Author: Chris Ashby

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship has moved ever-closer to a sustainable fuel future after running an extensive trial in a fully competitive environment at the Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, last weekend (September 21/22).

Working closely with long-term partners Haltermann Carless on this ground-braking project, the UK’s premier motorsport series is aiming for all cars entered into the championship to run 100% sustainable fuel.

Silverstone marked the latest milestone in the development process as the Duckhams Racing with Un-Limited Motorsport car of Daryl DeLeon ran the latest 100% sustainable fuel for the full duration of the race weekend with support from Haltermann Carless, M-Sport and Aero Tec Laboratories Ltd (ATL).

DeLeon contested every session with absolutely no fuel issues reported, and critically the pace and performance results were recorded to be equal of those cars running the regular controlled championship fuel.

The Hiperflo ECO102 R100 is a fully sustainable fuel, which meets FIA criteria as an advanced sustainable fuel. The fuel is a pure drop-in solution, it requires no hardware modifications to existing engines and crucially delivers no loss in performance compared to the current control fuel used in the championship. 

The fuel itself achieves a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction of approximately 55% on a well-to-wheel (WtW) basis compared to the fossil fuel baseline. If the full BTCC grid adopted this fully sustainable fuel for the entire season, it would result in a CO2 reduction of approximately 50,000 kg, equivalent to the combined weight of around 37 BTCC cars.

Series Organiser – TOCA – will continue to work closely alongside Haltermann Carless over the coming weeks and months with the plan to move fully to a 100% sustainable fuel as the championship’s chosen controlled fuel. The DeLeon car is expected to continue running the fuel at the Brands Hatch season finale next weekend (5/6 October).

“We are delighted with the significant progress we have made with regard to 100% sustainable fuel – working closely alongside Haltermann Carless and our teams – with last weekend’s results representing a significant milestone in the project,” said BTCC Chief Executive Alan Gow.

“The development work doesn’t stop here, however, as we actively strive to even further improve the efficiency and performance of the sustainable fuel going forward.

“This is an important and essential step for the BTCC as we continue to look to maintain the competitiveness and excitement synonymous with our championship, but in a more sustainable way.”

Adrian Stuart, Haltermann Carless Head of Performance Fuels Sales UK, added: “In recent years, the focus in motorsport has shifted toward sustainable fuels, a challenge we have embraced with the same dedication that has fuelled our success with the BTCC over the past 30 years.

“At Silverstone we were able to showcase a fully sustainable fuel during a championship weekend and we would like to thank to Daryl DeLeon and Duckhams Racing for supporting this trial. This is just the beginning, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with the BTCC and engine partners to bring even more sustainable, high-performance fuels to the racetrack in the future.

“This is a significant development and enforces our commitment to driving low-carbon solutions through our motorsport brands, Carless Racing Fuels and ETS Racing Fuels. More breakthroughs are on the horizon as we continue to innovate and refine our fuel formulations.”

Six drivers will head into the final three races of the 2024 Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship next month in mathematical contention to be crowned champion following an action-packed weekend (September 21/22) at Silverstone. 

Jake Hill and Tom Ingram head to Brands Hatch in less than two weeks’ time tied on points at the top of the standings while reigning champion Ash Sutton is 33 points in arrears in third place. 

With a total of 67 points set to be on offer around the Grand Prix layout of the Kent venue, the trio of Dan Cammish, Josh Cook and Colin Turkington also remain in contention to lift the biggest prize in UK motorsport. 

Qualifying around the Home of British Motor Racing on Saturday saw no end of drama as three drivers, including pole sitter Aron Taylor-Smith, fell foul of post-session ride height checks and were excluded from the classification. 

Evans Halshaw Power Maxed Racing’s Taylor-Smith mastered the wet conditions to clinch his first pole position in almost a decade however it was soon cruelly stripped from him as he, team-mate Mikey Doble and Hyundai’s Dan Zelos failed to meet the required parameters in parc ferme.

Taylor-Smith’s demise boosted championship contender Ingram to the top of the times while four-time champion Turkington and Cook also gained vital ground, moving up to second and third on the grid for race one. 

Both Ingram and Hill emerged as the toast of the BTCC field on race day as they mastered the extremely wet conditions to take a share of the spoils, with 2022 title winner Ingram claiming an impressive brace. 

Race one saw Team BRISTOL STREET MOTORS’ Ingram hold off a late charge from Hill – who had hustled his way from fifth on the grid – and Cammish in race one to claim a pivotal fourth win of the season in his Hyundai i30 N. 

Hybrid deployment became the narrative of the contest for the top two as Hill used a majority of his allowance to close in on Ingram, while the latter held back some additional power to ensure he could hang on in the latter stages. 

The weekend’s second contest saw Hill and Ingram renew their battle however this time it was the BMW driver that reigned supreme as he found a way past Ingram at mid-distance and then pulled clear to triumph for the seventh time this year. 

Ingram would be unable to hang on to second place with both Turkington and Cook finding a way past. Further down the order, Sutton saw his title aspirations dealt a blow as he was forced to serve a drive through penalty after running as high as third at one stage. 

More rain hit the circuit for race three and after just nine laps the red flag was waved with driving conditions deemed impossible. After a lengthy delay, racing did resume and those in attendance were treated to another captivating contest as Ingram triumphed again.

Working his way into an early lead, Ingram looked fairly comfortable out front however the looming presence of Sutton – who had made his way forward from 12th – set up a thrilling finish; Ingram though was able to hold on.

With that victory and Hill finishing fifth, the pair now head into the final three rounds of the campaign dead-level on points, although Hill holds first place having won more races over the course of the season. 

Alliance Racing/Ford top the Manufacturers’/Constructors’ Championship by just four points from BMW, whilst NAPA Racing UK holds an extremely healthy lead in the Teams’ table.

Taylor-Smith and Power Maxed Racing have moved into an unassailable points lead in the Independents’ championships, while team-mate Mikey Doble has provisionally clinched the Jack Sears Trophy.

To view the full classification of results from all BTCC sessions at Silverstone, CLICK HERE.

The Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship will bring the curtain down on its 2024 campaign at Brands Hatch on October 5/6.

The British Touring Car Championship will be further raising sustainability awareness at its penultimate event of the season at the Home of British Motor Racing, Silverstone, this weekend.

Earlier this year the UK’s premier motorsport championship released its ‘Sustainability Strategy’, which outlined its ongoing ambition for the BTCC to become a global leader in sustainable improvements and carbon neutrality for national level motor racing.

This coming weekend will see the series highlight some of its ambition with a number of ITV features, social media campaigns, written articles and audio interviews being published.

Some of the aspects to receive focus at Silverstone will be the testing of 100% sustainable fuel (see story in coming days), recycling of major components, preparation of a travel planning and mileage log, the launch of a BTCC sustainability award and many more.

The BTCC aims to achieve its sustainability ambitions by developing and executing the policies and practices outlined in its strategy, striving for carbon neutrality even where reductions in emissions are minimal due to the nature of our sport.

Implementation of the strategy, through measured and achievable actions with realistic time frames, will be continually assessed with success criteria and key performance indicators to improve environmental impacts across 6 central pillars: Cars, Circuits, Suppliers and Partners, Teams, Central Functions and Fans.

“Whilst the BTCC’s ‘Sustainability Strategy’ is ongoing and is something that we work on every single day, we believe that raising awareness of these ambitions during a race weekend is a great way to further inform and support our incredible fanbase,” said BTCC Chief Executive, Alan Gow.

“There are many ways in which we can all improve and get involved, looking at our own individual and collective approach to making the world a more sustainable environment.”