MDB funds alternative fuel teams

Taurus Sports and Team Nasamax will compete in the LMP class of the 2004 Le Mans 24 Hours this month, while Mardi Gras Motorsport will shortly relaunch its 2004 British Touring Car Championship campaign with a newly converted Peugeot chassis built to full BTCC specification.

George Lendrum, the MD of Pi Research who is the MDB member responsible for the EEMS project, explained: "We decided to focus our support on a small number of teams that had already committed to the EEMS concept and were competing at International level. At this stage we want to promote and expand the EEMS concept, and supporting speculative start-ups was not seen as an effective use of the funds we have. The EEMS project team will work with the teams we are supporting to promote their race and development programmes, and in return the teams will help us to demonstrate the reality of EEMS and how it can benefit the whole of the UK motorsport industry."

As an example, the EEMS project team will work with Mardi Gras Motorsport to develop a new, lightweight fuel celll suitable for LPG. Once manufactured, the cell will be made available to any other teams that may wish to use it.