Mass sport soon impossible?
Electromobility bottoms motorsport
After initial problems, the car world is switching to electric drive faster than many expected. What works reasonably well for private people in everyday life poses great challenges for motorsport and above all for amateurs.
Published: 06/18/2022 at 12:58 p.m
Stefan Grundhoff and Raoul Schwinnen
Recently, with the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and in Le Mans and the Daytona 500, three of the largest motorsport events in the world take place almost simultaneously. In addition, the Formula 1 pilots now start a race almost every week somewhere in the world. So everything as usual?
Not quite. The major changes in vehicle drives have also left their mark on the racing series. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Formula 1, World Rally Championship, long-distance or touring car racing: when it comes to top speed and long distances, things are currently looking bad for electric drives.
Formula E failed
A few years ago the Formula E raised from the baptism. After many top manufacturers were also present there with their electric monoposti at the beginning, the disillusionment came faster than expected. Formula E is loved by most racing fans, as is the related Offroad-Serie Extreme E perceived as a pure marketing event with no sporting value. Public interest is tiny in most countries, the market relevance is hardly noticeable, and the desired image transfer is missing. And so many brands have already canceled their multi-million dollar commitment.
But where is motorsport headed in a few years? The Le Mans Series is striving for a new class of hybrid supercars from 2023. There have been minor electrifications in Formula 1 or the Le Mans Prototype League for years. But mass sport looks into the tube. And so there is a risk that a popular major event like the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring will degenerate into an event purely for historic or just old racing cars in a few years. Some top manufacturers are already noticeably reducing their commitments. Reason: many of the racing cars no longer fit into the new image of a clean man.
Profitable business is gone
However, it is easy to forget that for some car manufacturers the construction and sale of racing cars is definitely a profitable business. Brands such as Mercedes-AMG or Porsche have their well-equipped high-tech athletes paid well by international racing teams – not to forget all the spare parts that are in demand after every racing weekend. So is the one that is being phased out this year and has been built more than 220 times Mercedes-AMG GT3 not only one of the most successful touring cars in the world on the track, but also for the AMG financial accountants. The situation is similar with Porsche with the 911 GT3at Audi with the R8 LMS or with the GT-3 racing cars from Aston Martin and Lamborghini.
Are there alternatives to battery e-drive in racing?
What about electromobility away from paved racetracks? Rallying is extremely popular in northern and southern Europe and also in South America. And the adventure marathon rally Dakar is also a big public topic at the beginning of each year. It is precisely there that Audi is currently attempting a difficult balancing act with its RS Q E-Tron, the electric buggy. It is powered by an electric motor with a battery pack. However, the battery is powered by a DTM petrol racing engine that was brought out of the woods to extend the range. That could set a precedent – albeit only off the track. Experts, on the other hand, don’t see much of a chance for fuel cells in racing. Although manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda are constantly making new attempts to make hydrogen technology suitable for racing.
For the Dakar Rally, Audi dares an interesting balancing act with the RS Q E-Tron.
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What about electromobility away from paved racetracks? Rallying is extremely popular in northern and southern Europe and also in South America. And the adventure marathon rally Dakar is also a big public topic at the beginning of each year. It is precisely there that Audi is currently attempting a difficult balancing act with its RS Q E-Tron, the electric buggy. It is powered by an electric motor with a battery pack. However, the battery is powered by a DTM petrol racing engine that was brought out of the woods to extend the range. That could set a precedent – albeit only off the track. Experts, on the other hand, don’t see much of a chance for fuel cells in racing. Although manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda are constantly making new attempts to make hydrogen technology suitable for racing.
Most experts agree that there will not be exciting circuit races such as F1, Indycar/Nascar, medium or long-distance races such as the Le Mans series, or touring car trophies purely electrically in the short term. In addition, the batteries lose their power too quickly under full load, and recharging takes too long. Of course, it would be conceivable to exchange the battery packs like changing tires or to recharge them with a quick boost for shorter races – ideally for motorsport fans at the track and perfectly staged on TV. For professional championships and their teams, this could be feasible, at least in the medium term.
The situation is different for popular and amateur sports. There is a risk here that their races will degenerate into pure “oldtimer” events from the beginning of 2030. Electromobility as the gravedigger of the popular amateur racing series on the circuit? In the medium term, unfortunately, it looks very much like that at the moment.
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