CAC revolutionizes motorsports with CO2-reduced, synthetic fuel
Successful car racing debut followed by motorcycle racing debut in WorldSBK 2024 with synthetic fuel from CAC and NORDOEL for BMW Motorrad Motorsport
With the aim of making motorsport CO2-neutral in the long term, synthetic fuel based on CAC ENGINEERING technology will be used for the first time in the FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK). BMW Motorrad Motorsport will run its four production-based motorcycles on it in all 11 races of the 2024 season. Together with NORDOEL, they have further refined CAC's standard-compliant methanol-based synthetic gasoline specifically for motorcycle racing (e.g. octane rating). The final RacE-Fuel WSBK R40-A has a regenerative content of at least 40% and complies with the new FIM regulations.
"We are delighted that our synthetic fuel is also making its way into near-series motorcycle racing. Motorsports has always been a pioneer of many innovative technologies that were later adapted to our roads. And synthetic fuels are essential for climate-friendly driving," explains Jörg Engelmann, Chairman of CAC.
The racing fuel was tested by BMW Motorrad Motorsport on the test bench as well as on the race track. The results confirmed the competitiveness and readiness for use of the regenerative fuel both in high-performance motorsport and for potential road use.
The second race weekend of the racing series on 23rd/24th March 2024 in Barcelona was already a success story.
After pole position and victory in the Superpole Race by Toprak Razgatlioglu, BMW made an excellent start to the new season.
Synthetic gasoline from CAC ENGINEERING GMBH
The synthetic fuel is produced in Europe's largest demonstration plant in Freiberg, Saxony, from regeneratively produced methanol. CAC ENGINEERING developed and implemented the technology with the support of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. With its fuel technology, CAC is one of the world's leading technology providers in this segment. The implementation of the technology as a large-scale industrial plant requires investment security, which is linked to political decisions.
Based on methanol, which can be produced from CO2 and green hydrogen or from biological raw materials (bio-methanol), CAC has developed the patented, innovative process, which does not require fossil raw materials due to the carbon cycle. In simple terms, the emitted CO2 at the exhaust is reused to produce the synthetic fuel. The fuel can be used in any standard gasoline engine without any further adjustments and maintains the performance of the engines.
The specifically developed and constructed plant has a theoretical production capacity of one million liters per year. As part of the DeCarTrans project, the aim is to produce around 380,000 liters of standard-compliant synthetic fuel by 2026, which has CO2 savings of up to 90 percent.
For the third time in a row, CAC ENGINEERING's synthetic fuel will be used in cooperation with NORDOEL at the ADAC 24h motorsport event at the Nürburgring at the end of May 2024.
To the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Media Guide
To the NORDOEL press release (only in German language)