually being done to further electric and hybrid race cars in the future.

Clearly, there is a future for non-combustion power in motor sports. As Tom points out, the FIA and ACO already have plans for electric racing series. Porsche has all but confirmed that its next LMP car will be a hybrid, and it has been racing the hybrid Carrera race car at several events around the world. Even Toyota is planning on having a one-make racing series for its electric motors in Radical chassis.

Despite this progress, there are people who do not want to see alternative vehicles in motor sports. Tom points to the common argument that spectators do not want to hear cars whispering through Eau Rouge at Spa. Although, I would argue that if you have heard either the Audi R18 or Peugeot 908 LMP cars, then you know that is already a reality. Those cars are extremely quiet, but there is not the vocal protest against them competing, like there is against electric cars.

So how do we integrate alternative power plants into motor sports that keeps the racing interesting but also allows for a maximum of experimentation?

My suggestion for a future racing series would be giving teams a finite amount of fuel for each race weekend. A basic specification would be made for the cars governing safety and ensuring that a driver in the car controls the vehicle, and other than that there would be no rules; there would be no limit on horsepower. If a team can figure out a way to create a 10 liter V12 that is able to use its ration of fuel, then that would be allowed. Equally, if a team can create a lightweight, hybrid powertrain then this would be allowed also.

Eventually there might be a problem finding an equivalency between liquid fuels, like gasoline, diesel and ethanol, and solid state fuels like batteries. Currently, there is not really a chance a electric-powered car would be able to compete with internal-combustion engines, but if the series made lowered the amount of fuel allowed at a regular interval every few years, it would force more and more alternative fuels to enter the fray.

Now before you say that limited fuel is not fair, governing bodies already limit tires and engines in Formula 1. The ACO finds equivalencies in all of the classes in the Le Mans Series. What I am suggesting is not that different, it just uses a different rubric.

A racing series like this would bring experimentation back into motor sports. In the earliest days of racing cars of all types raced around Europe and the US. There have always been attempts to find new, better ways to race. For example, in 1967 and 1968 a turbine-powered car was entered into the Indianapolis 500.

Diesel- and ethanol-powered cars in Le Mans and KERs in Formula 1 is clearly the right way to go for racing, but it is slow progress. There needs to be a racing series that forces evolution and advancement. Tom's article is a great starting place to show what the near future of alternative fuels in racing looks like, but we need to look beyond that into a place where alternative fuels are commonplace.