Odds are high that something counter-intuitive will happen in the two-hour long American Le Mans Series race at Long Beach, April 14: The cleanest and most efficient race cars are also likely to be the fastest.
That is not simple conjecture, according to the Michelin Green X Challenge data compiled throughout the race by the Green Racing working group. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, SAE International and the sanctioning International Motor Sports Association all participate in this working group.
In the first three years of America’s premier environmental motorsports competition, five of the six Michelin Green X Challenge winners on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn Long Beach circuit also won their respective classes in the race. That includes both 2011 Long Beach winners, Muscle Milk Aston Martin (Prototype) and BMW Team RLL (GT).
The ALMS race/ Michelin Green X Challenge double victory results are not unique to Long Beach. To date, 26 of the 58 ALMS Michelin Green X Challenge winners have also won their respective classes on the track.
“Fans likely suspect that green awards would recognize a slower car, that maybe doesn’t go quite as fast and uses less energy, but that is not the how the Michelin Green X Challenge is designed,” said Silvia Mammone, Michelin motorsports manager.
The winners are determined by a combined score for “Clean, Fast and Efficient” performance, with all entrants having their energy use and clean scores extended to match the distance of the race winner.
America’s premier environmental competition, the Michelin Green X Challenge has had 23 different cars from 18 teams and 13 manufacturers, featuring four different fuels and three tire manufacturers earn victories in the 58 total race awards (2009 - 2012).
