The future of racing is green

The race for eco-friendly motorsports is on

Given the current economic meltdown and the focus on environmental responsibility, the world of auto racing is under incredible pressure.

Manufacturers are pulling out of motorsports, budgets are being slashed, and the pressure is on to prove its viability in the future.

That's why racing organizations and sanctioning bodies are trying to 'green' themselves into acceptance. Whether it's through alternative fuel technology, carbon offsets or smart management, there are a number of improvements that should be made. Motorsport will never be as guilt-free as rice crackers, but through hard work and public persuasion, it can gain a measure of respect with the environmental crowd.

The greatest changes are occurring in sports car and touring car racing - less so in the open-wheel and stock car ranks. While the Indianapolis 500 was once a breeding ground for technology - turbines, diesels and turbos all were raced there first - the last decade has seen nothing more than spec racing. And despite Formula One's spectacular budgets, it's stuck in a rut.

To get a car to move quickly, it needs to expend energy. While gasoline still ranks as the main motivator, there has been a large push with diesel engines. Diesel use isn't a new thing - it first hit the track with Clessie L. Cummins at the Indianapolis 500 in the '30s - and the latest generation of engines and particulate filters are efficient and speedy. The world's most famous endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has been won by a diesel-powered car for the last three years running, twice by Audi with its R10, and once with Peugeot's 908 HDi. Some argue the latest rules favour the technology, but the gains in torque and range over a gasoline-powered car are obvious.

Gallery: Eco-friendly race cars

In the 1990s, BMW and Volkswagen took to the Nürburgring with their diesel touring cars - the former's 320d model won handily. Volkswagen's Spanish subsidiary Seat races diesel-powered Leons in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, dominating the 2008 Drivers', Manufacturers' and Team championships in the process. Volkswagen's name comes up again with the diesel-powered Touaregs that run the Dakar Rally and up Pikes Peak.

Stepping away from fossil fuels, ethanol still has its share of backers, including the Indy Racing League. In 2007-08, every car on the grid was filled with corn-based ethanol from the United States, while for 2009 the fuel was sourced from Brazil, where it's created from sugar cane. In the ALMS, Corvette Racing runs its GT1 and GT2 cars on ethanol-blend E85.

Hybrid-electric racers are becoming more popular, although the technology is still in its infancy. The most prominent being an 800-hp Gumpert Apollo supercar that took on the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. Toyota twice won the 24-hour endurance race with gas-electric Supras, and competed in Targa Newfoundland twice with a Lexus GS 450h.

Formula One tried its own hybrids with its Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS), which was introduced in 2009. The system was designed to capture energy wasted during braking, and then release it when it when trying to pass. Unfortunately, based on results, costs and politics, KERS will not be back for 2010.

While alternative-fuel race programs are usually inspired by marketing departments, that shouldn't discount the efforts. The SCCA-sanctioned Jetta TDI Cup is a fantastic example of race series done right. The cars are all built to the same spec, powered by slightly tweaked versions of Volkswagen's new 2.0-litre TDI clean diesel engine, and six-speed DSG transmission. Over the course of the 10 rounds, the racecars will use only two tanks of fuel each. The series uses biodegradable and recycled plastics where possible - including some of the furniture that graces the support tent - and the whole thing is covered by carbon offsets.

The American Le Mans Series now fashions itself as one big research and development show. Its rules closely follow those of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which means diesel-powered Audis have succeeded in recent years. However, the series also requires every race car to run on a percentage of biofuel - whether that's an ethanol-blended gasoline or bio-diesel.

Also, it's has its own race within a race, the Green Challenge, that declares its own winners based on fuel consumption, distance travelled, emissions and more. It rewards efficiency rather than just outright speed.

Lord Paul Drayson, who is the British Minister for Science and Innovation, also races in the ALMS. He started with an ethanol-powered Aston Martin, but is now preparing a Lola prototype to use as a testbed for developing new technologies.

In a recent interview with Wired, Drayson said, "Much better for racing to be used as a positive force to drive innovation and to change people's perceptions; to make 'going green' cool and exciting, not dull and boring. If the fastest race cars in the world can be used as a technological proving ground for new fuels, new energy efficiency and low emissions technologies, to speed the development of better battery technology for electric vehicles, to accelerate the introduction of regenerative braking systems and other kinetic energy recovery systems, then the world will be better for it -- and we're still having fun doing what we love."

For too long, most motorsport has stifled real innovation at the top levels. If racing is to succeed, it needs to take advantage of every opportunity and open the floodgates for brave thinkers. The phrase "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday," still holds true, but if the cars sold on Monday are more fuel efficient, powered by diesel or have hybrid technology, so much the better.