The European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC) has said it will turn its focus to safety, sustainability and driver shortages. The European Truck Association (ETRA) has also committed to the Paris Climate Agreement.
The FIA, who sanction the championship alongside other major motorsport competitions including Formula 1, says 2021 will see a major focus on sustainability transition. In addition, the ETRA has committed to the Paris Agreement to reach net zero by 2038 at the latest.
ETRA Managing Director Georg Fuchs says the aim is to use the platform of the championship to create and showcase sustainable technologies in the haulage industry:
We want to take the championship to the next level and be at the forefront of the industry with our clear objective: we want to become the leading platform for sustainable technologies in the road haulage industry on and off the race track.
A significant move in ETRA’s sustainability focus is the introduction of biofuel to the FIA ETRC as of this season, becoming the first FIA-regulated competition to switch to a fuel fully originated from renewable sources.
While continuing to highlight the central issues of safety, the ETRC also says it will continue its efforts in promoting some of the key challenges in the truck and road haulage industry. This includes the shortage of professional truck drivers across Europe through the #onetruckfamily initiative.
The FIA states that the pandemic has underlined just how important truck drivers are in everyone’s lives, and want’s do its bit to try and alleviate the driver shortage problem.
Georg Fuchs believes that the extreme conditions of racing offer the platform to convince the public of the benefits of new technologies:
We have a great platform and it’s our responsibility to utilise it to drive change. We will adopt a leading approach to accommodate technical developments in the industry while maintaining our unique and beloved character of racing excitement with a strong attachment to our fans. If we can show, that new developments work reliably in the extreme conditions of racing, it will help people to understand and accept new technologies.
The 2021 European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC) is due to begin at Italy’s Misano race circuit on May 22nd. The Calendar also features races in Hungary, Germany, France, Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic.
Photo credit: Denes Translations / Wikimedia Commons