The RAF’s synthetic-fuelled race car has been proving its capabilities, taking the chequered flag at the Birkett Six Hour Relay at Silverstone recently.
Project FLYWHEEL is a challenge set to the six RAF Motorsports teams to look at sustainability in motorsport and what could be delivered as a viable option to be used at Motorsport UK events. The team carefully considered all the options and decided to retrofit two standard, national specification race cars with suitable fuel storage and delivery systems to operate synthetic fuel. The results have been impressive so far.
The project has already delivered the first car in the UK running on carbon neutral / synthetic fuel at Motorsport UK events. The car has now completed six races and has taken class victories in each race with impressive overall finishes. Recently, it was the fifth and final car in the Birkett Relay, taking the chequered flag and the inter-service win for the RAF Motorsports team.
To give the data needed to assess the use of synthetic fuels, both in motorsports and for potential use in other vehicles, the car’s Electronic Control Unit has been calibrated and fitted with data logging devices. This means the team can extra more data over a racing season that would normally be available, analysing it against pre-configured targets to enable direct comparisons between engine performance.
Having successfully completed and validated the first phase of the trial on 4 wheels, the RAF Motorsports Association is already looking at the next phase, with potential trials on karts and motorcycles (both on and off road). Whilst this test has proven successful over a season, the intent is to build up the data gathered over a longer period to allow full analysis.
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