EcoF3 car excluded from Brands Hatch race
18/10/2009
The WorldFirst EcoF3 car was prevented from competing at Brands Hatch by race officials this weekend.
In a drama similar to sort of thing we now expect from Formula 1, officials insisted that they had to have approval from everyone who had originally entered the F3 Championship at the start of the year before the biodiesel powered EcoF3 could run. Just four hours before qualify on Saturday it transpired that one driver, who was not competing at the event, was seemingly unwilling to be contacted by the championship organisers after several days of trying. Despite assurances that the issue was being resolved, the EcoF3 car was prevented from leaving the assembly area for the qualify session.
The car, driven by Aaron Steele, had set a time during testing on Thursday which would have allowed it to qualify 5th on the grid. Tim Scott said, "We were all very disappointed that the car was not allowed to compete. Changes we made to the engine map on Friday would almost certainly have let us improve on Thursday's time and do well in the race."
The team will now have to wait till next year before they get another opportunity to showcase the car against its petrol powered equivalents and prove that biodiesel power is competitive. "Motor sport really needs to do more to promote more environmentally friendly technology. I think a great opportunity was lost this weekend", added Scott.
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