1,200 HP, 5 tons, and renewable biofuel: We delve into a truck racing event

On a grand day, eagerly awaited by fans at the Jarama Circuit, the FIA European Truck Racing Championship takes place. It's not just the tens of thousands of fans from all over Europe that make this event significant, but also the powerful machines that compete. With 13,000 cubic centimetres and 1,200 HP engines, these are the most formidable machines currently seen in Spain.

Indeed, it is nothing like a car or single-seater race. Accelerations, drifts, and overtakes with trucks weighing over 5 tons racing at 160 km/h make for a unique spectacle. A racing car weighs between 600 and 1,300 kg, for instance. While cars focus on precision and aerodynamics, truck racing challenges involve managing weight in tight corners, braking control, and preventing overheating. Drivers require not only skill but also physical strength to handle a 5-ton beast during braking or overtaking, demanding endurance and reflexes. Teams work under tough conditions, making quick adjustments to brakes, suspensions, and cooling systems between heats.

For fans, it is a much more intimate experience than F1, as they can talk to drivers, see the trucks up close, and literally feel the engine vibrations. Truck races are also more "visual": smoke, thunderous noise, aggressive overtakes, and a closer experience for the audience.

The most intriguing aspect of this championship is the use of HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil), a renewable biofuel made from hydrogenated vegetable oils and organic waste. Its use can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil diesel. The championship aims to be a laboratory and showcase for the logistics sector, demonstrating that it is possible to compete and transport goods more cleanly, offering one of the most promising ways to decarbonise current fleets with renewable diesel. Trucks can use sustainable HVO100 fuel without modifications. "I have tested it in my diesel engine - it can also be used in a light vehicle - and noticed no difference. It's slightly more expensive, but none of our clients have observed any change in vehicle performance or fuel consumption compared to diesel," explains Filipo Welter, Country Manager of Eurowag, to this newspaper.

This brand, with 30 years of experience across Europe and a network for heavy vehicle refuelling with low-carbon alternatives like HVO and bioLNG, is new to Spain. It aims to be the leading transport solution because "it still has a high price compared to diesel for individuals, but for goods, for example, it is more accepted as they are willing to pay the difference for a greener supply chain," he adds.

In Europe, "there are many incentives for buying an electric vehicle despite uncertainties about battery disposal, generation, and recyclability. Conversely, with HVO, we have a clearer understanding of a vehicle's lifecycle from production to disposal," concludes Welter, highlighting the lack of coherent governmental policies.