The idea of "environmentally friendly racing" might sound oxymoronic, but "greener" motorsport isn't something that's on its way — it's already here.
Lord Paul Drayson, one of the movement's major proponents, very nearly won the British GT3 Championship outright in a bioethanol-fueled Aston Martin DBRS9 last year. And the level of competitiveness demonstrated across a range of other motorsport categories (a bioethanol-fueled Volvo won a round of the Swedish Touring Car Championship against strong competition from gasoline-powered cars) in 2007 shows that "green" racing is no ecofriendly gimmick. Some people believe the future of car racing itself depends on it as the audience is becoming increasingly eco-savvy.
Lord Drayson and teammate Jonathan Cocker drive for Barwell Motorsport, one of the oldest racing teams in Britain. Having competed successfully since the 1960s, Barwell in 2007 became the first team in British GTs to embrace the use of alternative fuels. Last year, Lord Drayson and Cocker took two wins between them, three seconds, and two third finishes from seven races. The pair were also on pole on three occasions.