Five years ago a group of determined government officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy were about to throw caution to the wind and think unlike…well, government officials. They needed something to demonstrate to the U.S. public and automaker alike that fuel efficiency could be cool and sexy. They wanted to find a race series that would be prepared to listen to ideas about how to introduce green thinking and fuel efficiencies to the race track. SAE International was their first stop. Officials there told them there was only one fit – the American Le Mans Series. With a rules structure that not only allowed technical innovation but encouraged it, SAE International felt the world’s top sports car series would at least be intrigued.

After all, the American Le Mans Series was the only race series in the United States to have introduced multiple street legal alternative fuels to its grid. The first salvo came in 2006 with the introduction of a turbo diesel race car by Audi Sport North America. The following year, 2007, the Series introduced ethanol…but not rocket-to-the-moon ethanol. It was an E10 blend, a mixture of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline which was virtually the same mix as the consumer could find at the service station, thus once again demonstrating the Series’ dedication to automotive relevance. Then in 2008 came E85, an 85 percent ethanol-gasoline blend. But again this wasn’t the normal food-chain ethanol. It was a cellulosic ethanol made from wood waste. Later that year, Corsa Motorsports working in conjunction with the Zytek Group, announced that it would run a full-season schedule in 2009 using a E10-electric hybrid.

And the rest is history, as they say. In 2008, the DOE and EPA in conjunction with SAE International declared in a press conference at one of the world’s most important auto shows - the North American International Auto Show in Detroit - that the American Le Mans Series, with all cars now racing several different types of alternative fuels, was the only race series to meet its criteria for green racing. As a result, all bodies announced the creation of a Green Challenge™ award and trophy for both a prototype and Grand Touring (GT) class team that demonstrated the best overall performance, fuel efficiency and environmental impact during the race.

The cornerstone of the Series' green racing platform is the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge, a revolutionary competition that grades manufacturers and teams on their overall performance and energy efficiency at each American Le Mans Series event. To learn more and to view championship standings and results, see the MICHELIN® Green X® Challenge page.