Chocolate racing car has the Formula for success
by Stevie Smith - May 6 2009, 17:00
And if the driver gets peckish... the steering wheel is made of carrots. Image: World First Racing.
While there’s no denying the attraction and excitement associated with the thrilling speed of Formula 1 racing, the sport’s visceral breakneck excitement is often targeted for ecological criticism regarding rates of fuel consumption and its negative impact on an ailing environment.
However, ecologically aware scientists working out of the University of Warwick in England have this week revealed an environmentally friendly racing car capable of achieving impressive speeds on a biofuel product consisting of vegetable oil and chocolate waste procured from confectionery makers.
Complete with a steering wheel made from root vegetable fibres, a driver’s seat made from soybean foam, and bodywork made from potato starch, the team hopes its green racer will inspire manufacturers to produce vehicles that are less of a drain on the planet’s resources and also inflict less damage upon the environment.
According to the Warwick university scientists, their aptly named “WorldF3rst Formula 3” chocolate car is 95 percent biodegradable and has been built to conform with existing Formula 3 racing standards with regard to size, weight and performance. However, its biodiesel engine renders it ineligible for actual competition.
Although the team have thus far only run the car to a test speed of 60 mph, they fully expect it to surpass somewhere in the region of 145 mph when it’s rolled out for a complete racetrack test in a few weeks, reports AP.
Already gathering interest from the motorsport industry, the WorldF3rst Formula 3 racing car will likely increase its exposure levels when it is put on display during the upcoming European Grand Prix and also the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
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