I'd like to see someone start an alternative fuel car racing league...

[eeyore]

My dad grew up in Indiana in the 1930s, and he's told me of how exciting it was as a kid to go see the car races. That was a time of huge innovation, and just to see cars going that fast was amazing to them. My granddad would take all of his kids out to the tracks on the weekends to see someone maybe break a speed record or just enjoy a good race. They loved the technology and engineering aspect of the races, and followed every new modification.

I can't imagine being that excited about watching cars go around in circles, and auto racing holds absolutely no interest for me. It actually sickens me a bit to think of how much fuel gets wasted for the sake of entertainment, and you could not drag me to a NASCAR race. I do think, though, that I just might go if it there was a race limited to non-petroleum fueled cars.

Someone wealthy needs to sponsor competitions to encourage innovation. There are so many people out there who are complete car nuts, and I don't see why this wouldn't attract a huge amount of press and excitement. Offer cash prizes to winning drivers and make it a touring event. I'm not really familiar with all of the different types of racing beyond the 500 style races and drag racing, but I'm sure there are many kinds of competitions that could be done. How about an early auto era style cross country or around the world race?

Something like this could be just what's needed to get people hyped about the technology, and reallly could drive up the interest and demand needed to get average people to see just how cool it would be to not have to buy gas ever again. If television networks will televise people driving gas fueled cars around in circles, why wouldn't they be interested in promoting this? All of the major car manufacturers could get involved, and it would probably leave NASCAR to be the dinosaur that it really is.

So, if you're reading this and you're loaded, get to work. I promise I'll come check it out, and I bet all the NASCAR lovers and science/engineering/tech lovers will too.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. They have.

NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car. There are also other alcohol classes in NHRA, in Competition Eliminator, IIRC.

I do believe you can run diesels in NHRA as well, in some classes.

[eeyore]

3. What about electric or hydrogen?

I'm talking about a way to encourage people to come up with the most amazing versions of non-petro cars possible. Hell, how about electric monster trucks?

:shrug:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

10. I can assure you...

That if enough people started applying for classes for hydrogen or electric vehicles, NHRA would make something for them. First, there would have to be demand, however.

I am certain that at local tracks, in the bracket-racing ranks, as long as the cars can meet the stringent NHRA safety requirements, they would be allowed to compete. NHRA is like that, and they would never stand in the way of inventors or innovators. Unless, of course, their vehicles were powered by an engine that was totally dangerous, like when some folks were fueling their cars with a mixture of nitromethane and hydrazine. The result was a very unstable and explosive-to-shock fuel, very toxic as well. They nipped that right in the bud. Safety for participants and fans is their major priority.

[eeyore]

15. I don't want them to compete against petro cars...

I want to see the petro cars excluded. To hell with burning fuel, let's move the hell on!

[liberaldemocrat7]

17. The National Electric Drag Racing Association

NEDRA formed to get people to race with Electric drag racing cars. They run Rail dragsters and funny cars and also cars that people bring off the street.

Look at http://www.nedra.com

[eeyore]

19. That's really cool!

Are they just as loud as petroleum cars?

This one went 137.65 MPH...

[sir pball]

5. CART and IRL

Both run 100% methanol, and the NHRA Top Fuel dragsters run nitromethane/methanol.

[eeyore]

7. I don't see them using it to push alt fuels.

Do they promote the innovations as being environmentally significant, or are they just using those fuels to go faster? I'd really like to see someone make it cool to come up with the fastest electric car or the strongest hydrogen engine. Hell, I really don't know what I'm talking about with cars, but I do know that it would be really cool to go to a race where there were zero fuel emissions and the decible level was barely an issue.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

13. Ethanol...

At one time had a big campaign going in NHRA on touting the environmental benefits of their fuel. Promotional display and everything.

[nannah]

2. what a great idea! i could get behind something like this.

energize (pun intended) innovation in alternative fuel development by putting recreation and a sports type competion into the mix...

also, oddly enthusiastic and creative endeavor for your namesake, he of the droopy eyes and ears and loyal heart.

[eeyore]

4. I'm just a cranky donkey sometimes...

It was the first name I thought of, and I think I was just shocked that no one had already taken it. Doesn't always fit my personality, but I'm pretty much stuck with it now I guess.

