Roddy Graham’s Blog: 13 June 2007

Racing to save the planet

Well, congratulations to Lewis Hamilton. He’s proved the real deal.

For those who follow motor sport his name will have been familiar for a number of years now. He’s been one of the ‘hot’ prospects to watch. However, so many times a rising star burns out before reaching the top.

We’ve seen it happen so many times but in Lewis we have a definite motor racing prodigy. His performance last Sunday in Montreal was faultless and I’m sure that this will be the first of many wins. He’s been on one of the steps of the podium in all his Grand Prix so far, six in all, a record. He’s also the first black driver to win a grand Prix. I’m sure he’ll set many more firsts.

What else came out of Montreal was the fact the FIA has taken racing car safety to new levels. A few years ago, Robert Kubica would not have walked away from the horrific 185 mph accident he suffered. Full credit to the FIA for taking such a strong stand on safety.

While full marks go to the FIA for its stance on safety, it’s still near the bottom of the class when it comes to its stance on the environment.

To many observers the green Honda cars, with their Earth liveries, are a joke especially given their on-track performances.

Even more of a joke is F1 trying to convince us it is environmentally-friendly. You can plant all the trees in the world but average fuel consumption of circa. 4mpg is hardly green! I know new regulations are due to come into force but they are way behind time.

This weekend sees the start of one of the most famous motor races in the world – Les Vingt Quatre Heures du Mans.

Last year, a diesel-powered car won the race and that was a significant win, not only for Audi but also for diesel engines full stop.

Who would ever have thought they would see a diesel engine win such a famous motor race?

The pressure is on the race organisers, the ACO, to have engine equivalency formulas that encourage alternative-fuelled engines to enter the fray such as bio-fuels.

Currently, petrol-engined competitors complain the rules are too biased in favour of diesel-powered cars. We’ll see on Sunday who comes out on top but it seems to me that the organisers of the Le Mans 24 Hours have a head start on the FIA.

Good for them.

Racing should be seen as a technological showcase for pioneering environmental initiatives. If motor sport does not go green, it will be rapidly confined to history.

A McLaren Mercedes next to a dinosaur in the Natural History museum. Now that would be a sight for sore eyes!