Toni Bou and Gabriel Marcelli train with competition biofuel designed and produced at Repsol Technology Lab.
The Repsol Honda trial team have carried out a first test with renewable fuel. Toni Bou and Gabriel Marcelli work with researchers from the Repsol innovation center to produce new renewable fuels with the aim of reducing emissions from their motorcycles by using these fuels, which come from organic waste and emit up to 90% less net CO2 emissions than conventional fuels. The feedback from the Repsol Honda Trial team riders is key to the development of this fuel, designed to maintain the same performance as traditional fuel and significantly reduce net CO2 emissions.
Bou and Marcelli informed Repsol that performance was identical to that with conventional fuel, which is a good foundation from which to continue advancing in the upcoming tests with the aim of making the engine-fuel combination work at full capacity.
Repsol have a clear commitment to renewable fuels and their application as a solution in the decarbonisation of mobility and, especially, of competition. In 2022, they have supplied this biofuel to the French F4 series and also to Isidre Esteve, who will participate in the Dakar rally with a fuel made from 75% sustainably sourced raw materials. MotoGP rider Marc Márquez also did a test at Jarama a few weeks ago, with good results. Repsol’s relationship with the world of motor racing now goes back over 50 years, in which the company has developed its range with the aim of obtaining the best performance for the products that reach its customers. Repsol are committed to sustainability and energy efficiency, thinking about the future to develop better fuel. Competition continues to be used as a testing ground for the development of present and future products, so that they can be found in service stations by customers.
The road to decarbonisation
Repsol have been working on the development of biofuels for many years, with the intention of making them a real alternative that complements other ways of decarbonising mobility, such as electrification or renewable hydrogen, to reduce emissions in the coming years.
During the first half of 2023, Repsol will start up the first advanced biofuels plant in Spain, in Cartagena, which will produce 250,000 tons of renewable fuels from waste products. Work at their synthetic fuels plant in Bilbao will begin production in the demonstration phase in 2024. These plants play a leading role in Repsol’s goal of reaching production capacity of 1.3 million tons of renewable fuels in 2025, and more than 2 million in 2030, thus leading this market in the Iberian Peninsula and moving decisively towards zero net emissions in 2050.
Toni Bou
It has been a very positive test; I am sure that Repsol will be able to obtain valuable information to take a further step in the development of biofuel. The most important thing is that we have not noticed the difference between this fuel and the regular one and we have been able to train in normal conditions.
Gabriel Marcelli
The performance of this new biofuel is like that of normal fuel. We are looking forward to carrying out more tests of this type so that we can provide Repsol with more information and that, little by little, we can use it in more tests and competitions. The idea is no longer just to match normal fuel economy, but to improve on it.
