Mazda has just completed a UK race track tour in an MX-5 using one hundred percent fossil-free fuel. This unmodified MX-5 was fueled by Sustain 100% road fuel from Coryton Advanced Fuels which is located about one hour east of London, England. Along the way, this standard production MX-5, with its 2.0 litre inline 4 cylinder engine, set benchmark lap times for sustainably fueled cars.

This bio-fueled MX-5 drove to the Anglesey Circuit in Wales, Oulton Park Circuit in England, Knockhill Racing Circuit in Scotland and Kirkistown Racing Circuit in Northern Ireland, establishing sustainable fuel lap times at the tracks. On its 1,000 mile or 1,600 km trip to all of the race tracks, the MX-5 averaged 45.6 mpg or 5.1 l/100 km. The gasoline powered MX-5 is rated at 40.9 mpg or 5.7 l/100 km in the UK.

Powering the 1,998 cc Skyactiv-G engine was Coryton’s second generation fuel which is created using agricultural waste including straw, by-products and waste from crops.

“We're delighted to have worked with Mazda UK on this project, which combined a great car with sustainable fuel to lower more than just lap times,” said David Richardson, director at Coryton. “As this challenge has shown, sustainable fuel is a real and credible player in our efforts towards net zero. It's a solution that performs incredibly well, works with our existing vehicles and has the potential to significantly reduce the amount of CO2 we currently release compared to traditional fossil fuels”.

“Drop-in sustainable fuels are ready now for everyday road cars with internal combustion engines,” Richardson continued. “The UK alone currently has 36 million combustion engine cars on the roads that we could be reducing the emissions from right now. The product and technology is ready to go – the industry just needs support to help scale up operations, which can be done gradually. But every litre of fossil fuel we replace directly helps us get closer towards our climate targets. Working with forward thinking partners like Mazda, we'll continue to show just how easy and impactful the integration of sustainable fuel could be whilst operations scale up for other technologies such as electric. There are a number of solutions, which can all work together to help us meet our goals, it doesn’t need to be all or nothing."

“Around 90% of vehicles on UK roads are still powered purely by an internal combustion engine, with many capable of running for many years to come,” Said Hugh Chambers, Motorsport UK Chief Executive Officer. “Sustainable fuels, such as biofuels, efuels and synthetic fuels provide a low-carbon alternative to conventional hydrocarbon fuels, ensuring the lifespan of these vehicles is maximised with minimum impact. It’s fantastic to see Coryton Fuels join forces with Mazda to demonstrate that it’s possible for everyday road cars to not only be driven on a motorsport circuit powered by 100% sustainable fuels, but do so with no loss of performance or reliability”.

Mazda is competing in the Super Taikyu Endurance Series in Japan with a Mazda2 that runs on second-generation bio-fuels. They are racing in the ST-Q class which is for cars powered by experimental or alternatively fuels. The Mazda2 runs on biodiesel made from used cooking oil and microalgae fats. Mazda is developing a new more powerful Mazda3 for the 2023 season which will have more power and run on the same biodiesel.

“This is a brilliant demonstration of how sustainable fuels can play a part in reducing automotive CO2 emissions if they became widely available,” said Jeremy Thomson, Mazda Motors UK Managing Director. “In line with Mazda’s position on renewable efuels, I’m delighted that with this activity here in the UK we have helped to increase discussion and awareness on the part sustainable fuels can play alongside electrification in reducing emissions from vehicles. It’s especially appropriate to highlight how they have the potential to make the enjoyment of driving sustainable whether on the road or on track for fun or in competition – all of which is key to a car like the Mazda MX-5 that has been providing driving fun for over 30 years. I hope this demonstration will be a forerunner of bigger and better things to come, this pioneering approach is very much in line with Mazda’s famed Challenger Spirit”.