America’s NTT IndyCar Series is set to show that racing can take place in an environmentally friendly way by switching to a fully renewable fuel for next year’s season.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar have reached a new partnership deal with Shell Pennzoil, with the latter becoming the official fuel supplier for the IndyCar Series. As part of the deal, Shell will develop the new fully renewable fuel, which is expected to be a combination of ethanol and various other biofuels. Ethanol is a fully renewable resource, and it will be supplied by Raízen, a Brazilian company that efficiently produces ethanol from sugar cane.
Shell already has a history of involvement in IndyCar, having been the official oil and lubricant supplier since 2021 and a longstanding sponsor of Team Penske.
The Executive Vice President for Decarbonisation and Sectors at Shell, Carlos Maurer, said that the solutions for energy, lubrication and fuel that had been:
“Developed through our strategic relationship with IndyCar and Penske Corporation can ultimately help accelerate reduced carbon emissions from transport in many sectors of the economy. Shell’s motorsports technical alliances around the world provide a testing ground for fuel and lubricant technologies and products in demanding road conditions.”
The new initiative is a further step in IndyCar’s ambition to adopt greener technologies. In August, the Music City Grand Prix in Nashville will see the introduction of more sustainable tyres that are produced from guayule, a shrub that grows abundantly in North America.