:toast:

[sendero]

6. I think that is a great idea...

... but rather than focusing on alternative fuels (is methanol an alternative fuel? is biodiesel? - I suppose so) to be useful it would have to focus on alternative technologies.

Slapping a different fuel into an internal combustion engine isn't going to solve our energy crisis, but speeding development of electric and other types of engines would!

[eeyore]

8. Exactly...

I really don't know the correct terminology, but you get what I'm thinking about. How cool would it be to see an all electric car race? It would probably be pretty damn quiet compared to NASCAR, right? I've nearly been run over by a Prius because it was so quiet!

[HooptieWagon]

9. There are several

The NHRA alcohol classes use methanol, as does the Champ Car series. Indy Racing league recently switched from methanol to ethanol. The Pike's Peak hillclimb includes classes for electric and diesel powered vehicles. Bonneville racing organization includes electric, alcohol, and diesel classes. LeMans sanctioned events allow diesels, a diesel-powered Audi prototype racer won several races this year, including the 24hrs of LeMans. Volkswagon has entered diesel Tourags in the Paris-Dakar (Senegal)Rally the past couple of years with good results. That event is going on right now. Also, there are several grass-roots racing groups that race electric, solar, and gravity-powered (think Soapbox Derby) vehicles, not to mention racers of sailboats, ice-boats, and land-yachts (iceboats on wheels) that use wind energy.

Of course, racing anything costs money, and sponsors are hard to get. Anyone who is in favor of alternative energy racing should reasearch the groups that allow various forms of alternative energies, and find out who the sponsors are and send them letters of encouragement.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

11. That is an excellent point.

Money is the fuel that makes race cars go zoom. It would be a good idea for companies in the alternative energy sector to sponsor cars and offer contingency prize monies to those who compete with alternative-energy vehicles.

No sanctioning body would sniff disdainfully at that.

[eeyore]

14. Exactly...

See my post below. All of the enviro NPOs could sponsor cars, as could all of the likely Hollywood liberal car nuts like Seinfeld. I'd like to see the Ed Begley Jr. team!

[eeyore]

12. Do they publicize these events as environmentally innovative?

I've never seen anyone publicizing green car racing. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but I think it would be pretty cool to see sustainability promoting organizations get involved. Hell, Greenpeace could sponsor a car, and you could make the whole thing a non-profit that funds alternative energy research. Don't you think that super rich car nuts like Jerry Seinfeld would be into it?

[HooptieWagon]

16. Some do

When the Indy racing league switched to ethanol at the beginning of last season they did a heavy PR campaign on the green aspect. It doesn't hurt their cause that that's one of the most exciting series to watch. Audi and VW tout the fuel economy advantage their racing teams have over the gas-powered competition, fewer pit stops and less weight to carry around... and the cars seem to go just as fast (if not faster) than the competition. The various sail-powered sanctioning bodies tout the green aspect when courting sponsors, unfortunately TV coverage is all but non-existant. Pike's Peak gives a good bit of attention to the electric cars in that event.

[gbwarming]

18. There are a few solar and electric racing events

Nothing getting tv or big moneysponsorship, but there are/were several types of events.

World and Anerican solar Challenge are long distance races for solar cars held every couple of years. Mostly university teams with industry sponsorship:
http://www.wsc.org.au/2007/
http://www.americansolarchallenge.org/

Tour de sol
http://www.nesea.org/transportation/tour/

Nedra is electric drag racing http://www.nedra.com/

electrathon is small usually three wheeled racers using a fixed amount of battery - 60 lb of lead acid iirc. There are some high schools as well as individuals that field teams. http://www.electrathonamerica.org/ (there is more than one sanctioning body)

formula lightning - open wheel cars.. this series ended in 2004 I think.
http://www.csee.wvu.edu/~formula/

[eeyore]

20. Wow...there are some really cool things going on at those links.

Why doesn't an established league like NASCAR create a sub league for electric?

Formula Lightning is pretty cool. The site says that they had the car on display for a showing of Who Killed the Electric Car. That's getting on the right track (no pun intended).