Headline, Innovation news, News, Piero Facchin
SYNTHETIC FUEL AND A NEW SERIES AT THE GRAND PRIX DE TROIS-RIVIÈRES
By Piero Facchin
The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières recently announced the addition of a new series to its program for the 2024 edition, which will take place from August 9 to 11.
Cars from Courses Vintage Québec will be part of the weekend’s racing line-up, including first-generation Mustangs and Camaros, as well as Corvettes, an Opel GT, and even a Lancia Scorpion driven by journalist Éric LeFrançois.
Dominic Fugère, General Manager of GP3R, is delighted to welcome the series, but is even more excited that they will be running on synthetic fuel.
“The clear objective of bringing classic car events to our circuit is to demonstrate that it is possible to adapt proven technologies like the internal combustion engine and pair them with cutting-edge innovations like synthetic gasoline to reduce the environmental impact of mobility,” explains Fugère. “Racing events like our serve as a showcase to expose that sustainable mobility can be exhilarating, exciting and uplifting. Like the electric car or the hydrogen truck, the innovative fuel car will be part of the energy transition,” he adds.
The racing cars in the Courses Vintage Québec series already take part in races at circuits such as Mont-Tremblant, ICAR, Calabogie (Ottawa) and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport).
Several NASCAR drivers at the press conference, including Raphaël Lessard, Andrew Ranger and LP Dumoulin, all ran on this fuel in last year’s Chevrolet Challenge and noticed no difference, even admitting that “it works like a charm!” In fact, Fugère will be sending a barrel of this synthetic fuel to the Innovation Autosport team for testing.
The use of this gasoline reduces the carbon footprint of internal combustion engines by more than 80%, as the hydrocarbons that make it up are assembled from green hydrogen, CO2 captured from the atmosphere and alcohols distilled from agricultural and forestry residues.
The Trois-Rivières region already serves as a showcase for alternative energies, with hydrogen research and development at UQTR and in Bécancour, where Air Liquide was until recently the world’s largest green hydrogen electrolyzer.
Tickets for the GP3R are already on sale, and activities get underway on Friday, August 9 at 10 a.m.
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