The second annual Desert 400 meeting brought many benefits to Bahrain over the weekend, but one of the biggest had little to do with what was happening on track.
While the V8 Supercar protagonists battled it out in the closing stages of the championship campaign, the series' V8 Racing Green project continued away from the action with the planting of native trees in Manama. The aim is for the Supercar series and its Fujitsu development championship to be 'carbon offset' via planting programmes in each of the three countries - Bahrain, Australia and New Zealand - that it visits. Across the three countries, V8 Racing Green will plant more than 15,000 native trees to offset the carbon emissions produced, not only by racing, but also via transport to events, either by air, road or sea.
"This has been a very rewarding project," V8 Supercars CEO Wayne Cattach commented, "Everyone that has been involved - from the teams, drivers, circuits and communities - and have really made it work. One of the great aspects of this initiative is that it has provided a springboard for many other environmental projects. In addition, our schools programme has been incredibly effective in educating the children and their families about the impact of carbon emissions, but also realising the small things that an individual can do that can make a big impression. We hope 2007 is the starting point of a big difference."
The programme joined forces with Bahrain International Circuit's own environmental project to regenerate areas affected by the large amount of infrastructural development that the country has undergone.
"This is a very significant move in motor racing, and one that the BIC is proud to be involved with," circuit CEO Martin Whitaker explained, "As a circuit, we are looking to use this opportunity as the catalyst to a long term environmental initiative that will include the planting of indigenous trees, plants and shrubs and the development of horticultural opportunities for the sustainability of these species for the long term.
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