Team NASAMAX – Le Mans 2004
The Race - Final Part

First Le Mans Finishes For A Green Fuel Car And An LMP1 Prototype

After a dramatic and incident-packed 24 hour race shown live on TV across the world, the Nasamax DM139 Judd V10 of Team Nasamax with Robbie Stirling at the wheel crossed the line at 1600 hours on Sunday 13 June in 17th position of the 26 cars to finish the race, from the 48 which took the start. The car had dropped to 47th on the leader board at 10 laps, after investigations in the pits for the engine misfire, then risen steadily through the ranking until a half hour stop to change the starter motor, and gained places again in the last hours.

Crossing the line gives the Nasamax team two important firsts: the first time a wholly-renewably fuelled car has finished the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the first new-specification 2004 regulations LMP1 prototype car to finish the race.

The Astek-supported Nasamax DM139 was running on bio-ethanol, an alcohol fuel, and utilised the Astek NBS™ fire protection system. The fuel supply was distilled in Northern France, from sugar beet and potatoes grown in Northern France. The aim of the project is to use motorsport to showcase renewable fuel’s potential, and the Le Mans 24 Hours was chosen as the most severe test. The event is also the world’s most famous race.

The car ran steadily through the night, although at 0235 a headlight was replaced by changing the whole panel, and in the morning the engine mapping was modified during a series of stops. The Judd engine had run throughout the warm up and race with an untraceable misfire, which cost seconds per lap for the whole race.

“We lost time trying to find the misfire and eventually we had to just get on with it,” said team manager John McNeil. “It was frustrating because we know what lap time we could have had, and we know it would have put us safely in the top ten, even the top six. However, these were the usual setbacks any car could have in racing, and we have still shown that this fuel can be competitive in the top level of international motorsport. To do so with a new racing car to completely new regulations is also a major achievement for the whole team. We will be back next year.”

The team is also competing in the Le Mans Endurance Series and the next race is at Nurburgring on 4 July.