UK-based Team Nasamax has used pure ethanol for the last two years in the Le Mans 24 Hour road race. The French race is considered the world's most famous sports car endurance test. This year, the team finished in 17th place out of a 48-car field, marking the first time a wholly renewable fuelled car has completed the Le Mans. In fact, the team's car was clocked as the fastest car on the straights at every race it entered in 2004.
Team Nasamax is a motor sport development engineering company created to develop, advance and apply the use of energy efficient, renewable and sustainable technologies in international competition. Ethanol Producer Magazine discussed the team's experience with ethanol and the fuel's future in Le Mans racing with Team Nasamax Technical Director and Renewables Consultant John McNeil.
EPM: Why did Team Nasamax start using ethanol?
McNeil: It was my idea. I have been working on renewable energy power generation systems for many years in parallel with my motorsport career. Nasamax chose ethanol because it is a fuel with a future, and it is directly relevant to the current worldwide automotive fuels industry. Ethanol was also selected because it was seen as the "best route to performance" over other available biofuels. Ethanol was available and it delivers the power we need to race at the top levels of motorsport.
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EPM: Are other racing teams in the Le Mans series considering ethanol?
McNeil: I'm sure there are. The problem is that, at this time, using the fuel alone is not enough. One must be prepared to back the project up with good science and accept the role of a communicator. I'm sure we will see more bio-fueled vehicles in the near future at Le Mans. The race organizers welcome technical innovation and improvements in efficiency.
EPM: How have your fans—and your competitors—responded to your team's use of ethanol?
McNeil: The public tends to understand and appreciate the effort far more than our competitors. Motorsport does not have an enviable environmental record and most new technology is viewed with suspicion at first. Having said that, we have had many positive remarks from both drivers and the fans. We have also received international encouragement through enthusiasts' Web site forums. The idea of using green technology appeals to the general public, even if the industry itself is slow in accepting it. We have found the organizers of the Le Mans 24 Hours receptive to new ideas. Naturally, they initially wanted to be assured that it was not just a gimmick. We were able to show the solid science behind it and how it could help to ensure a future for motorsport. Environmental concerns linked with efficiency will become the major driving forces in the motorsport industry in the near future.
EPM: What does the success Team Nasamax has had switching to the fuel prove about the fuel's capabilities?
McNeil: As we all know, the fuel has great potential. The use in racing at this level proves that performance does not have to be compromised if one chooses a better alternative to fossil fuels. We run with the highs and lows of every other racing team; the fuel makes no difference to the racing, although it's nicer to work with in the confined pit garage. It smells nicer and runs cleaner. We have to run a little gasoline in the engine just before we pack the car away, and everyone tends to leave the garage now when the engine is running [on gasoline].
EPM: Describe the transition to ethanol and the modifications that were necessary?
McNeil: We had a great deal of experience with the fuel before we started the racing project; therefore we knew exactly what we had to do. It is, of course, not as simple as one would expect; these things never are. We had to change the fuel systems and tank, the fuel handling system, the air handling system and, of course, there were many varied and detailed changes on the engine itself. We also have had to accommodate 40 percent more fuel onboard the car to correct for the lower calorific value of the ethanol. Another sustainable technology we employ is a unique [trademarked] fire protection system called nitrogen blanketing system (NBS), by Applied Sciences Technology Corp. (ASTEK), on the racecar. This unit, designed for commercial aviation, supplies nitrogen-rich gas to the fuel tank thereby eliminating the risk of ignition of the fuel vapors within the tank, without the need for a tank of nitrogen.
EPM: Where do you get your ethanol from and how much of it do you use?
McNeil: For the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fuel is supplied by ELF and is made from corn and beet, grown and distilled in that region of France. For the Le Mans Endurance Series, the fuel is supplied by Shell and is made from potato and beet, and distilled in Germany. At Le Mans we get through about 5,000 litres (1,320 gallons), about 1 hectare (2.5 acres) of crop product.
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