GT Association (GTA) Chairman Masaaki Bandoh delivered his regular press conference to the media before Sunday’s Super GT round at Autopolis, outlining his plans for pushing the series towards carbon neutrality. Two of the main pillars of the GTA’s sustainability push were discussed on Sunday: The planned introduction of renewable ‘Carbon neutral fuel’ to the series by 2023, which will be preceded in 2022 by lengthening the “standard” race distances from 300km to 350km.
“I discussed with the representatives from three manufacturers (Toyota, Honda, and Nissan) yesterday and confirmed that we will take action,” Bandoh opened when asked about the topic of renewable fuel in Super GT. “There have been many names like ‘eFuel’ or ‘biofuel’. We agreed on the name ‘Carbon neutral fuel’ and this is how we will be calling it.”
“Toyota and Honda have already initiated bench tests on the engines that use carbon-neutral fuel, and they are getting decent feedback. We will continue to do different types of tests to establish an environment where all participants – even in the GT300 class where currently the same fuel is used – are given access to the fuel. And we are planning to provide information, including fuel constituents, to the foreign GT3 car manufacturers in order to achieve that.”
“As far as the timeline goes for Super GT, we are targeting the off-season tests for next season to actually run the race cars with the carbon-neutral fuel. At the same time, we will carry out supplier selection and aim for deployment from the 2023 season.”
“At Super GT, we are not taking this as just an implementation of eco-technology. We have asked the automakers and tyre manufacturers to establish environmentally-friendly technology as a part of automotive technology. For example, for the engines, it needs to be environmentally-friendly and have good fuel efficiency. And for the tyres, we want them to develop tyres that will last longer.”
“To realize this, we are planning to extend the standard race distance from 300km to 350km next season,” Bandoh said, confirming that the series will push forward with a proposal that he originally discussed in May during the Fuji 500km.
“This is with the continuation of the restrictions of two engines per year, and the number of tyres a team can bring to an event. If the distance gets longer, then the emission of carbon dioxide would increase, so we need to deploy carbon-neutral fuel as early as possible. Other than that, we need to keep in mind that there are parts that are very sensitive to the mileage of the engine. Therefore, we are also considering reducing [the length of] the official practice session to offset the 50km increase in the race distance.”
The Fuji GT 500km Race on 4 May is not expected to be lengthened past its traditional distance.
“All these initiatives we are taking are not just for the environment, but also to make Super GT more enjoyable. As a motorsports event, it has to be something ‘fun’ from the perspective of our customers who are watching. And, if the rules change like this, then the teams and manufacturers will start thinking about new ideas to tackle the challenge. I believe that can provide significant benefit to the fans who are watching Super GT too.”
Images courtesy of the GT Association (GTA)
