Racing car powered by chocolate and steered by carrots takes to the track at Goodwood

July 3, 2009

A racing car created from potatoes and carrots and powered by chocolate will be put through its paces this weekend at the world’s largest celebration of motorsport.

The Formula 3 racing car, unveiled earlier this year by researchers at the University of Warwick, will be taking part in timed runs at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2009.

The car is the first to be designed and made from sustainable and renewable materials. It was created to show the Industry that it is possible to build a competitive racing car using environmentally-sustainable components.

The car, which will be on display on the FoStec stand at the Festival, meets all the Formula 3 racing standards except for its biodiesel engine which is configured to run on fuel derived from waste chocolate and vegetable oil. Formula 3 regulations do not currently allow turbo diesel engines

Project Manager James Meredith will be the first person to drive the car at Goodwood today (Fri). He said: “We are so excited to be showing our car at Goodwood, and it is a real thrill to be able to run it out on the track. We wanted to show the Industry that it is possible to create a high-performance car in a sustainable way, I can’t wait to get out there and show people what it can do.”

As well as James, the car will also be tested by professional drivers over the weekend.The Goodwood Festival of Speed runs from Friday 3 July until Sunday 5 July.

Provided by University of Warwick (news : web)