Will the DTM finally make the leap to a fuel made from 100 percent renewable energy for the 2025 season? There were already discussions about this last year, but for now the ADAC remained loyal to the Shell fuel, which will be used for the first time in the ADAC GT Masters in 2022 and consists of 50 percent sustainable components.
And had to put up with criticism from Ralf Schumacher, for whom development was too slow, especially since other series such as the WRC, the WEC, the Indycar or the Super GT series had already taken the step – and there were repeated protests from climate activists exist. In 2025 it should finally be ready. “I am convinced that it will work,” confirms ADAC Motorsport Director Thomas Voss in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com.
And reveals that there are several potential providers. “It’s just a matter of: Who can supply us with 350,000 liters for the season? In a consistent quality that all vehicle engines can handle,” explains Voss. This is not a given, especially due to the different variants of combustion engines in GT3 racing.
Selection with the help of an independent laboratory
“We have different concepts, from the six-cylinder naturally aspirated engine to the boxer to the ten-cylinder or twin-turbo engines. And the fuel we want to choose has to be able to do everything,” explains Voss.
In order to make the right choice in this regard, according to Voss, the ADAC has drawn up a set of specifications. “Five to six companies came to us straight away and said: We can do it,” the motorsport boss gives insights. “We then turned the tables and, together with an independent fuel laboratory, drew up all the specifications of what the fuel must be able to do and what it should look like, including the ingredients. Or what shouldn’t be in it.”
The product that meets the most criteria should be considered. According to Voss, there are definitely three to five companies that are capable of doing this. “And they have already proven it elsewhere, be it in the WRC or the WEC,” he adds. In the end, the decisive criterion is who is able to deliver the necessary quantity.
Will the DTM trucks soon also be almost CO2-neutral?
But not only the cars should be CO2-neutral from 2025, but also the transport vehicles. Starting next season, the ADAC wants to create incentives for teams to use the climate-friendly fuel HVO100 for their trucks.
This is fuel that is obtained from waste materials such as used cooking oils or fat residues, which is why it is also called “chip fat diesel”. A potential candidate for this is the company Mabanaft, a subsidiary of the Hamburg holding company Marquard & Bahls, which operates in the energy and chemical sectors.
Mabanaft offers a “renewable diesel” that, according to the company, has greenhouse gas savings of over 90 percent. We have been working with the Lechner team, which is active in the Porsche Supercup, since the summer of 2023 – with the aim of reducing emissions to zero. Residual emissions are compensated for through voluntary emission reduction certificates.
Since the journeys to the racetracks for the DTM teams are significantly shorter than, for example, in Formula 1 or the WEC, the use of an HVO fuel would be easier to implement. An incentive could, for example, be a good price offer.
