The FIA ETCR eTouring Car World Cup has sustainability at its core, so every Saturday we’re going to sell you a little story on this site to set out our stall and showcase the initiatives we’ve been persuing at the circiuts we visit as well as our processes and procedures. We’ll start with the first event of the series, Pau.
Before, during and after the first round of the FIA ETCR eTouring Car World Cup, Infinite Reality Race FR, Discovery Sports Events as FIA ETCR promoter pushed a number of initiatives to benefit both the local community and future sustainable mobility globally, all as part of the FIA ETCR #TransitionInMotion CSR programme.
FIA ETCR aims to promote greater sustainability and highlight the excitement of electric mobility and the positive effect it can have on the environment worldwide and its promoter, Discovery Sports Events, is only one of three to hold three stars in the FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme.
As part of the FIA ETCR local outreach programme, the series worked closely with Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour (UPPA), and the associate universities of the UNITA Alliance, a collaboration between six European universities who are supported by the European University Initiative which brings partners together around common values and objectives to promote a new form of cooperation on a European scale.
FIA ETCR worked with the universities to assist with the online launch ceremony of the UNITA Green Mobilities Challenge. This initiative sought to make a difference in future sustainable mobilities through a 100% online ideathon with students from Romania, Spain, Italy, France and Portugal. The best projects instigated from this challenge will be mentored by different business companies in 2023 and developed during workshops organized in each university of the UNITA Alliance.
As well as the educational outreach, FIA ETCR also worked with two Pau charities to ensure that there was no food waste from the event. All surplus food was shared between two charities, Pau Charity and Epicerie Solidaire des Etudiants de Pau, with 174 meals distributed by FIA ETCR personnel over the course of the race weekend.
“At every event we visit this year we want to have a positive impact on the local environment and those living there as well as help push the narrative of new mobility solutions,” explained FIA ETCR Series Director, Xavier Gavory.
“Our season-opening Infinite Reality Race FR was a perfect example of this. We were proud to help launch the UNITA Green Mobilities Ideathon, something which inspired a lot of creative thinking on the current and future challenges of mobility. We will continue to work with this type of initiative which will continue to stimulate and push this narrative. Finally, we were able to ensure that nothing went to waste from our event catering with our own personnel working in conjunction with local charities to benefit the local community.”
Louis de Fontenelle, Associate Professor, Scientific Director of the E2S UPPA MOVE Chair expained what the relationship means for their project. “The long-term partnership initiated between the FIA ETCR and the E2S UPPA MOVE Chair enables the staff involved in this project to identify the concrete problems and expectations of the players in the field of motor sport, and thus to nourish their research work.
“The E2S UPPA MOVE Chair is focused on the establishment of a research centre dedicated to the study of the interactions between the energy transition and mobility. Our research work covers both immediate issues and questions that will arise in the near future, in a prospective approach.
“We are proud to have been involved in the Pau Grand Prix alongside the FIA ETCR and to have helped identify solutions to the challenge of sport mobility, which is one of the major societal challenges, and we will be pleased to join forces with the FIA ETCR again for future events.”
Meanwhile, representing the charities on side, Claire Martin, President, Pau Charity Association, expressed gratitude.
“A huge thank you to Discovery Sports Events for their initiative. It allowed us to collect almost 200 meals that were directly distributed during the evening soup kitchens. We look forward to working together next year at the next Grand Prix.”
More on FIA ETCR’s sustainability actions can be found here.