India's largest oil company, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC), is now setting Grand Prix dreams as it will start manufacturing fuel used in adrenaline-pumping Formula One or F1, motor racing as it looks to expand its basket of niche fuels. The process is set to begin in next three months.
IOC, which already has three branded fuels, including high-selling XtraGreen diesel, on March 6 unveiled 'Storm' petrol that it will supply for the Asian region motorcycle road racing championship.
According to IOC’s Chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, the company expects to get its Formula 1 fuel certified in around three months, after which it can start competing with other global majors to supply it to the teams. F1 fuel is essentially high-octane petrol and the standards are heavily regulated by global motor sport governing body Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) on various counts, including permissible additives and blending agents.
"Today, we are partnering with FIM Asia Road Racing Championship for the supply of 'Storm'. We are the first company in India to manufacture fuel of specifications used in road racing," IOC Chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya said, according to news agency PTI.
IOC will supply fuel for all the motorcyclists from 15 countries that will participate in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship.
"Our R&D (research and development) in two months will be able to produce Category-1 fuel and in three months Formula 1 fuel," he said.
"Unless we go to F1, the journey is not complete." 'Storm - Ultimate Racing Fuel' is different from regular commercial as well as premium gasoline or petrol (95-Octane XP95 and 100-Octane XP100) in fuel properties like density range, distillation range, vapour pressure (DVPE), and olefins.
And Formula 1 fuels are ones that deliver highly optimised peak performance.
Vaidya said current norms provide for 40 per cent of the F1 fuel coming from non-fossil sources, such as alcohol, algae or waste keeping in the sustainability angle.
IOC would also start manufacturing similar grade fuel and thereafter pitch to automobile makers racing in F1.
F1 racing teams are currently using ‘E10 fuel. However, from 2026, F1 plans to shift to 100 percent sustainable fuel.
Unlike FIM Asia Road Racing Championship where there is one single fuel supplier for all the motorcycles racing, F1 allows teams to select their own fuel supplier. For instance, Shell is the fuel supplier to Ferrari.
"This is just the beginning," Vaidya said.
'Storm - Ultimate Racing Fuel' provides cleanliness of engine parts, fuel delivery system and corrosion protection to the metallic parts of vehicles. It provides faster acceleration, more power, smoother drivability, lower engine deposits and lower exhaust emissions.
It is suitable for use in all racing championships (enduro, trial, circuit racing, motocross and supermoto, cross-country, e-bike, and track racing) in all classes of motorbikes requiring FIM Category 2 race fuels.
F1 fuel will be a notch higher. It would fall under high octane premium road fuel with octane thresholds of 95 to 102.
(With inputs from PTI)
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