World's Greenest Rally Car Kicked Out of Competition for Being Too Fast

Ironically, a petrol-electric Honda Insight hybrid, which competes in the Formula 1000 rally championship, has been banned following concerns from rival competitors that it might have an unfair advantage. The car took two wins and a second place from the first three rounds this season.

The car is said to be world’s greenest rally car, using a tuned petrol-electric hybrid system developed by the Oaktec team from Lancaster over a six-year period.

Oaktec entered the rally car in a fuel economy competition and returned 82 mpg, beating the next best car, a small diesel, by over 17 mpg. It has regularly returned over 100 mpg in testing and has ultra-low CO2 emissions, yet uses the same combination of efficient engine, batteries and electric motor to win rallies.

In addition, the car is unique in motorsport because it uses a CVT automatic transmission developed by Bosch, who also sponsor the car.

“It was a bit of a shock when I got the call as after six years of hard work we finally had our chance for a bit of glory. But I fully understand the perspective of the organisers and their wish not to spoil the sport for the other drivers,” stated Oaktec boss Paul Andrews.

"It’s a shame it had to happen mid-season but it’s the risk you face in going against the grain and trying something radical. If it fails, no one notices; if it’s successful, you have an unfair advantage. I think our project has made people realise that there is a real future for genuinely green technologies in motorsport and other leisure activities,” he added.